It purports to be the conclusion of something which went before, not to introduce something which comes after.

Without any sort of doubt, it is St.John's account of what occurred at the close of the debate between certain members of the Sanhedrin which terminates his history of the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The verse in question marks the conclusion of the Feast,--implies in short that all is already finished.

Remove it, and the antecedent narrative ends abruptly.

Retain it, and all proceeds methodically; while an affecting contrast is established, which is recognized to be strictly in the manner of Scripture[576].