Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” 23 So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? [What concern is it of yours?]”
24 It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.
As the Gospel of John draws to a close, we are given a final scene between Peter, Jesus, and the unnamed “disciple whom Jesus loved.” Peter, turning to see this beloved disciple following, asks, “Lord, what about him?” (v. 21). Jesus responds, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me” (v. 22).
This exchange gently corrects Peter’s curiosity by reaffirming his personal vocation: “You follow me.” While Peter has been restored and commissioned as shepherd (John 21:15-17), he must remain focused on his own call, rather than compare it to the path of others. The Church Fathers saw in this a timeless truth: each disciple’s mission is distinct, but all are called to faithful perseverance (cf. Origen, Commentary on John, Book 32).
Some misunderstood Jesus’ words—“What if I want him to remain until I come?”—to mean that the beloved disciple would not die before Christ’s return. But the Gospel corrects this: “Jesus did not say that he would not die” (v. 23). The focus is not on predicting the end, but on Peter’s personal call to follow. The phrase may refer not to the Second Coming, but to Christ’s coming at the disciple’s death or in judgment. The evangelist’s clarification reflects the early Church’s concern with remaining faithful to Jesus’ words without misinterpretation—an indication of apostolic integrity in preserving the truth (cf. Luke 1:1-4).
In verse 24, the author affirms his identity: “It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.” Early tradition consistently associates this beloved disciple with John the Apostle (cf. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.1.1). His role as both eyewitness and evangelist affirms the apostolic nature of the Gospel, rooted in personal experience and faithfully recorded for the Church. As 1 John 1:1-3 echoes, this testimony was not borne alone, but shared by those who had “seen with [their] eyes… and touched with [their] hands” the Word of life.
This final verse points to the vastness of Christ’s life and mission—far more than could ever be written (cf. John 20:30). It reminds us that the message of Jesus was first entrusted to living witnesses, who preached and taught through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Between the Resurrection and the earliest written Gospels and Epistles—roughly from A.D. 33 to A.D. 50—the message of Christ was faithfully transmitted by the apostles through oral preaching, teaching, and worship, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The early Christian community gathered around this living Word, as seen in Acts 2:42, where they devoted themselves “to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” From the beginning, the Christian Church held fast to this living memory, handed down through both written Scripture and the faithful (oral) witness of the apostles. The Gospel, then, is not merely a book—it is a living Word, preserved and proclaimed in the life of the Church.
Lord Jesus, eternal Word made flesh, help us to follow You with undivided hearts. Keep us faithful to the witness of Your apostles and attentive to the voice of Your Church. May the truth they lived and preserved continue to guide our steps until we see You face to face. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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