JOHN 21
OPENS WITHTHE RESTORATION OF PETER
Verses 1-3 Peter and six other disciples return to fishing.
“After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 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 are going with you also. " They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.”
Now, in John 21, we have an encounter between Jesus and Peter. Let me just give you a little background. If you were to read the 28th chapter of Matthew, you would find out that Jesus had said after His resurrection - and He had appeared to the disciples a couple of times. He said, “Go to a mountain – ” Matthew 18:16, “Go to a mountain and stay there. Wait for me, and I’ll come.” He told the disciples. So they did. Verse 2 tells us there was Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, sons of Zebedee, who would be James and John, and two others. No doubt, Philip and Andrew. So they all go to the mountain. They’re with their leader, Simon Peter. This sets up for us a scene that is very instructive in this regard to loving the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first thing I want you to see is the FAILURE of love. Now, remember, in Matthew 18:16 they were told to go and wait in the mountain.
I believe he was saying, “I’m going to go back to my old profession.” He was given a simple command, “Wait in the mountain until I get there.” He disobeyed it. We don’t know what was in his mind, but the fact is he disobeyed it. They also said to him because he was a leader, “We’re going with you.” They all left the mountain. I mean they have just instantaneously disregarded the very simple and direct command of the risen Jesus Christ, whom they’ve already seen on two occasions. They know He’s alive.
Now he was going back to his old profession. Here was the failure of love. All the verbalization in the world was meaningless. When given a simple command, a simple priority, “Do this because I’ve asked you to do it,” he couldn’t hold onto that. He abandoned that, he was impatient, tired of sitting and waiting and his love went right down the proverbial drain. Disobedience to a simple command.
He’d caught fish all his life. He probably knew where they were in the Sea of Galilee. He could probably follow the movement of the fish pretty well at any given season at any given time of day, but he couldn’t catch them now.
You see, the thing he thought he could do, he couldn’t do anymore because God had put His hand on his life and was in control. This is the beginning of the lesson. So we see the failure of love, but happily we see then the restoration of love. This is good to know because all of us have failed. All of us have said, “Oh, we love the Lord with all of our hearts, soul, mind, strength. Oh, we really love the Lord Jesus Christ.” We may sing those songs, and we sing them with emotion. We feel sort of sentimental about singing them, but we have failed because we have gotten our priorities all fouled up.
Verses 4-6 tells us Jesus directs their work.
“But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No. " And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. "So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.”
Jesus was on the shore and the disciples didn’t know it was Him.” By the way, they NEVER knew it was Jesus after His resurrection unless He revealed Himself TO them. There was some transformation in His person. There was some glory that was His after the resurrection that caused His identity to be somewhat veiled until it was disclosed to them. And so they did not know by looking at Him who it was, although they were only a hundred yards or so off the shore. That may have contributed to their inability to distinguish Him.
Verses 7-14 tells us The disciples eat breakfast with Jesus.
“Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught. " Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast. " Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"; knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.”
Now, this is the restoration of love. Listen, no matter how my love has failed, no matter how your love has failed, there is restoration. I want you to notice one thing out of this text. There are many thing we could say, but this one thing I want you to note. The restoration was initiated BY the Savior who was offended. You understand that? It was the offended Savior who initiated the restoration and it will ALWAYS be that way.
We fear sometimes that as Christians who know they have failed to love as they ought to love will drift away from the Lord, and they feel some anxiety or shame about coming back. What we ALL need to realize is that WHAT IS SHOWING US...Jesus IS EAGER for them to come back. And when they get to the shore, He does NOT have a whip to beat them with; He has breakfast for them. You understand that? That is the HEART of the restoring love of OUR JESUS CHRIST.
So we see the failure of love, and then we also see the restoration of love, and I’m happy for that because I’ve been out on the sea a lot of times when I should have been in the mountain. I’m always glad when I come to the shore, and Jesus is NOT not there with a whip. He’s there with breakfast. He’s there to have a meal with me. That’s the way it is with the one who restores. That’s what it says in Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”
Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ, even our own disobedience. Even our own lack of love from time to time can NOT violate that love, which is unending on His part, and which reaches out to bring us back and bring us back and bring us back.
