Pictures of
Jesus 12: John 21
With any major
undertaking in our lives there is always some preparation required before hand.
Whether it is choosing to run a marathon, sell a house, go on holiday or teach
a lesson, preparation is necessary to ensure you are ready. At the end of the
Gospel of John Jesus needs to prepare the disciples and in particular Peter for
what’s ahead. At the start of the book of Acts Peter emerges as the leader of
the early church in
Fishing trip (John 21:1-9):
That we find the
disciples fishing is no coincidence and is meant to invoke memories of when
many of these disciples were called back in Luke ch.5 v.1-11. Once again it is
only under Jesus’ direction that they are successful in their fishing. Likewise
in their task as fishers of men they will still need Jesus’ direction in order
to be successful. Some scholars have got rather focused on the number of fish
caught and investigated the significance of all manner of mathematical
permutations regarding the number 153. The only significant fact about the
number is that it was huge, once again showing Jesus’ ridiculous generosity
when it came to providing for those he loves. Jesus did it at the wedding at
Breakfast on the beach (John 21:9-14):
Here the scene is set
for the passage that follows (Reinstatement of Peter). As Peter arrives at the
beach he is wet, cold and most probably tired after the nights fishing. It is
dawn and as he comes up the beach towards Jesus he is greeted by a fire. All
this is deliberately reminiscent of when Peter was in the courtyard of Annas in
John 18:15-18, where he denied he knew Jesus. Just before Jesus had been
arrested Peter had vowed that he was willing to lay down his life for Jesus.
And then by day break the following day Peter had denied he knew Jesus three
times. He knew straight away that what he had done was wrong. But at Jesus’
greatest hour of need, Peter had failed Jesus. This failure is still hanging
over him; it hadn’t yet been dealt with it.
A little chat (John
This conversation
takes place in front of the other disciples who were there. Peter’s position of
responsibility within the group of disciples meant his failure was high
profile, he couldn’t have regained their trust and respect had this not be
undertaken publicly. Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves him. The
three times is equivalent to the number of times Peter denied Jesus. Also it is
not till the third time that Peter’s response loses some of the defiant edge.
The first two are strong assertions, followed by a statement that Jesus should
know this. The final reply firstly indicates that Peter acknowledges God’s
sovereignty and that he knows everything and therefore he also knows both
Peter’s failings and also how Peter truly feels in his heart towards God.
The first question is
slightly different to the following two, Jesus asks “Simon son of John, do you
love me more than these?” There is much discussion amongst scholars about what
the “these” might be. Three main
contenders come up, firstly is Jesus asking who does Peter love more, Jesus or
the other disciples?, Or is Jesus asking whether Peter loves Jesus more than
the other disciples love Jesus? Or possibly is Jesus asking does Peter love
Jesus more than he loves the fishing gear, boat and the life that it
represents?
From the passage all
three are possibilities, to settle on one or another is little more than
speculation. What Jesus is asking is whether Peter’s love for Jesus is dominant
in his life?
Why is this
significant? Because what or who we love governs what we do, what our
priorities are and how we respond under pressure.
Peter Readied (John
Jesus’ primary concern
for Peter’s readiness for serving him was how much Peter loved him. So often we
can find many different reasons why we aren’t quite ready for serving God or
not good enough to be used by God. Jesus’ just asks that we love him fully in
order to be ready to serve him. All the training, knowledge, practice and
advice are absolutely pointless if we don’t deep down have an all consuming
love for Jesus. As Peter declares his love for Jesus in response to each of the
three questions; Jesus commissions Peter with his future ministry, the leading
of Jesus’ followers. Our love for Jesus naturally flows in to us serving him
and carrying out his will in our lives.
After Jesus has told
Peter about how he will die in v.18, he goes for a little wander with Jesus.
While doing this Peter asks about how another disciple will die to which Jesus
gives a sharp reply v.22. Jesus doesn’t want Peter to get distracted with
thinking about how other people’s walk with God is going. Each person’s journey
with God is different. What is right for one person is not necessarily right
for another, so there is limited value in comparing. At the root of such
comparisons often sits jealousy which has no value for those serious about
following Jesus. We need to concentrate on following Jesus not on how other
people are following Jesus.
Possible Questions:
1)
In what
ways have we experienced the remarkable generosity of Jesus in our lives?
2)
How
prepared do you feel for serving God?
3)
Why do you
think Jesus needed to address the issue of Peter’s denial with him? (What would
have happened if he hadn’t?)
4)
Is there
anything in your lives that is unresolved between you and God? What needs to be
done to resolve it?
5)
How is our
love for Jesus expressed in our lives?
6)
To what extent
would you say your love for Jesus is dominant in your life?
7)
How do
think Jesus wants us to express our love for him in our lives this week?
8)
How can
you bring God’s light to this world?
a.
What do
you do to bring God’s love and good news to those around you?
b.
What can
distract you from doing this?