When the White Witch and the enemies of Narnia tied down, sneered at, sheared, and killed Aslan they could not see what they were doing. Even Aslan’s friends were overcome with sadness at what they could only count as loss at the time. Aslan hadn’t done anything wrong. It was Edmund who betrayed his brother and sisters and became, by all rights, the “lawful prey” of the Witch. Aslan offered himself as a substitute, the just for the unjust, and laid down his life on behalf of the guilty.

What the enemies could not see, and even what Aslan’s own did not realize, was what Lewis called the “deeper magic.” The Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea who made the world hard-wired into the system certain laws that could not be broken. After coming back to life, Aslan said to Susan,

though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.

When the innocent took the place of the guilty, the innocent could not stay dead. Sacrificial death spared punishment for the guilty. Sacrificial death also lead to resurrection. Sacrificial death was glory, although a glory that the world cannot see.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe recalls the great story about the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lion who is also “the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.” His loving, substitutionary death not only did not end with His death, it lead to His resurrection and became the headwaters of life all around the world. The apostle John didn’t use the phrase deep magic, but he has written a book for us about the eternal, universal laws of life and death and life carved into the foundations of this world. Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), but it is in this world.

This morning we will lunge across the final verses in John’s gospel, perhaps staggering or perhaps full of steam. We’ll see how many more laps might have been part of the reading race, and then we’ll do a bit of post-run debrief while catching our breath.

John did conclude once already, but then took off for another chapter. In chapter 21 he added accounts about Jesus’ miraculous and simple provision for the disciples, about Jesus’ restoration of Peter to shepherding responsibilities, and then about Jesus’ prophecy to Peter about his service and sacrifice. Peter was to follow the Lord, as are all disciples, even if not all disciples follow the same path. It’s as if Jesus said to Peter, “John’s path might be different, and what is that to you?”

One of the things that Jesus had in store for John was writing, including this Gospel account. “These [signs] are written so 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). He has written these things, though like any good writer, he had to leave some choice things out.

In verse 24 we have a few reasons to be thankful for John’s account.

This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. (John 21:24)

This is the disciple, also known as, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” a.k.a., the one who had been reclining at the table close to Jesus who asked about the betrayer’s identity (John 21:20), the one whose destiny Peter wondered about. It’s the apostle John.

John is bearing witness about these things, his ministry of proclamation, and he has written these things, his ministry of pen, as evidenced by the previous page-fulls. John gave an eye-witness account. He also gave a dependable account: we know that his testimony is true. We could ask, “Who are the ‘we’?” It doesn’t really make sense for John to go from the 3rd person singular (“this…disciple”) to the 1st person plural (“we”) to defend his own verity. Probably the we are those to whom John was bearing witness. According to Eusebius who quoted Clement, the elders in Ephesus urged John to write (Church History, VI xiv 7). In that first generation after Jesus, many could verify or counter the reality of things Jesus did. John’s account is the truth and nothing but the truth.

His account was also selective. We saw that the first time his wheels touched down in 20:30-31. The final verse in the Gospel expands the horizon.

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)

Many things, sure; that’s believable. Jesus did some more miracles, more parables (John didn’t include any of those), more camp-fire teaching, etc., than what John documented. But the outlandish meter is pegged by the final sentence: the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. In other words, the planet doesn’t have enough room for the sentences on pages in books (perhaps they would fit in eBooks). When it comes to hardcopies about Jesus, if all the earth was a bookshelf, we’d still have books in boxes out in the detached garage on the moon. Solomon said that of making many books there is no end and much study is a weariness of the flesh. John did us a service by just giving us one. Apart from the Holy Spirit, what kind of stress does that put on an author who needs to decide what stories to cut about Jesus? You know He’s going to read it.

This is sort of encouragement by deluge. If you think Jesus is great, it’s actually better than you know. Use your imagination. God gave us imagination so that we can compare what we know to what we couldn’t possibly know. And that’s great!

The whole world couldn’t contain all the books but John has written us one. What difference has this book made? I feel cheated when an expositor runs across the finish line and won’t bother to talk about the whole race. Can’t we say something about what we learned? Shouldn’t we be able to? Would John write this and expect his readers to see no themes, to pick out none of his carefully woven threads?

Hopefully I am not going to say anything new in this review; we should have seen all of this before. Plucky as it may be, here are just two observations from what John wrote.

It is God’s glory to lovingly give and serve to death.

I split an infinitive in order to tie together a wealth of material.

A form of the word “give” (including “given” and “gave”) occurs 70 times in the ESV translation of John. We see it from God so loved the world that He gave (John 3:16) up to when Jesus gave His disciples bread and fish on the beach (21:13). Some of the uses aren’t applicable to this point, but most are. The Father is known by His giving; father’s give. He gives His Son (3:16). He gives His Spirit (3:34). He gives people to the Son (6:37). He gives authority to His Son (5:27). He gives work to His Son (5:36). The authority and work are given so that the Son will give eternal life to all those He’s been given (17:2).

