John 21:1-25
Good
morning! Today we finish our more-than-year-long journey through the book of
John. We began back in January 2012. We haven’t gone through John non-stop; we
have had a series on love and relationships, a short series called Broken and
Made Whole (on the cross and on the resurrection), a series on Law and Grace
(looking at the Mosaic Law and on the book of Galatians), a series on Titus,
and a short Christmas series. Together these other series might have taken
roughly 6 months, but the remaining 9 months or so have been in John.
You could rightly call the first chapter of John a prolog to the book. It lays out the major themes. Recall: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-4
You could rightly call the first chapter of John a prolog to the book. It lays out the major themes. Recall: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-4
Also
recall: The true Light that gives light
to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and
though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He
came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet
to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the
right to become children of God— children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word
became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory
of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. –
John 1:9-14
And then we heard the true story, the most amazing and most important true story mankind has ever heard, the story of the life of Christ. Starting with John (the Baptist’s) encounter with Christ and then Jesus’ calling of the disciples, John (the author), inspired by the Holy Spirit, takes us on the journey they themselves took with Christ, seeing miracles, healings, amazing teachings, conversations, confrontations, and ultimately the death and then resurrection of Christ.
Last week, John (the co-pastor) took us through chapter 20, looking at the empty tomb, the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, the appearance of Jesus to most of the disciples, and the appearance of Jesus to Thomas. In these appearances there I see something about Jesus I truly love; His playful sense of humor! To Mary, who doesn’t think it is Jesus, but a gardener, He says, “Who are you looking for?” Like He doesn’t know! Only after allowing her to say some incoherent things does He say to her, “Mary,” and then she realizes it is, miraculously, impossibly, wonderfully, Jesus, risen from the dead. I am reminded of something Jesus said in John 10, in which He speaks of the shepherd of the sheep, meaning Himself: The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. – John 10:2-5
That evening, as described in John 20:19-23, Jesus appears to most of the disciples, Jesus shows up suddenly through locked doors! I can just imagine the fearful disciples saying, “Good! Now no one, not even those Jewish leaders, can get in here.” And then, poof! Jesus appears! He does say “Peace be with you,” but it is enough to give someone a heart attack. Again, I find this joyful and playful.
And then we heard the true story, the most amazing and most important true story mankind has ever heard, the story of the life of Christ. Starting with John (the Baptist’s) encounter with Christ and then Jesus’ calling of the disciples, John (the author), inspired by the Holy Spirit, takes us on the journey they themselves took with Christ, seeing miracles, healings, amazing teachings, conversations, confrontations, and ultimately the death and then resurrection of Christ.
Last week, John (the co-pastor) took us through chapter 20, looking at the empty tomb, the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, the appearance of Jesus to most of the disciples, and the appearance of Jesus to Thomas. In these appearances there I see something about Jesus I truly love; His playful sense of humor! To Mary, who doesn’t think it is Jesus, but a gardener, He says, “Who are you looking for?” Like He doesn’t know! Only after allowing her to say some incoherent things does He say to her, “Mary,” and then she realizes it is, miraculously, impossibly, wonderfully, Jesus, risen from the dead. I am reminded of something Jesus said in John 10, in which He speaks of the shepherd of the sheep, meaning Himself: The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. – John 10:2-5
That evening, as described in John 20:19-23, Jesus appears to most of the disciples, Jesus shows up suddenly through locked doors! I can just imagine the fearful disciples saying, “Good! Now no one, not even those Jewish leaders, can get in here.” And then, poof! Jesus appears! He does say “Peace be with you,” but it is enough to give someone a heart attack. Again, I find this joyful and playful.
