Jesus and the Beloved Disciple

Peter sees the disciple whom Jesus loved and asks about his future. Jesus refuses comparison and tells Peter to follow him, and the brothers later misstate Jesus’ words about the disciple’s death.

P²⁰eter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. He was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper to ask, “Lord, who is going to betray You?” ²¹When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” ²²Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!” ²³Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. However, Jesus did not say that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you?”

The beloved disciple is identified as the witness who has written these things, and his testimony is affirmed as true. The chapter ends by saying Jesus did many more things than could be written in the world’s books.

²⁴This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who has written them down. And we know that his testimony is true. ²⁵There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written.