I’m glad for Peter’s eagerness. I mean he just dove in and swam. He wanted it right. He knew. His conscious was pricked the moment he knew it was Jesus Christ. He had no business being out there on the water when he was supposed to be in that mountain, and he knew he was out of line. But the reason he was such a useful man to Jesus Christ was because as fast as he would fail, twice as fast, he would be restored. When you look at your life, John shows us Jesus heart and it is not that you have never failed that makes you useful to God. It is that when you do fail, you are in a hurry to be restored, AMEN?
It is when you fail and you keep failing and you become complacent about that failure, and you do NOT desire that restoration to be what God wants you to be, and you find yourself comfortable with some shallow kind of Christianity that avoids the real priorities of God’s kingdom: that’s when you should be worried, for that’s when God finds little use for you. It’s not that you do not fail. It’s that you fail and hurry back to the place of blessing.
So we see they’re there having breakfast. Not only did He prepare the meal, but He served it. Isn’t that something? He serves them. He didn’t sit down and say, “Now, I’m the King, and you’ve disobeyed me. Now, you guys bow before me.” I mean there’s such a beauty about this. He not only makes them breakfast. So the Lord makes breakfast. They come all around, and instead of Him demanding them to serve Him, He serves those loveless, disobedient disciples. It makes my heart glad because as often as I have failed to love Him, He not failed to love me to the point where when I come back, He serves me.
Verses 15-16 tells us Jesus inquires about Peter's love.
“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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 again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You. " He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah.’” He calls Peter by his OLD name because he’s acting like his old self.
The primary mark of the redeemed has always been love for God. The Shema, the great Old Testament confession of faith, declares, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy. 6:5). Later in Deuteronomy Moses exhorted Israel to manifest that love by obeying God’s commandments (10:12–13; 11:1).
When Daniel poured out his heart in prayer for his people, he addressed God as “the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Daniel 9:4).
After the exile Nehemiah echoed Daniel’s prayer: “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Nehemiah 1:5).
The theme of loving God was also on the heart of David, who wrote, “I love You, O Lord, my strength” (Psalm. 18:1).
The New Testament also teaches that love is the mark of a true believer. When asked to name the greatest commandment of the law, Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
In 1 Corinthians 8:3 Paul wrote, “If anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” On the other hand the apostle warned, “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed” (1 Corinthians 16:22).
Only those who love God receive eternal life (James 1:12) and inherit the kingdom (James 2:5).
Peter wrote in his first epistle, “Though you have not seen Him [Christ], you love Him” (1 Peter 1:8). Love is also the driving, compelling force that motivates Christian service (2 Corinthians 5:14).
Peter learned the hard way what it means to REALLY love Jesus Christ. He had vociferously declared his unfailing devotion to Him more than once. At the Last Supper, “Simon Peter said to [Jesus], ‘Lord, where are You going?’ Jesus answered, ‘Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You’ ” (John 13:36–37).
A short while later he boldly proclaimed, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away” (Matthew 26:33).
Yet when the chips were down, Peter’s self-confessed love failed and he openly denied three times that he even knew Jesus. His vaunted courage proved to be nothing but empty talk when facing a threatening situation.
Peter’s failure highlights the biblical truth that obedience is the essential evidence of genuine love. In John 14:15 Jesus put it plainly: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” In verse 21 He added, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me” ( John 15:10).
In 1 John 5:3 John echoed the Lord’s teaching: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome,” while in his second epistle he added, “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it” (2 John 6).
Jesus knew that if Peter was to play the crucial role in the early church that He had chosen him for, he would NEED to be restored.
Peter NEEDED to understand that although he had forsaken Christ, Christ had NOT forsaken him (Romans. 8:31–39).
We KNOW The Lord Jesus HAD evidently already appeared to Peter privately (Luke 24:34; and 1 Corinthians. 15:5), but Scripture does NOT record any details of that meeting. Whatever may have happened in Peter’s personal encounter with the risen Lord, since his denials were public knowledge, he needed to be publicly restored. The other disciples needed to hear Peter’s reaffirmation of his love for Christ and Christ’s recommissioning of him, so they would be willing to loyally support his leadership.
Do you love Me more than these…
Jesus strangely asks Peter to compare his love for Him with that of the other disciples.