And then, Jesus appears to “doubting” Thomas. He
wasn’t with the disciples at the time of the “poof,” and, sounding oh so wise
and “reasonable” and “level-headed,” tells them, “Unless I see the nail marks
in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His
side, I will not believe.” It is easy to make brave statements like this when
the person of whom you are speaking is not present. It reminds me of the
cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz, singing “If I were King of the Forest .” After the song, Dorothy asks, “Your majesty, if
you were king, you wouldn’t be afraid of anything?” The lion says, “Not nobody,
not no-how!” “Not even a rhinoceros?” “Imposserous!” “How about a
hippopotamus?” “Why, I’d thrash him from top to bottomus!” “Supposin’ you met
an elephant?” “I’d wrap him up in cellophant!” “What if it were a
brontosaurus?” “I’d show him who was
King of the Fores’!” Anyway, I digress… but think about how equally outlandish
Thomas’ statements were. If Jesus really did appear to him, then that would
mean that he really was God. Did Thomas really think he would start making
demands of Him then? He would be quaking in his boots (or sandals, as the case
may be), just like that cowardly lion!
But what happens? Jesus does appear to Him! And He
immediately refers to what Thomas had said! He wasn’t present, yet He heard!
Even more proof that Jesus was God. And then He actually makes Thomas touch
Him. “Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into
My side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas is overcome. Thomas is undone. And
He calls Him “My Lord and My God,” and rightly so. But although the situation
was overwhelming for Thomas, later, after he had recovered, he and the
disciples had to see the humor, the gentle playfulness in it. Jesus could have
sternly rebuked Thomas for his self-important bluster, but instead He makes a
joke of us. A joke with a serious point, yes, but yet a joke.
By the way, one thing that really strikes me about
the book of John is how he constantly points out the humor and irony of
situations and circumstances involving Jesus. He not only points out Jesus’
playful side, but he points out how Jesus, in charge of every situation, causes
those opposed to Him to inadvertently speak truth about their real intentions,
about what they really think about Jesus, and sometimes even about the true
purpose and nature of Jesus (even though they themselves don’t believe or
understand it). These are subtle things, but John notices them and writes them
in his gospel. I think it is a sign of the depth of John’s love of Jesus. John,
who knows Jesus both as man and as God, loves Jesus both as man and as God. To
put it another way, John doesn’t just love Jesus because He is God and because
He brings eternal life to those who believe, He also loves Jesus because He is
good, and kind, and loving, and, yes, even funny. I believe there is a lesson
for us here as well. We should love God not just in “awe,” what the Bible also
calls a kind of “fear,” but also with warmth, intimacy, closeness. No matter
how good your father was; Jesus is a better father to us than any of us could
ever have. And no matter how close you were or are to your siblings; Jesus is a
better brother to us than any of us could ever have. And no matter how close
you are to your friends, even your “BFF,” Jesus is a better friend to us than
any of us could ever have. Now it is true that we make a significant error if
we only see Jesus as our friend; He
is so much more than that; but we also make a significant error if we only see
Jesus as God, as King. I am convinced that loving Him with all our heart, mind,
soul, and strength must encompass both sides of this.
Well, John then essentially concludes his gospel at
the end of Chapter 20 saying that Jesus performed may other signs in front of
His disciples. These are not written in this book. What is written is written
so that you would believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that
by believing you may have life (zoe,
the abundant, eternal, wonderful life) in His name.
And so that brings us to Chapter 21, the final
chapter, today. If Chapter 1 was a prologue, then I guess we could say that
Chapter 21 is an epilogue. Well, like John (the co-pastor) last week, I have
had a very long introduction. So let’s get right into it.
Afterward
Jesus appeared again to His disciples, by the Sea of
Galilee . It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas
(also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee ,
the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter
told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into
the boat, but that night they caught nothing. – John 21:1-3
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on
the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He
called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,”
they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of
the boat and you will find some.” When they
did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. –
John 21:4-6
Does
this sound familiar? Do you get a sense of déjà vu? You should. Listen to this
account from Luke 5:
One day as
Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret [that’s another name for the Sea of Galilee], the people were crowding around Him and listening
to the word of God. He
saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were
washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon [that’s Peter’s old name; the one he
had before Jesus started calling him Peter],
and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then He sat down and taught the
people from the boat. – Luke 5:1-3
When He had finished speaking, He said
to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a
catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night
and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their
nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other
boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that
they began to sink. – Luke 5:4-7
Now
look at the John 21 passage again.
