Some argue against the validity of the book of John when compared to Matthew, Mark, and Luke (deemed the Synoptic Gospels). Here's a few reasons: Jesus lights up the money changers in the temple near the beginning of John, yet chronologically it occurs around the time of the crucifixion. John is the only book to lists three occurrences of the Passover (which leads to the modern belief that Jesus' ministry lasted a little over three years), however, the book focuses on the events of only 21 days. Almost half the book is devoted to Jesus' week leading up the the crucifixion, and around a third focuses on that final 24 hours. But the author never claims his book to be an all-inclusive, chronological account of the events of Jesus' life. His mission statement is clearly written in John 20:30-31.
This final verse suggests that an unabridged chronicle of Jesus would make the old 30 volume encyclopedia sets look like a text message. John basically says, "Jesus did a lot of other cool stuff that I didn't write down." To a person with an active imagination, such as myself, this is one of the most intriguing statments in the entire Bible. The possibilities are endless. Jesus might have spent a week hunting the big game of Africa using lightning bolts. Perhaps he resurrected a Tyrannosaurus Rex which he rode across the Himalayas. It's possible he invented the first hand held video games to keep the disciples from fighting on long road trips. And maybe, just maybe, he established the time honored tradition of the belly flop! What better way to end the book of John than with a ker-SPLAT!
If you belly flop for Jesus:
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