The Church of Divine Guidance Sunday morning Adult Bible Study is embarking on an exhaustive study of the book of John. Of the four gospels, John’s gospel presents Jesus as God most forcefully. John explicitly declared Jesus to be God who brought all things into existence. John’s gospel confirmed that Jesus was YHVH of the Jews . He is light and life . These are the notes of that study along with the recorded audio of the session.
Review
Last week our entire study in chapter 19 was about Jesus crucifixion. John takes great care to show that Jesus was crucified and was dead. He talks about the Jewish leaders wanting His legs broken so that He could not support Himself and delay death. When the solder went break them he saw that Jesus was dead and to make sure he thrust a spear into His side and out flowed blood and water another indication that Jesus was dead. The law required that the bodies had to be removed before sundown on Preparation Day so Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus got permission from Pilate to remove the body and he wouldn’t do that unless he was satisfied that Jesus was dead. They rolled a stone to cover the tomb to keep grave robbers out and to keep the smell of the dead body out. So we left Jesus crucified, dead, and buried.
Chapter 20 The Son Is Up!
John 20:1-10 (NLT)1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb.4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in.6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings.8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.10 Then they went home.
John records three witnesses to the empty tomb: Mary Magdalene, Peter and "the other disciple" (John himself). What important details do we learn from each one.
Mary Magdalene
This is the second reference to Mary Magdalene the other at the cross
John 19:25 (NLT)25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene.
She is also mentioned in the other Gospels. Jesus had cast spirits out of her.
Mark 16:9 (NLT) After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Luke 8:1-2 (NLT)1 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him,2 along with some women he had healed and from whom he had cast out evil spirits. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons;
She obviously became a loyal follower. She didn’t come alone because after she saw the stone rolled away she thought that someone had taken the body and she said that “we don’t know where they have taken Him. The other gospels say that other women went with Mary.
Matthew 28:1 (NLT)1 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
Mark 16:1-5 (NLT)1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body.2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb.
3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked,
.
We can tell by reading that Mary was not expecting Jesus to be alive again. When she saw the open entrance, it upset her. She thought that somebody had moved the stone in order to remove Jesus’ body.
So she ran to Peter and the other disciple, probably John to tell them that Jesus body was gone. The other women also went to tell the disciples.
Mark 16:8 (NLT)8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.[Shorter Ending of Mark]Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.
Luke 24:1-10 (NLT)1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee,7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”8 Then they remembered that he had said this.9 So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened.10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened.
What’s significant here is that the first witnesses of the resurrection were believing women. In those days the witness or testimony of women was not held in high regard. Here is a saying of the rabbis “{It is better that the words of the law be burned than be delivered to a woman” and here the greatest message of all times was delivered by women the message that the Savior had risen.
Peter and John
Anyway so Mary tells Peter and John that Jesus body is missing so they take off running to the tomb to see for themselves. They are probably thinking like Mary and the women that somebody has stolen the body.
John gets there first and he just looks in and sees the grave clothes lying there with no apparent evidence of a robbery or violence or a crime. He may be a little cautious though so he waits for Peter who barges right in as we would expect.
What he sees and John too when he goes in is the grave clothes there along with the cloth which covered Jesus head folded neatly. There was apparently no evidence of grave robbery because robbers wouldn’t be neat and probably wouldn’t have left the grave clothes behind anyway.
Remember Joseph and Nicodemus had wrapped the body and included spices in the wrapping so for them to be neat meant that Jesus had to pass through them like a butterfly leaving a cocoon.
Jewish burial practice involved wrapping the washed body in strips of linen from the shoulders to the toes. As the wrapping was done, a mixture of gummy spices was spread on the cloth to hold the binding and to cover the stench of decay. A large square of linen cloth was wrapped over the head and face and was tied under the jaw.
When Peter and John entered the tomb, they saw the linen burial cocoon still in place, but the body was gone. The cloth that had been around Jesus' head was in its place by itself. The resurrection body of Jesus had passed through the burial wrappings, and they had collapsed in place.
When John went in he said “He saw and believed”.