Afterward
Jesus appeared again to His disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this
way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from
Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter
told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into
the boat, but that night they caught nothing. – John 21:1-3
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on
the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He
called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,”
they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of
the boat and you will find some.” When they
did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. –
John 21:4-6
Do
you see the humor in this? Jesus could have met them any way He wished. He
could have appeared “poof” on their boat. He could have revealed Himself to
them immediately. But instead, He lets them go through an entire disappointing
night of not catching any fish first. And I don’t think it is an “accident” or
coincidence that they caught nothing the night before – both times! Jesus is
perfectly willing to frustrate you in order to teach you something!
I
love how Jesus addresses them this time around. The question is worded in such
a way that it expects a “No” answer. We might say it this way: “Friends, you
don’t have any fish, do you?” “No we don’t,” they say. “Throw your net on the
right side of the boat, right where it is, and try that.” Remember Peter’s
answer the first time, paraphrasing: “We fished all night and haven’t caught
anything. But because you, a good teacher, say so, all right, we’ll make the
effort and try what you say.” It’s actually an unusual response, don’t you
think? Many people after a discouraging night might just say, “I know you mean
well, sir, but we have fished for a long time and know we what we are doing. We
are fishermen. And we are tired.
Thank you for your advice, but we’re just going to put up our boats and rest.”
What made Peter follow the teacher’s suggestion that first day? We don’t know.
But I think even then Peter saw that there was something different about Him,
something greater than a regular man – an authority, a presence, wisdom,
something. This time around, John doesn’t tell us what is said or who says it;
it only says that they did what the “man” on the shore said. I don’t think they
made the connection yet – maybe they thought the man had seen some fish
jumping. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit prompting them, saying, “Just do it.”
Whatever it was, they obeyed, and were blown away by the magnitude of the haul.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said
to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the
Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and
jumped into the water. The
other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they
were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a
fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. – John 21:7-9
Jesus played a grand joke on them! Do not miss this! You don’t do this kind of thing with strangers. You do it with your close friends. Do you understand that Jesus desires your worship, yes, and your obedience, but He also desires your friendship? Do you understand that heaven will be filled with laughter? That you too will probably be the butt of some of His jokes? Do you understand that this gentle playfulness is part of God’s character? There is no other way to interpret the way in which Jesus visits His disciples after His resurrection.
Now there are object lessons here as well. Put simply, one lesson is that God knows best. We should do what He says to do and do it how He says to do it because He knows and because He has the power to make things happen. We should take the Bible seriously – even in areas that are not black and white sin areas, but in areas of wisdom – because no one is wiser than He. You will only find fruit – or in this case, fish – doing things God’s way.
Another lesson is that He is still God. He is still master of the wind and waves – and of fish. He should still be the object of their belief and faith and trust and worship. In Luke 5, the way Peter responded to the miraculous catch was to fall on his knees. Acutely aware of his own sin in the presence of God, he had then said “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” But Jesus did not go away; he accepted Peter’s confession, but he also accepted Peter. Jesus had then said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” And then Peter began the journey with the other disciples of following Him. Our response when “re-seeing” Jesus should be the same: confession, and then, following Him.
As an aside, you gotta love Peter. Peter makes Mary – who sat at the Lord’s feet while Martha worked – look like a Martha in comparison to him. He actually jumps into the water and swims to Jesus while the rest of the disciples are stuck trying to deal with this enormous catch of fish that they couldn’t handle even with Peter’s help! But that’s Peter. He may be insensitive and a bit clueless at times, but he does love Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. – John 21:10-14
Now there are a variety of theories about whether there is special significance to the number 153, including properties of the number itself, but this is not directly indicated in the text. What is indicated is that despite this large number, the net was not torn. This is the opposite of the situation the first time (described in Luke 5) where the nets did in fact begin to tear. John mentions this because it is surprising; it should not be.
