How a 60-Year Rumor Spread Among the Early Brethren (John 21:23,24)

(Un) Common thoughts of Christ · Mar 14, 2026 · 7m · transcript

In the closing verses of the Gospel of John, we encounter a remarkable clarification. For decades after the resurrection, a saying circulated among the early believers that the apostle John would never die. Yet John himself records that this was not what the Lord had said.

In John 21:23–24, the aged apostle corrects a misunderstanding that had quietly spread among the brethren for nearly sixty years. Observing that John continued to live while other apostles had passed away, some concluded that Jesus had promised he would remain until the Lord’s return. But John carefully returns to the exact…