Unwritten Chapters

It's a bit surprising that John's Gospel contains a twenty-first chapter. After all, the previous chapter tells about Jesus' resurrection and his convincing appearances to Mary Magdalene, Thomas, and the rest of the disciples. Then John brings everything to a fitting conclusion by summarizing the purpose of his Gospel: "That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31).

Why not just end there? Jesus is alive, and believers have life in his name. Isn't that enough to know? What else needs to be said? If it had been up to us, we might have stopped writing right there. But Easter isn't the end of the story; it's just the beginning. Likewise, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and are baptized into him, that's not the end of the story. Discipleship is an ongoing journey that lasts as long as the Lord gives us breath.

So there is a twenty-first chapter of John after all. It tells how Peter reaffirmed his love for the Lord three times, and each time Jesus urged him to put his love into action by feeding or taking care of the Lord's sheep. Jesus went on to foretell how Peter would glorify God by dying as a martyr for his faith. Then the Lord issued a challenge he already had stated many times over the previous three years: "Follow me." As it turned out, there were still so many chapters left to be written in Peter's life that it took several pages of the book of Acts and two New Testament epistles to tell the rest of the story.

Sometimes we turn the page in our lives and conclude, prematurely, that the story has come to an end. After long years of study, many will graduate this month from high school or college. Others will get married after a long courtship. After decades of hard work, some will retire from their jobs. Transitions like these don't mean it's time to close the book on serving the Lord!

The Lord's call to discipleship is clear, uncompromising, unrelenting. One time when large crowds were traveling with Jesus, he turned to them and said, "Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:25, 27). His goal was developing disciples, not just attracting crowds.

In 2 Timothy 2, the apostle Paul told his friend Timothy, "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (v. 2). Then Paul offered several word pictures to show what it means to be a disciple of Christ. A disciple is like a soldier—willing to endure hardship if necessary to please his commanding officer (vv. 3, 4). A disciple is like an athlete who keeps the victor's crown in view and plays according to the rules (v. 5). A disciple is like a farmer who works hard and eventually enjoys the fruit of his labor (v. 6). A disciple is like a skilled laborer, a workman who does his job with accuracy and care (v. 15). And a disciple is like a household utensil, clean and available for use in the house of the Lord (vv. 20, 21).

What new chapter does the Lord want to write in your life? Who could be your Timothy—the person who looks to you for encouragement and guidance in the ways of the Lord?

As long as we live, there will be a lot of hungry sheep to feed. And lots more chapters yet to be written.