The Gospel of John - part 44

Peter is Restored

preached on 10/20/19

John 21 is what we would call an epilogue. John 20 completes the story very well, however we are left with a few lingering questions. What about Peter’s denial? Being the primary one. For John’s day, they also had to deal with the question of those who denied their faith. There was a rumor floating around for why John outlived the rest of the disciples. John returns to the story long enough to answer these questions. It is a common phenomenon in writing. John has finished establishing the identity and authenticity of Jesus’ Resurrection. Now, he turns to those earliest moments of the Church to address his contemporary questions.

A Great Catch

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

John 21:1-14

John lists seven disciples that decide to go fishing with Peter. They spend the night on the water, but do not catch anything. At daybreak, Jesus stands on the shore and calls out to them. Now, perhaps they were coming in from deeper water, or they had not ventured to far to begin with. Either way, they are close enough for Jesus to call out, but not quite close enough to recognize Christ. Jesus tells them to cast on the right side of the boat. They cast their net again, and this time, they are barely able to haul in the fish.

At once, John recognizes it is Jesus. When Peter hears, “It is the Lord!”, he grabs his shirt and dives into the water. Peter the zealot is zealous to see his Lord again. The other disciples are left bringing the fish and boat back to shore.

On the shore, they sit and eat with Jesus. They share one of the great potlucks in human history. John mentions the exact count of fish and then tells us this is the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples.

It is a beautiful beginning to Peter’s story, because of its simplicity. And, further it harkens back to the first time Jesus found Peter and his fellow fishermen. But there are also a few principles that we can glean before we get to the climax of the story.

We only find true success when we are following our Lord’s instructions.

Take note the professional fishermen are unable to catch anything all night. It is not until Jesus appears and tells them where to fish that they catch their large haul. It may seem like a small detail, but this is a profound truth for ministry

Take note of Peter’s zeal for the Lord. He sees Jesus and immediately grabs his shirt and dives into the water. However, also notice he leaves his buddies behind. Now, we can look at this two ways. Either (a) Peter should be praised for leaving everything behind to seek Christ, or (b) Peter could be chastised for leaving the work load for his brothers. Of course, they do catch up, so maybe the point is moot. But, I would argue that more Christians could use Peter’s zeal. In fact, if we compare it to the story of Mary and Martha, as well as other Scripture, what we find is that it is better to be zealous for the Lord rather than the work. Perhaps Peter should have helped the others, or perhaps the others should have pepped up their pace.

Sometimes the more passionate Christian can leave behind the less passionate ones to their detriment.

But, if you find yourself without passion, it’s time to put some pep in your step towards the Lord.

Last we should note what exactly Jesus does on the shore. As we discussed at length last week, it bears repeating: Jesus rose physically from the grave. He is walking and talking. He has a fire going, and He cooks and eats with the disciples. These are mundane tasks, but they are tasks done by living breathing people. Dead people can’t do any of this. Ghosts can’t do this. And certainly, someone who just a few days prior had been scourged, beaten, and had nails and spears driven into their body can not do these things.

Jesus died on the cross, but He physically rose again.

John gives us three instances of Jesus appearing after He rose again to the disciples, plus the time He appeared to Mary Magdalene. The Synoptics provide others, and further still, Paul cites a time when hundreds saw the Risen Lord. The resurrection event absolutely happened.

The Restoration and Fate of Peter

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 21:15-19

When they finish breakfast, Jesus asks Peter three questions. Now, in English we miss some of the nuance.

Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”, with the agape form of love.

Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you”, with the phileo form of love.

Now, this varying use of ‘love’ has plagued commentators for some time, however many in the last century have decided the variation has more to do with John’s writing style than what was actually said. We should keep in mind, the actual historical conversation would have been in Aramaic. The real significance of the conversation is not the back and forth of agape and phileo, but the thrice repeated question, “Do you love me?”

Three times Jesus asks, and it is not that much of a literary leap to see the connection with the threefold denial that occurred in Chapter 19. Both settings are around a fire. Both settings have Peter questioned.

Jesus is not questioning whether Peter really loves Him, Jesus is confronting Peter with his past.

This conversation illustrates what will happen in John’s time, and what will continue into the second century. Many Christians would go to their deaths as martyrs of the faith during Roman and Jewish persecution. However, just as true is that many would fall away from the faith by denying Christ. In John’s time, as well as into the centuries following, the question would be asked, “What do we do with those who denied Christ, but want to return to the Church?” Some took a hardline and refused to let them return. Some would take a much softer approach. The principle we see here is that Jesus can and will restore the one who comes to Him in repentance. But, restoration involves confronting past mistakes.

Notice how Peter reacts to the questions. At the first question, he responds with essentially “of course I love you”. The question is repeated, and again Peter’s response is “Yes, Lord; you know that.” Then Jesus repeats it a third time, and look at Peter—he is grieved. Peter appeals to Jesus’ omniscience, “Lord you know everything.” It is at this moment that not only has Peter repented, but he has confronted his guilt.