The Son represents the Father, reveals the Father (1:18), does what His Father showed Him (5:20). He came and gave up His un-messed-with glory at the Father’s side (1:14; 17:5). The Son took on flesh in order to give His flesh as bread for life (6:51). He laid down His life for the sheep (10:11, 15). He took up a towel to wash His disciples’ feet because He loved His own (13:1, 4). Like giving Father, so like giving Son.

John told us that he had “seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14). Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (12:23), a response to the God-fearing Greeks who wanted to see Him. Do you want to see Jesus in His glory? See the Son giving Himself in sacrifice. See the Son with troubled in soul as He contemplates His death (12:27).

If we can say it this way, the fiber of God’s being is loving sacrifice. It is His heart, and also it is His glory. That’s why Jesus said that men would recognize Him as one who spoke with the Father’s authority (8:28), as one who always pleased the Father (8:29). “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he” (8:28). The hour of glory was His sacrifice. The place of glory was His cross.

Beloved, it is good news that God’s glory takes on our trouble.

Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be

Emptied Himself of all but love
And bled for Adam’s helpless race

We honor God who lovingly gave and came and served and died. God’s glory shares His life by serving to death, even death on a cross. The Father gives His Son the name above every name because of His humble, loving sacrifice. This is deeper glory.

It is God’s joy to resurrect life that is lovingly given to death into uncontainable fruit.

This is deep magic, or if you’re uncomfortable with that description, let’s call it divine magic. There are deep and divine strands so woven into creation that they cannot be removed. The world spins one way and not the other, and death spins toward resurrection. In the world we live in, loving death is never the end.

One reason is because resurrection is part of who God is: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (11:25). The Son of Man could not stay dead; it was a forgone conclusion. Resurrection is one of God’s attributes. And it is a pattern for us to follow.

We are not wrong to talk about living the gospel. Yes, let’s tell the historical work of Jesus and make sure that His redemptive sacrifice is clear. But we are called to live out sacrificial death by Jesus Himself. Remember Jesus’ answer about the hour of His glory? He immediately speaks of how to serve Him.

Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:23–26)

The Father honors those who follow His Son. The Son calls men to plant their lives like a seed. And what will come of it? “If it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Do you remember when Jesus commanded His men to love one another “as I have loved you” (LJAJ) (15:12)? Then He explained,

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:13–14)

Yes, He was foreshadowing His own death for them as His friends. But look at the end of the paragraph.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:16–17)

Note the cause and effect. The effect is fruit, “abiding fruit.” What will cause the fruit? If they love one another. He chose and appointed and commanded us to bear fruit by loving to death.

The good news is that God’s joy in resurrection is a joy He embeds in us so that our joy may be full (15:11). He does it by growing the fruit of life from our loving deaths.

Conclusion

Edmund was not only spared by Aslan’s sacrifice, he was made into a great king. The fruit of Aslan giving himself was forgiveness, transformation, and wonder among those who loved him. Life spent for sake of life is the glory of the story.

The book of John is the Gospel for Life. Everyone who believes has eternal life (3:16). This is eternal life, to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent (17:3).

So is life the fruit or is life the seed? Are we seeking life or sowing life? Gaining it or giving it? It’s both, right?

In Him—the Word—was life. And He gave His life for the dead so that they could have life. When we believe, we get the fruit, we get life in joyful fellowship, both with the Triune God and with one another.

But that fruit of life is meant to be sown, just as Jesus’ life was planted. Your life in Christ is a fruit. Enjoy it. Your life in Christ is a seed. What should you do with your life? Plant it in service and sacrifice for sake of the fruit of life.

Life is both the prize and the price. Life is one of the few things we get more of as we spend more.

Do you have life? Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No man has life apart from Him. He alone has the words of eternal life. Those who reject Him are not only headed for judgment, they are in darkness as judgment. Those in darkness cannot see the deep glory. Do you believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God?

For those who do have life, how are you spending your life? The book of John has recorded for us the deep magic, and the clear example, and the new commandment. We are the fruit of Jesus’ loving death and He causes us to imitate His glory. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Jesus used bread, fish, mud, and a towel. We have an unlimited field (in the world) to plant our lives (in the flesh).

And your deaths do not always need to be seen for them to be fruitful. Jesus served in so many ways that the world could not contain the books. He’s not mad at empty bookshelves or unwritten glories. There’s so much, it doesn’t ding His glory at all. If someone edited together video clips of all ours, it might not even make a three minute YouTube montage. By His Spirit may it be otherwise and the fruit uncontainable.

We’re about to sing, “The Love of God.” It’s a fitting finish.

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill
And ev’ry man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Tho’ stretched from sky to sky