Is the last verse in the book of John literal or hyperbole?
"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."
John 21:25
ESV - 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
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Asked October 04 2018
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Anonymous
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Grant Abbott
Supporter
John says that Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book (John 20:30). If one book was used every day to record every deed that Jesus did and every word that he spoke during his earthly ministry, then there would be about 1,095 books written, since his public ministry lasted about 3 years. Even though this number of books would not fill the whole world it would constitute a thousand times more evidence to help us believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in his name (John 20:31). Because John knew that Jesus was the Son of God, maybe he had in mind all the things that Jesus said and did, as part of the triune God, from creation until the day he was taken back up to heaven. If that is the case, then the whole world would not be able to hold the written record of God’s testimony to his human beings. How much evidence do we need before we are convinced that Jesus is the Son of God and saviour of the world, so that we will believe and experience eternal life in his name?
Tim Maas
Supporter
I would say that John's statement was intended as an opinion (as indicated by the words "I suppose") rather than meant to be regarded as a provable fact, but that does not detract from the veracity of either John's gospel account, or the Bible as a whole. Jesus Himself (who was Truth incarnate (John 14:6)) also used figures of speech (such as hyperbole) that were obviously not meant to be taken literally, but that were similarly intended for rhetorical effect, as when He spoke of the Pharisees swallowing camels (Matthew 23:24), or when He called His followers the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)..
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