Jesus’ response each time is also varied with a series of synonyms, but again, the variation is more John’s style than substance. The point is if Peter loves Jesus, he will take care of Jesus’ flock. Compare this with what Jesus says for everyone, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” Peter is to be a great leader in the Church. If he is to prove his love for Christ, he is called to care for Christ’s sheep.

Thus, we have two takeaways.

First, it is only when we have fully repented in confession and in confronting our guilt that we can be restored.

Repentance includes confronting the past and our guilt.

Some consider ‘repentance’ to mean saying ‘I’m sorry’ and moving on. But, it’s a bit more. Repentance is a change of heart and mind. True change in heart and mind can only come when we have confronted what we’ve done, the guilt that we carry, and given it over to Christ. Peter had to relive that fateful moment of denial. It was painful, and it grieved him. But it seared his devotion, and became a foundation stone to his ministry.

And thus, the second point:

The call to lead is a call to shepherd.

Consider what Peter writes to the elders of churches in 1 Peter 5:1-3:

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

Shepherd the flock.

If you would be a leader in God’s Church, you must remember our charge is to be shepherds. We tend the sheep, and feed the lambs.

Verses 18 and 19 tell us the fate of Peter. Incidentally, I came across an argument that some maintain Peter never actually went to Rome. It was news to me, but here in John 21, we see that sure enough Peter was martyred for his faith. Now, the story from tradition is that occurred in Rome alongside Paul under Emperor Nero. Should someone actually prove Peter never went to Rome, we at least know that John recorded Peter did in fact “have his hands stretched out”, which sounds an awful lot like crucifixion. Personally, I believe this argument has more to do with an anti-Roman Catholic attitude than actual academics, but the point here remains:

Peter would eventually go to his death as a martyr for Christ. Consider the significance. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus, Peter goes from a scared fisherman to a great Apostle of Christ. When Jesus was heading to His death, Peter was heading to his safety—denying Jesus when given the chance. It is only because Peter saw the Risen Lord that his devotion was renewed and grew to the degree of suffering as a martyr.

The Legacy and Fate of John

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

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.

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 21:20-25

Upon hearing of his ultimate martyrdom, Peter asks “What about this guy?” Jesus’ response was mistaken in the days of John. As with all the disciples and their congregations, John’s community believed the Second Coming was very soon. In fact, after hearing of many Apostles’ deaths, and hearing about what Jesus said, there arose a rumor that John would be around for Jesus’ return. Now, if we remember John is fairly old by the time his gospel is written, it would appear many were growing concerned that John may die before Jesus returns. This added verse is simply to squelch any more rumors. Jesus’ point is not that John will live until the Second Coming, it’s that Peter should worry about Peter and let God worry about the others.

This part, as well as the previous section, simply illustrate the truth about humans and how we think. First, we typically don’t want to confront our past mistakes. Second, when someone else confronts us with them, our first response is to compare with someone else. Peter has just been restored by having a heart-to-heart with Jesus. Now, he has just heard his death will not be a happy one. In this state, he looks over, sees John, and thinks “Maybe John will get bad news, too.”

The principle here is very simple:

You are responsible for your relationship with God, no one else’s.

That doesn’t mean you can’t help others, after all, Jesus just told Peter to tend the flock. Peter is to feed and tend the sheep in his care, but ultimately their lives are in the hands of God. The fact is certain things are outside of our control—our death, and other people’s decisions. We are called to do the work God gives us and leave everything else up to Him.

There is a peculiar word in verse 24 that brings us to the conclusion of John’s Gospel, as well as John’s legacy. Verse 24 states “the beloved disciple” is the one who bears witness about these things, but “we” know his testimony is true. At this point we are seeing a glimpse into John’s community. John has testified and written down his story. However, at the end, it appears a scribe of some sort has added their witness to the record. It is a common occurrence in ancient letter writing that happens today in court records and other official documents. Consider that a witness has to sign contracts and marriage licenses.

John’s legacy is that he led a fairly large collection of churches around Ephesus before his exile to Patmos. He would go on to write the three epistles bearing his name, and on Patmos, he received the vision recorded in Revelation. Although he would not die as a martyr, he is a testament to God’s provision in a long life of teaching. Each apostle is known for some trademark, Peter was known for his zeal which permeates the stories around him, as well as his two epistles. Paul is the great missionary to the Gentiles. James is the great leader of the Jerusalem Church.

John is the great teacher.

If I were to characterize John it would be as the great teacher. He spent much of his life without writing anything, because he was busy preaching and teaching. He began writing in his later life, because so many false teachings began cropping up that he needed to address them in a broader manner. And, having ministered well on Earth, Jesus gave John a glimpse into the heavenly realm in order for John to teach us about the End of Things. `

As we close this study on John’s Gospel, I ask you, what will be your legacy? What will you leave behind for your family, friends, and others whom you will not meet this side of heaven? May you take Peter’s example, found in a portion of John’s legacy, by going to the Source of eternal life. Turn from your sins, and believe in the Name of Jesus Christ the Son of God.