I think there is powerful symbolism in this. I am reminded of something Jesus said earlier in John: All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. – John 6:37-39
And then they discover that God has made them breakfast! Once again, He is serving them, when by all rights it should be the other way around. I bet also none of them dared to ask Jesus where He got the bread and fish from! I really doubt He bought it from the nearby Bi-Lo – or from anyone else for that matter.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Take care of My sheep.” The third time He said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.” – John 21:15-18a
Jesus played a grand joke on them! Do not miss this! You don’t do this kind of thing with strangers. You do it with your close friends. Do you understand that Jesus desires your worship, yes, and your obedience, but He also desires your friendship? Do you understand that heaven will be filled with laughter? That you too will probably be the butt of some of His jokes? Do you understand that this gentle playfulness is part of God’s character? There is no other way to interpret the way in which Jesus visits His disciples after His resurrection.
Now there are object lessons here as well. Put simply, one lesson is that God knows best. We should do what He says to do and do it how He says to do it because He knows and because He has the power to make things happen. We should take the Bible seriously – even in areas that are not black and white sin areas, but in areas of wisdom – because no one is wiser than He. You will only find fruit – or in this case, fish – doing things God’s way.
Another lesson is that He is still God. He is still master of the wind and waves – and of fish. He should still be the object of their belief and faith and trust and worship. In Luke 5, the way Peter responded to the miraculous catch was to fall on his knees. Acutely aware of his own sin in the presence of God, he had then said “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” But Jesus did not go away; he accepted Peter’s confession, but he also accepted Peter. Jesus had then said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” And then Peter began the journey with the other disciples of following Him. Our response when “re-seeing” Jesus should be the same: confession, and then, following Him.
As an aside, you gotta love Peter. Peter makes Mary – who sat at the Lord’s feet while Martha worked – look like a Martha in comparison to him. He actually jumps into the water and swims to Jesus while the rest of the disciples are stuck trying to deal with this enormous catch of fish that they couldn’t handle even with Peter’s help! But that’s Peter. He may be insensitive and a bit clueless at times, but he does love Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. – John 21:10-14
Now there are a variety of theories about whether there is special significance to the number 153, including properties of the number itself, but this is not directly indicated in the text. What is indicated is that despite this large number, the net was not torn. This is the opposite of the situation the first time (described in Luke 5) where the nets did in fact begin to tear. John mentions this because it is surprising; it should not be.
I think there is powerful symbolism in this. I am reminded of something Jesus said earlier in John: All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. – John 6:37-39
And then they discover that God has made them breakfast! Once again, He is serving them, when by all rights it should be the other way around. I bet also none of them dared to ask Jesus where He got the bread and fish from! I really doubt He bought it from the nearby Bi-Lo – or from anyone else for that matter.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Take care of My sheep.” The third time He said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.” – John 21:15-18a
It’s not entirely
clear what the phrase “more than these” refers to. I don’t think it means the
other disciples, because it seems entirely out of
character for Christ to have people compare their faith with one another; He
previously rebuked His disciples when they argued about who would get to sit at
His side. I also don’t think the
question is whether Peter loves Jesus more than He loves these other disciples.
Yes, Jesus had talked before about “hating” your brother and so on, but He
meant those who did not put their trust in Christ. And one of Jesus’ last
commands, entreaties, to His disciples was to love “one another” (John 13). No,
He could not be talking in any kind of negative way about loving the other
disciples. I think the “these” referred to Peter’s former life. For 3 years he
had followed Jesus; basically taking a complete hiatus from being a fisherman.
This whole chapter started with Peter saying, “I’m going fishing!” And thus I
think the question put to Peter was, what are you going to do with the rest of
your life? Are you going to be a fisherman, going back to your former life, or
are you going to follow me, becoming a shepherd?
I should mention here that when Jesus uses the word love, the first two times He uses the word agape whereas both times Peter replies, he uses the word phileo. Generally speaking, it is true that agape tends to refer more to a sacrificial kind of love, whereas phileo refers more to friendship or familial kind of love. It certainly “preaches well” to argue that Jesus is asking Peter for the highest love but Peter only responds with the weaker form. People who emphasize this also point out that, the third time, Jesus uses the word phileo. Peter also uses phileo the third time.