It is possible that "these" refers to the fish and a fisherman's life. Jesus could be asking Peter if he is willing to give up fishing again to follow Him. But Peter had claimed a superior love (Matthew 26:33). Does he still have this proud estimation of his devotion?
Do you love Me more than these … You know that I love You…
Feed My lambs … Tend My sheep…
For Peter to follow through with that love for Jesus, he must give himself to the service of God's people.
Verse 17 tells us Jesus asks Peter a third time: Do you love Me?
“He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, 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 all things; You know that I love You. " Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.”
Do you love Me … Lord, You know all things…
This time, Jesus asks if Peter does in fact have a friendly devotion (phileo) to Jesus. Peter leaves the question with Jesus' omniscience.
Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time…
What really grieved Peter was the three-time repetition, because it was a plain reminder of his previous three-time denial.
Jesus restores us by causing us to FACE squarely our point of failure, then challenging us to set our eyes on the work ahead.
AND THINK ABOUT THIS...JESUS MADE PETER FACE HIS SHAME, HIS SIN, HIS FAILURE, HIS PAST, AND HIS PUBLIC DENIAL..
WHY?
WE HAVE ALL BEEN HIT WITH OUR PASTS...OUR HURTS, SHAMES, SADNESS, SORROWS, GUILT, AND FAILINGS BY SATAN AND MAN...WHO DO NOT FORGET...EVER. BUT JESUS KNEW PETER NEEDED TO FACE IT, AND THEN HEAR JESUS FREE HIM, AND REDEEM HIM OF IT, SO THAT SATAN AND THE WORLD COULD NOT DESTROY, HURT, OR PULL PETER DOWN IN FUTURE BY HIS PAST FAILINGS.
WE NOTICE...Jesus does NOT ask "are you sorry?" nor "will you promise never to do that again?" "Jesus Christ asks Peter, and each one of us, not for obedience primarily, not only for repentance, not for vows, not for conduct, but for a loving, forgiving, faithful heart; and that being given, all the rest will follow.
Jesus allowed Peter a three-fold public affirmation of love before ALL THE DISCIPLES to replace a three-fold denial, and gave him a three-fold challenge to feed My sheep.
Verses 18-19 tells us Jesus' call on Peter's life.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. " This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
When you are old, you will stretch out your hands…
Jesus promises Peter that his life will end in utter faithfulness, that in the end Peter will make a faithful stand for Jesus and be crucified.
And carry you where you do not wish…
If Peter's principle of life once was a self-reliance, from now on his principle of life will be the cross.
JESUS GIVES PETER AND US THE MOST IMPORTANT, ALL ENCOMPASSING WORDS: FOLLOW ME.
At long last Peter has learned that he can NOT follow Jesus in his OWN strength and has realized the hollowness of affirming his own loyalty in a way that relies more on his own power of will than on Jesus’ enablement.
Likewise, we should soundly distrust self-serving pledges of loyalty today that betray self-reliance rather than a humble awareness of one’s own limitations in acting on one’s best intentions [2 Corinthians 12:9–10].
Peter remained obedient to the Lord’s commission for the rest of his life. His ministry from that point forward involved not only proclaiming the gospel (Acts 2:14–40; 3:12–26), but also feeding the flock the Lord had entrusted to him (cf. Acts 2:42). Nearing the end of his ministry many years later, Peter wrote,
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:1–3)
Verses 20-23 Peter asks what about John?
“Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me. " Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?"
If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me…
Jesus' words apply to us. Instead of worrying about what He will do or is doing with other believers, our focus should be on His command to Follow Me.
Jesus did not say to him that he would not die.
DO YOU SEE THE POWER OF MISUNDERSTANDING AND RUMOR?
Rumor had it that the Lord had prophesied that the beloved disciple, John, himself, would be alive when He came again, and John is anxious to make it perfectly clear that Jesus had only spoken hypothetically about such a possibility.
Verses 24-25 John’s conclusion to this gospel.
“This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”
The disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things…
It is both a testimony of accuracy and incompleteness.
JOHN GIVES US JESUS AND HIS HEART, HIS CARE, AND HIS LOVE. JOHN’S ENDS WITH REMINDING US God's works have no end, and the events are to continue as we obey Jesus' command to follow Me….COME WHAT MAY.