John used three different words for the Greek word seeing. In verse 25 the word he used simply means “to glance in, to look in”. In the 6th verse the work he used means to”to look carefully, to observe.” The work saw in the 8th verse means “to perceive with intelligent comprehension.” Now they were getting the point
Nobody, up until that time, really believed or understood that Jesus would rise from the dead although He had told them many times but they evidently forgot until after he was resurrected.
He told them in
John 2:19-20 (NLT)19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”
John 2:22 (NLT) After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.
His enemies rememberd too.
Matthew 27:40 (NLT) “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
Matthew 27:63-64 (NLT)63 They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’64 So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”
I guess they conclude that He had risen and so Peter and John left and went home.
John 20:11-18 (NLT)11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying.13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
John also records three appearances of the risen Christ: to Mary, to his disciples and to Thomas.
Mary
Mary comes back still thinking that someone had stolen Jesus body, and they can’t really prepare it for burial the way He should be and she is distraught. This time she looks in and what does she see two angels one standing at where the foot of the body would be the other at the head. She doesn’t seem frighten by them when they asked why she’s crying she just says that somebody took he Lord away and she turns to leave there is no reason for her to stay any longer.
As she is leaving she see a somebody but she doesn’t recognize him. Remember a couple of things it early in the morning maybe still a little dark in that part of the garden and she has also, and may still be crying. He asked her the same question that the two angels asked and her answer was the same but this time she must have thought maybe he had something to do with the disappearance because she told him that if he told her where He was she would go get the body.
It’s also possible that Jesus was deliberately concealing His identity from her. He could obviously do it because He concealed His identity from the two disciples walking to Emmaus.
Luke 24:13-16 (NLT)13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened.15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.16 But God kept them from recognizing him.
Whatever the reason, she did not recognise Jesus until he said her name. Then she recognised him.
Remember John 10:3
John 10:1-3 (NLT)1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
She recognizes Him and is so overjoyed all she can say is “Rabboni!” Jesus knows us all personally. He knows each one of us by our name. When we pray, he speaks to us in our mind and our spirit. Like Mary, we will recognise his voice (John 10:1-6). And we must answer him. He is our Teacher, our *Lord, and our King.
When she recognized Him she reached out and grabbed His feet. She didn't’ want to lose Him. Why did Jesus tell her to not cling to Him? We often try to spiritualize this statement too much.
One reason was that He ad not ascended to His Father and she would see Him again.
Acts 1:1-3 (NLT)1 In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.3 During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
Second she had a job to do. She had to go tell his brothers that He was alive and that He was going to a send to His Father (not then but later). Notice He called them His brothers. He had called them His servants
John 13:16 (NLT)16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.
His friends
John 15:15 (NLT) I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
Now His brothers. This meant that they shared His resurrection power and glory. We are His brethren too and share that same power.
Hebrews 2:11-13 (NLT)11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.12 For he said to God, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.”
13 He also said, “I will put my trust in him,” that is, “I and the children God has given me.”
God was their *Father, too. But he was their *Father in a different way from the way that he was Jesus’ *Father. This is because Jesus, the Son, has always existed with his *Father and the *Holy Spirit. Jesus is also God. But everybody who *believes in him receives the right to be called God’s child. God adopts such people into his family.
Some people think that Jesus actually did ascend to The Father to present His blood as the sacrifice but there is nothing anywhere in the Bible that corroborates this. He had actually presented His blood on the cross there was no more to present.
The Disciples
John 20:19-23 (NLT)19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Please note that the disciples were together on the day that Jesus rose which was on Sunday, not the Sabbath. The Sabbath, the seventh day, commemorates God’s finished work of creation. The first day of the week, commemorated Christ’s finished work of redemption, the “new creation”. God the Father worked for six days and then rested. God the Son suffered on the cross for six hours and then rested.
Okay back to the study. The disciples were afraid. The Jewish leaders had had their leader killed now He was missing and all they knew was these women had said He was risen. They didn’t believe them.
Mark 16:9-11 (NLT)9 After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.
10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened.