I should mention here that when Jesus uses the word love, the first two times He uses the word agape whereas both times Peter replies, he uses the word phileo. Generally speaking, it is true that agape tends to refer more to a sacrificial kind of love, whereas phileo refers more to friendship or familial kind of love. It certainly “preaches well” to argue that Jesus is asking Peter for the highest love but Peter only responds with the weaker form. People who emphasize this also point out that, the third time, Jesus uses the word phileo. Peter also uses phileo the third time.
It may be true
that there is something happening here with these different choices of words
for the word “love.” But it also may simply be the case that the words are
being used interchangeably, that both Jesus and Peter are simply talking about
love and using the words as synonyms. One reason this may be the case is that
verses 15-18a are filled with
synonyms or near-synonyms: agape and phileo, for love, bosko and poimaino, for feed, arnia and probatia, for sheep/lambs, and eido and
ginosko, for the verb to know. It seems a bit unfair to focus
in on the differences of agape and phileo and ignore the other differences
in the other pairs of words. Also, there is clear evidence that, at least some
of the time, John (the author of this gospel) does use agape and phileo
interchangeably. For example, when he refers to himself as “the disciple that
Jesus loved,” he uses both words.
My real concern is that by focusing exclusively on the different kinds of words for love here, it is easy to miss what I think is the main point: Jesus is repeating Himself. In a way, this is almost rude. It is as if He doesn’t really accept Peter’s answer, whether the phileo is the issue or not. Jesus is asking, “Do you love Me?” again even after Peter says “Yes.” If you are married, imagine if your spouse asked you “Do you love me?” and you said “Yes, of course I love you.” And then he or she asked you, immediately, again, “Do you love me?” What is being communicated? Isn’t it something like, “Are you sure you love me?” Or even, perhaps, “You say it, but I don’t think you mean it.”
Another thing we should be sure not to miss is each time after Jesus asks the question and Peter says yes, Jesus gives him an instruction. Feed My lambs. Take care of My sheep. Feed My sheep. All are basically synonyms. In essence, all say to be a good shepherd. Stop being a fisherman, and start being the shepherd I have meant you to be.
Recall that Jesus had given Simon the new name Peter, Rock, saying on this Rock I will build My church. It is telling that Jesus calls him Simon, not Peter, in this passage. Well, how had Peter done being a rock? Well, to be honest, poorly. He was quick with bold words; remember that on their last night together he had told Jesus, “I will lay down my life for You!” But Jesus then asked him, “Will you really?” and then Jesus predicted Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. And that is exactly what happened.
Three times in quick succession Peter had fallen. And now, three times in quick succession, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. I think this was no coincidence. Yes, Jesus has a sense of humor and a gentle playful side. But Jesus also is completely serious about changing us, growing us, making us mature, making us fit for use in the Master’s kingdom.
What was Jesus really calling Peter to do? To be a pastor, an elder, to be the first servant leader of what would be called Jesus’ Body, the Church. To do this meant that Peter would no longer have time for being a simple fisherman. The role Jesus had for him required a full-time commitment, and beyond this, a full-heart commitment. There could be no more running away when things became tough, no more getting so discouraged that you just pretend that the years spent with Jesus never happened, just going back to your good old simple fishing days. This is why, I believe, Jesus kept asking him, “Do you love Me?” To serve Jesus in this role required an undivided heart.
“Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, “Follow Me!” – John 21:18b-19
Jesus held nothing back from Peter. In irony of ironies, the blustering statement Peter had made, “I will lay down my life for you!” was going to be true! If Peter was going to be what Jesus called him to be, he would in fact lay down his life. The path that started with really, seriously, with whole heart, deciding to “feed His sheep” would ultimately lead to his own cross. Peter would one day stretch out his hands. Historical accounts outside the Bible say that Peter was imprisoned, scourged, and executed. His execution was quite unusual in that he was crucified upside down. Ancient tradition holds that this was Peter’s own choice, because he did not think he was worthy to suffer in the same manner as Christ.
