As we come to John 21, the last chapter of this Gospel, the Evangelist has now written twenty chapters of signs so that we “may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing [we] may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John’s testimony to the person and work of Jesus is complete, demonstrating thoroughly that Jesus is the Anointed One of God and the Son sent from the Father to accomplish redemption for all those whom the Father is giving to the Son. Along with the other three Synoptic Gospels, we have a sufficient, multifaceted depiction of Jesus. So, while we do not have all the details we may care to have, we have everything we need to come to faith in Jesus for salvation through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the last chapter of the Gospel, John does not need to add one single word to the testimony concerning Jesus himself.

Instead, John clarifies the nature of the commission that Jesus gave his disciples on the day of his resurrection: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). On that day, Jesus also breathed on them so that they received the Holy Spirit for carrying out that work (John 20:22). Even so, we still have many questions. What exactly is Jesus asking his disciples to do? Will the disciples of Jesus actually be able to accomplish that work? What about their weaknesses, limitations, and failures? Peter denied knowing Jesus on the night of the crucifixion, but why should we think that he will be the only disciple who will ever fall into temptation? Who among us has ever been sufficient to the task that Jesus has entrusted to us (cf. 2 Cor. 2:16)? In this final chapter, John acknowledges and answers our concerns about a humbling reality: Jesus entrusts his flock to faltering shepherds.