11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
These people had a job to do. They were the ones that had to go and tell the story of redemption through Jesus so He had to somehow change them from fear to courage. The first thing He did was to show up and to show up in a resurrected body. We know it was a real body because He showed them the wounds. He had Thomas touch Him. He ate food.
Luke 24:38-43 (NLT)38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt?39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.”40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,43 and he ate it as they watched.
His body was different though because He suddenly appeared. That would have been a shock all by itself and they were already scared. The first thing that He said to them was “Shalom” peace, calm down. He didn’t come down on them for not believing. When they realized that it was really Him they were overjoyed. Remember He had told them that when they saw Him again they would be overjoyed.
Two times, Jesus said, ‘I give *peace to you.’ This was the *peace that he had promised in
John 14:27 (NLT)27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 16:33 (NLT)33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Jesus’ death had made it possible to receive this *peace, because he had taken the punishment for everybody’s *sins. He had made it possible for God to forgive everybody who *believes in Jesus. Everybody who *believes in Jesus can receive this *peace.
Then He commissioned them.
John 20:21-22 (NLT)21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
This included more than the eleven so we can consider ourselves included in this commission..
Jesus wanted his *disciples to spread the good news of *salvation. His *Father, God, had sent him to the world in order to save people from the results of their *sins. In the same way, Jesus sent his *disciples to tell everybody about this. But they could not do this work alone. They needed what Jesus had. They needed God’s help. They needed him to guide them. They needed his power and authority. So Jesus gave to them the *Holy Spirit. He breathed on them. In *Hebrew and *Greek, the word for ‘spirit’ can also mean ‘breath’. The breath of God at creation meant physical life. The breath of Jesus meant spiritual life.
Later, immediately before he returned to heaven, Jesus told the *disciples to wait in *Jerusalem. He told them to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit which would empower them.
Acts 1:4-5 (NLT)4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
We know what happened.
Acts 2:1-4, 41 (NLT)1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Let’s take a look at verse 23 so that we can really understand what Jesus said and meant.
John 20:23 (NLT)23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Sounds like Jesus is saying that His disciples can actually forgive or not forgive sin doesn’t it. Well let’s really think about that. As we know only God can forgive sin and the disciples and we are not God so what did Jesus mean. This is from Dr. Julius R. Mantey an eminent Greek scholar, who is now deceased. The correct translation should be:
Whosoever sins you remit shall have already been forgiven them, and whosoever sins you retain shall have already not been forgiven them.” What that means is that the disciples did not provide forgiveness; they proclaimed forgiveness on the basis of the message of the gospel. So what this means is that we proclaim the fact that based on the gospel, Jesus died on the cross of the sins of mankind and if you believe on and in Him your sins have been forgiven, if you don’t your sins have not been forgiven.
We can encourage them to do this. If they do this sincerely, God forgives them. We have the authority to declare this to them. So we bring God’s forgiveness to them, on behalf of God himself
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT)20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
Finally, Jesus appears to Thomas
John 20:24-29 (NLT)24 One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
How does Thomas's attitude—both before and after Jesus appears to him—add credibility to the resurrection?
Thomas wanted physical proof that Jesus was alive. He refused to believe it unless he saw Jesus himself. Many people think of Thomas as the disciple who doubted. This is not really fair. He was brave and loyal
John 11:16 (NLT)16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
But he needed to see before he could really *believe. And he was honest about this. If we have doubts about our faith, we need to be honest, like Thomas. Then we can look for answers to our questions. When we find answers, our faith will be much stronger. Even the disciple whom Jesus loved had to see inside the empty grave. After he had seen, then he believed.
Again, Jesus came to the disciples in a room where they had locked the doors. He asked Thomas to touch his hands and his side. They showed to Thomas who Jesus was. And they reminded everybody of how he had died to save people.
Thomas did not continue to doubt. Immediately, he had complete faith in Jesus. In fact, Thomas was the first person to call Jesus ‘God’.
Doubt and unbelief are two very different things. Jesus didn’t rebuke Thomas for doubting He rebuked him for unbelief.