And then, in what I think are two of the most powerful words in the entire Bible, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me!” The same words Jesus had said at the beginning! I can just imagine Peter’s eyes going wide as he now realized how much deeper those words were than when he had first heard them about 3 years earlier. To follow Christ, to be a shepherd instead of a fisherman, meant to follow Jesus through hardships, persecution, and even, ultimately, crucifixion. I can imagine all the events of the last 3 years flashing through his mind. And perhaps the conversation recorded in Matthew 10 especially struck him:
“Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. – Matt. 10:24-26
I believe that at that moment, when Jesus once again said, “Follow Me!” Peter made the decision to do it. He would follow Him! If Jesus, who had triumphed over death itself, was with Him, what could hurt him? What was there to be afraid of? Even failure, temporary failure, was no longer anything to fear. Jesus would help Him to succeed. Jesus would be His strength. He would follow Him. To the end of his life, he would follow Him! And, if you read the book of Acts, you see that Peter is a changed man. He is a rock. And on that Rock, on that Peter, Jesus began to build His church.
I hate to draw any attention to myself here, but I do want to tell you that, it was through really reflecting on these verses, especially John 21:18-19, that I became willing and desirous of being a pastor. I don’t expect to be put through the kinds of trials Peter went through, although you never know what the future really holds. But I too made that decision to follow Him, wherever He leads, because I do so love Him.
God may not be calling you to be a pastor (or He may!), but I pray that God would meet you through these verses as He has met me, that you too would gaze upon Christ, what He has done, and who He is, and say, “Yes, Lord, I love You! Yes, Lord, I will follow You! Lead me and I will follow, even if it is where I do not want to go.”
Well, we have a few more verses. If this chapter is the epilogue, then these final verses are more like a postscript, a P.S.
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that He would not die; He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” – John 21:20-23
Our paths, our walks with Christ, will each be different. We will be challenged in different ways. We will come to the end of ourselves at different times. And what happens to others or does not happen is simply not our business. When we face our unique trials, I think it is OK, while in our shock or grief, to ask the Lord, “Why?” We may not get an answer, but I think it is OK to ask. But I am a little more uncomfortable with the phrase “Why me?” What seems to go along with this phrase is “Why not him?” Well, that’s not our business, just as John’s future was not Peter’s business.
And John, being the “him” in this passage, later seems to have become the object of rumors that Jesus said that John would never die. To me it is most unceremonious and inglorious that John has to end this gospel by setting the record straight. But it is also characteristically humble and true. One of the things I have so loved about the book of John is that there is no pretention, no putting on the best face, or to use a modern analogy, acting all perfect and smiley and “fakey” when you come to church. There is none of that in John. He is honest, honest, honest.
John ends at last (and so do I) with these wonderful words:
This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. – John 21:24-25
My real concern is that by focusing exclusively on the different kinds of words for love here, it is easy to miss what I think is the main point: Jesus is repeating Himself. In a way, this is almost rude. It is as if He doesn’t really accept Peter’s answer, whether the phileo is the issue or not. Jesus is asking, “Do you love Me?” again even after Peter says “Yes.” If you are married, imagine if your spouse asked you “Do you love me?” and you said “Yes, of course I love you.” And then he or she asked you, immediately, again, “Do you love me?” What is being communicated? Isn’t it something like, “Are you sure you love me?” Or even, perhaps, “You say it, but I don’t think you mean it.”
Another thing we should be sure not to miss is each time after Jesus asks the question and Peter says yes, Jesus gives him an instruction. Feed My lambs. Take care of My sheep. Feed My sheep. All are basically synonyms. In essence, all say to be a good shepherd. Stop being a fisherman, and start being the shepherd I have meant you to be.
Recall that Jesus had given Simon the new name Peter, Rock, saying on this Rock I will build My church. It is telling that Jesus calls him Simon, not Peter, in this passage. Well, how had Peter done being a rock? Well, to be honest, poorly. He was quick with bold words; remember that on their last night together he had told Jesus, “I will lay down my life for You!” But Jesus then asked him, “Will you really?” and then Jesus predicted Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. And that is exactly what happened.
Three times in quick succession Peter had fallen. And now, three times in quick succession, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. I think this was no coincidence. Yes, Jesus has a sense of humor and a gentle playful side. But Jesus also is completely serious about changing us, growing us, making us mature, making us fit for use in the Master’s kingdom.
