Whenever anything truly significant happens in history, there is never an “ending” to the story. Perhaps this is why scholars are almost unanimous in their agreement that the twenty-first chapter of John’s gospel is a later addition. There is, however, a split decision on whether the original author or a later editor added this final note to the gospel story. There are Greek vs. Hebrew grammatical discrepancies in this final chapter. But the message, the testimony of an ongoing, faithful community, is the enduring connective tissue that make chapter twenty-one John’s credible conclusion.

The opening version of this final chapter consciously endeavors to connect the previous chapter to this addendum. As in 6:1, John refers to the lake as the “Sea of Tiberias.” The partial list of disciples…