Doube is often an intellectual problem. We want to believe but we have questions. Unbelief is a moral problem where we simply will not believe no matter the evidence.
Thomas saw and no longer doubted. It wasn’t from touching Jesus that he believed it was from seeing Him. Then Thomas was the first person to call Jesus ‘God’. This was the last of the testimonies recorded by John of Jesus deity. At the beginning of his Gospel, John wrote that Jesus was God
John 1:1 (NLT)1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
After the events of Jesus’ life, death and *resurrection, Thomas was able also to declare this.
John 20:29 (NLT)29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
We cannot see Jesus with our physical sight. But we know that he lives. We can talk to him and we can listen to him in our minds, our hearts and our spirits. We know that he answers our prayers. The *Holy Spirit changes us inside our *hearts, so that we become more like Jesus. Jesus’ words in this verse are for us. He promises that God will *bless us. Although we have not seen Jesus physically, we *believe in him.
John 20:30-31 (NLT)30 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book.31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
We know about some of the other *miracles that Jesus did. We know about these because they are in the other *Gospels. But, to John, the *miracles were always like *signs that pointed to the truth about Jesus. That was why John wrote his *Gospel. He was not recording just events in history.
Of course, these events had actually happened. But John wanted his readers to understand the meaning of these events. He did not want people just to read about Jesus and then do nothing. John wanted to convince his readers that Jesus was a man but also God’s Son. Jesus was the *Messiah that people were waiting for. Jesus had come to bring God’s *salvation into the world. He had come to give us new *life. John wanted his readers to *believe in Jesus when they had read all about him.
Chapter 21 A Walk with a Resurrected Man
 |
| Peter's Renewal |
Some experts think that the author added this last chapter to the rest of the *Gospel later. Other experts think that somebody else added this chapter. They think this because John 20:30-31 seems to be the end of the book. But this chapter is in nearly every early copy of this *Gospel. Only one copy does not include it. So it must be important.
Most of us find it easier to forgive than to forget. We may be ready to forgive someone who has hurt us deeply, but we have a hard time trusting that person again. Peter failed Jesus miserably. He promised to give up his life if necessary to protect Jesus but denied him a few hours later. Peter knew Jesus had forgiven him. But would Jesus still trust him? Could Jesus still use him to bring glory to God? Will Christ still use us after we've failed?
John 21:1-6 (NLT)1 Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened.2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied.
6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
That night, Simon Peter had decided to go out to fish. This used to be his occupation before he met Jesus. Nobody really knows why Peter went fishing but he didn’t go by himself. So if we have a problem with Peter we should have that same problem with the others who went with him.
They fished at night because that was the best time to *catch fish. But they did not *catch any fish. This was unusual. Probably, they felt tired, hungry and confused. They did not recognise Jesus’ voice when he shouted to them. However, they obeyed his instructions. And they caught many fish in the net.
John 21:7-9 (NLT)7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
Jesus had done a similar *miracle before.
Luke 5:1-11 (NLT)1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”
9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.
10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
But, on that occasion, the net was so full that it had torn. Perhaps the *disciple whom Jesus loved remembered the previous incident. This may be why he suddenly recognised Jesus.
Immediately, Simon Peter put on his outer clothes and he jumped into the water.
This account is more than just a story about when the *disciples were *catching fish. Like the other *miracles in John’s *Gospel, it is a *sign. It shows to us more about who Jesus is. And there are several things that we can learn from it.
Sometimes when we do work for God, we use only our own strength and skills. But we really need God’s help to guide us. The *disciples had worked hard by themselves all night. But they had no success. They needed Jesus to tell them what to do. They needed his power and authority. And when they obeyed him, a *miracle happened.
Already Jesus had fish, which he was cooking on a fire. So he did not actually need the fish that they had *caught! This teaches us an important lesson. Jesus can give us what we need. He does not need our help to do this. But we need his help to work for him.
John 21:10-14 (NLT)10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said.
