A relationship with Jesus (John 21:25)
The other day I saw a book in Oxfam called “An Introduction to Kant”. Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who died in 1804.
It got me thinking: when someone famous has passed away, people tend to collect every story and detail about them, since that’s all that’s left. “Memorabilia” is a term we often hear. Commentators may write biographies, while others try to explore the purpose of their existence from different angles.
With someone who’s still alive, you simply share enough to introduce them. Familiarity develops within a relationship with them. You get to know people really well by living with them or spending extended periods of time together. That’s what familiarity is all about.
That’s exactly what John is getting at in his Gospel. He even says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). John isn’t trying to tell us everything about Jesus; he’s inviting us to get to know Him personally and let that relationship grow.
The Bible gives us everything we need to trust in Jesus and begin our walk with Him. But the adventure doesn’t stop there. As we read about Him, pray, worship, and follow Him day by day, we get to know Him better and better.
In short: John reminds us that no book could ever contain all there is to know about Jesus. The real way to know Him is to live with Him, walk with Him, and let Him shape our lives—every single day.