What was Jesus really calling Peter to do? To be a pastor, an elder, to be the first servant leader of what would be called Jesus’ Body, the Church. To do this meant that Peter would no longer have time for being a simple fisherman. The role Jesus had for him required a full-time commitment, and beyond this, a full-heart commitment. There could be no more running away when things became tough, no more getting so discouraged that you just pretend that the years spent with Jesus never happened, just going back to your good old simple fishing days. This is why, I believe, Jesus kept asking him, “Do you love Me?” To serve Jesus in this role required an undivided heart.
“Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then He said to him, “Follow Me!” – John 21:18b-19
Jesus held nothing back from Peter. In irony of ironies, the blustering statement Peter had made, “I will lay down my life for you!” was going to be true! If Peter was going to be what Jesus called him to be, he would in fact lay down his life. The path that started with really, seriously, with whole heart, deciding to “feed His sheep” would ultimately lead to his own cross. Peter would one day stretch out his hands. Historical accounts outside the Bible say that Peter was imprisoned, scourged, and executed. His execution was quite unusual in that he was crucified upside down. Ancient tradition holds that this was Peter’s own choice, because he did not think he was worthy to suffer in the same manner as Christ.
And then, in what I think are two of the most powerful words in the entire Bible, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me!” The same words Jesus had said at the beginning! I can just imagine Peter’s eyes going wide as he now realized how much deeper those words were than when he had first heard them about 3 years earlier. To follow Christ, to be a shepherd instead of a fisherman, meant to follow Jesus through hardships, persecution, and even, ultimately, crucifixion. I can imagine all the events of the last 3 years flashing through his mind. And perhaps the conversation recorded in Matthew 10 especially struck him:
“Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. – Matt. 10:24-26
I believe that at that moment, when Jesus once again said, “Follow Me!” Peter made the decision to do it. He would follow Him! If Jesus, who had triumphed over death itself, was with Him, what could hurt him? What was there to be afraid of? Even failure, temporary failure, was no longer anything to fear. Jesus would help Him to succeed. Jesus would be His strength. He would follow Him. To the end of his life, he would follow Him! And, if you read the book of Acts, you see that Peter is a changed man. He is a rock. And on that Rock, on that Peter, Jesus began to build His church.
I hate to draw any attention to myself here, but I do want to tell you that, it was through really reflecting on these verses, especially John 21:18-19, that I became willing and desirous of being a pastor. I don’t expect to be put through the kinds of trials Peter went through, although you never know what the future really holds. But I too made that decision to follow Him, wherever He leads, because I do so love Him.
God may not be calling you to be a pastor (or He may!), but I pray that God would meet you through these verses as He has met me, that you too would gaze upon Christ, what He has done, and who He is, and say, “Yes, Lord, I love You! Yes, Lord, I will follow You! Lead me and I will follow, even if it is where I do not want to go.”
Well, we have a few more verses. If this chapter is the epilogue, then these final verses are more like a postscript, a P.S.
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that He would not die; He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” – John 21:20-23
Our paths, our walks with Christ, will each be different. We will be challenged in different ways. We will come to the end of ourselves at different times. And what happens to others or does not happen is simply not our business. When we face our unique trials, I think it is OK, while in our shock or grief, to ask the Lord, “Why?” We may not get an answer, but I think it is OK to ask. But I am a little more uncomfortable with the phrase “Why me?” What seems to go along with this phrase is “Why not him?” Well, that’s not our business, just as John’s future was not Peter’s business.
And John, being the “him” in this passage, later seems to have become the object of rumors that Jesus said that John would never die. To me it is most unceremonious and inglorious that John has to end this gospel by setting the record straight. But it is also characteristically humble and true. One of the things I have so loved about the book of John is that there is no pretention, no putting on the best face, or to use a modern analogy, acting all perfect and smiley and “fakey” when you come to church. There is none of that in John. He is honest, honest, honest.
John ends at last (and so do I) with these wonderful words:
This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. – John 21:24-25
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