11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
When Simon Peter went to bring the net to the shore, there were 153 large fish in it. We do not really know why John recorded the exact number. But earlier, after Jesus had done a similar *miracle, Peter, James and John had become his *disciples. And then Jesus had told Peter that they would ‘*catch people’, not fish! (Luke 5:10-11). He meant that they would bring many people into God’s *kingdom. The *miracle that John recorded emphasised this. 153 was a large number of fish.
John’s Gospel contains many details like this. These details remind us that the author was a witness at these events. He actually saw what happened. And his book is a record of the things that he saw.
Jesus and Peter
John 21:15-19 (NLT)15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.”19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
Now Peter and Jesus had met privately before this and I’m sure that Jesus had forgiven Peter for denying Him.
Luke 24:32-34 (NLT)32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them,34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 (NLT)3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
But Peter denied Jesus publicly so it was important that there be a public restoration. Since Peter had denied Jesus 3 times He asked Him three personal questions. What we should also notice is that He gave Peter a threefold commission.
He asked Peter do you love me more than these. That probably didn’t mean if he was asking Peter if he loved Jesus more than he loved the other disciples, or that he loved Him more than he loved his boats and other stuff. It more probably meant “Do you love Me - as you claimed - more than the other disciples loved Him. Remember Peter had boasted that he did.
John 13:37 (NLT)37 “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.”
Matthew 26:33 (NLT)33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
It is not immediately apparent in most English translations but, in the Greek text of this passage, Jesus uses different words for "love." Jesus asks Peter twice, "Do you truly love me?"
In his question Jesus uses the verb agapaō. In his response, "Yes, Lord you know that I love you," Peter uses the verb phileō. The third time Jesus asks the question, he too uses the verb phileō.
While a majority of scholars hold that these two verbs are essentially synonymous in this passage, a case can be made that the change is intentional and significant. Those who hold the change to be significant stress the uniquely Christian use of agapaō, "to choose to love and to commit oneself sacrificially to the person loved." Phileō, on the other hand, is generally used of love between friends and relatives; it stresses love based on relationship and emotional attachment.
The Living Bible and J. B. Phillips, as well as a marginal note in the New English Bible, suggest translations that reflect this difference. Peter responds, "Yes, Lord, you know that I am your friend." And finally Jesus asks, "Are you my friend?"
If we accept that the difference is significant, then it appears that, even though Peter's love has not become all that Christ wants it to be, Jesus is still willing to use Peter in ministry, saying, "Take care of my sheep."
He told Peter to care for his flock three times . Feed my lambs, take care of me sheep, feed my sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and Pastors and other leaders are under-shepherds. If they truly love Jesus they will care and love His sheep. Yes the Holy Spirit equips people to serve as shepherds, there are gift to the church, pastors, evangelist, prophets and teachers, but every believer has to help care for the flock. We all have at least one gift and we should use what He has given us to help protect, and enable to flock.
John 21:18-25 (NLT)18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.”
19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”20 Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?”21 Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”23 So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”24 This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate.25 Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.
This was a prophecy about how Peter would die. Jesus was warning Peter about what would happen.Jesus still asked Peter to follow him. Peter did follow Jesus, and he became a great leader.
Some people in the early church believed that John would live to see Jesus’ return to the earth. This idea started because of Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question. But this idea was wrong. So John wanted people to know what Jesus had really said. John wrote down the exact words. Then people would know the truth.
Jesus had just told Peter that he (Peter) would die because of his faith. Peter immediately wanted to know what would happen to the other disciple. This was a very natural reaction. We often compare ourselves with other people. This is not the right attitude to have. Jesus told this to Peter. How John would die was not Peter’s affair. Peter just had to obey Jesus’ command to follow him.
It is the same for us. God has a different plan for each one of us. He has a special purpose for each one of us.
John ends by telling his readers that he actually saw all the events he wrote about. He was a witness to these events. And he wrote this book to tell other people about these events.
The other Gospels describe many other things that Jesus did. He did many more wonderful things that people did not write down. Perhaps John really meant that books could never tell to us everything about Jesus. It is important to read about him. But the purpose of this book is so that we will believe in him then we will know him personally.
That is the purpose of John’s Gospel.
Bible Study Audio
No comments:
Post a Comment