John 21

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Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your blessings and your goodness to us and all things that you have given us. Father, I thank you that we can be gathered today to worship your holy name and to be fed from your word. I pray, Father, as we do this, that you will hide us from the distractions of the world around and let us focus solely on you in this time. Father, I pray that as we are fed by your word, you are glorified as it changes us and as we become more like you.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Okay, today is the final day in the book of John. It has taken almost a year to get here, so I'm quite excited to be here and to move on. After we finish John, next week we will be in the book of first Corinthians.

We're going to start reading the epistles of Paul to the church in Corinth. I think they're very applicable to us today. So for those reading ahead, first Corinthians, chapter one, next Sunday is where we will be. As for today, we're going to finish the book of John. Remember last week we read about the resurrection of Christ.

He rose again from the grave. He was seen by Mary, Mary and Mary. He was seen by the disciples. He was seen by doubting Thomas. And then John testified that the things he has written is true and that they are written so that we may know and believe.

With that said, we're going to move on into verse one of 21 as John. John 21 really seems like it was written as an afternoon, you know, a p's. You write this whole big letter, and then afterwards you realize, oh, yeah, I forgot to include this. That's what John 21 is like. Because John really ends his gospel in verses 30 and 31 of chapter 20.

Says that Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the messiah, the son of God, and that by belief you may have life in his name. That's really the concluding statement of the entirety of the gospel. But then we have this, verses one through three. After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way.

Simon Peter. Thomas called twin Nathanael from Cana of Galilee. Zebedee's sons and two others of his disciples were together. I'm going fishing, Simon Peter said to them, and then he says, we'll go all the way through verse six. So it says, we're coming with you.

They told him, and they went out and got into the boat. And that night they caught nothing. When Daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. But the disciples did not know it was Jesus. Friends, Jesus called to them, you don't have any fish, do you?

No, they answered, well, cast the net on the right side of the boat, he told them, and you'll find some. So they did. And they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. Okay, so after these things, after the resurrection, after Christ appeared to them, after he did many other miracles, right. You would think there's no more sadness, right?

He's risen, he spent time with them. He's done other miracles, other teachings, and is going off to do his own thing. You would think that they would get to work, but what happens? They go back to their old way of life. Peter says, well, that's the, that we spent the three and a half years at the Lord.

He died, he rose, he's off doing his own thing. It's time to go back to what we know. And he says, I'm going fishing, and the others go with him. However, they are unable to catch any fish. Now, if you remember all the way back when Jesus first found his disciples, this scene sounds very familiar, right?

What were they doing when Jesus first met them, first was introduced to them, they were in the lake. They were fishing and could not catch any fish. And then Jesus performed a miracle. They caught the fish. And he said, leave this behind and I will make you fishers of men, right?

Not fishers of fish, fishers of men. But instead of going on to their new life, their new calling, they go back to the boat unable to catch any fish until Jesus appears. And he says, hey, you have no fish. Correct. Only Jesus would know that.

And then it says, he told them to cast to the right side of the. And when they did this, they recognized it's the Lord in verse seven, says the disciple, the one that Jesus loved. So John said to Peter, it's the Lord. Right? So they recognize that it's Jesus in this moment.

John does not give, at least at this moment, any other detail. Some of the other gospels do provide other details, such as the number of fish that were caught. And there seems to be some significance in the number of fish. And John will tell us here, as we continue to read, John will tell us. We're introduced to some things here a little earlier on in other places, but let's continue to read in verses seven through 14.

As we do read in these verses, we'll see that a number of fish is identified. And as we look at this, as we look at this, we need to look at the significance of this number and what it means. So when Simon heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around them, for he had taken it off and plunged it into the sea. Since they were not far from land, about a hundred yards, the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. And when they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish laying on it and bread.

Bring some of the fish you just caught. Jesus told them. So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore full of large fish a them them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Come and have breakfast, Jesus told them.

None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? Because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time jesus appeared to the disciples after he raised from the grave.

Okay, so it tells us here that they go to shore. Jesus is cooking, and then he asks them, you know, bring some of the fish that you caught, and I'll cook it for you. And in the entirety of this passage right here, what we want to focus on is the net. It had 153 fish in it. Now, the reason this is significant is one the net did not take, but 2153 fish seems to represent the known people groups at the time.

So 153 fish to represent the fullness of the world. Right. The gospel is available to all people.

So there's a little bit of significance here. Right. We see here with this 153. This is not just Jews, but it's Gentiles. It's Romans, it's Greeks, it's Persians.

It is everybody is included in the Gospel. Jesus did not die only for the Jews. He did not die only for the Gentiles, and he did not die only for those who exist within the promised land. But he died and rose for all people, that all people may come to him.

Verses 15 through 19. It says, when they had eaten breakfast, jesus asked Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, lord. He said to him, you know that I love you. Feed my lambs.

He told them. Told him a second time, he asked, simon, son of John, do you love me? Yes, Lord. He said to him, you know that I love you, shepherd, my sheep. He told them.

And he asked him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved that. He asked him the third time, do you love me? He said, lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.

Feed my sheep. Jesus said, truly, I tell you, when you are younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you and carry you where you do not want to go. He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, follow me.

Okay, what's going on here. We see that Jesus turns his full attention to Peter. And three times he says to him, simon, do you love me? Simon, do you love me? Why does he say this three times?

Is there any significant in the three repetitions of love here? And the answer is, yes, there is. First, I want to talk about the word love. We see love appear three times. English as a language sucks.

And I say this as a native english speaker. And with English being my only language, it sucks.

How many different words do you think there is for love? Right? There's love that a parent has toward a child. There's love that's sacrificial. That's the love Jesus had.

He sacrificed himself. There's love that friends have on toward another. There's love that I have toward my wife, and she has toward me. I don't share that love with anyone else. There's love as in, I love this item, an object of love.

There are so many different forms of love. And English has only one word to describe all of it, and that's love. We have one word. I can tell my friend I love you and tell my wife I love you. And I'm saying two very, very different things in the same word.

And English relies heavily upon context to understand. However, Greek has seven different words for love.

So Greek has one love to describe that sacrificial love, right? That love that will cause you to sacrifice yourself for someone else. It also has a word for love that describes brotherly. And when we translate into English, we only get one word. And as a result, we don't actually catch on to what Jesus is saying.

So here in this book, here in this book, in this chapter, in this passage, we actually see two different words for love appear. The first appearance of love in John is agape. When Jesus says in verse, when he says here in verse 15, Simon, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He says, simon, son of John, do you agape me? Now, the word agape in Greek for love is that sacrificial love we just talked about.

Agape is a truly unconditional love. Agape applies no conditions, no bounds, no ifs, andsitive or ors. It is a self giving love. It embodies selflessness, sacrifice. That agape love is the love that God expresses toward us.

That selfless love that caused him to be nailed upon the cross. So he says to Simon Peter here, he says, do you agape me? He's asking him, is your love for me unconditional? Is it selfless? Does will your love for me.

Allow you to sacrifice yourself for me. That is what Christ is asking Peter in verse 15. And then Peter says, yes, lord, you know that I love. What's interesting when Peter responds is he responds with a different word for love, right? Jesus asked him, do you agape me?

And Peter says to him, that I filio you. Right? Now, the greek word filio is a love that you have toward a friend. So when I tell my friends, I love you, if this were in Greek, I would tell them, I filio you. That is how Peter replies to Jesus.

So he says, is your love unconditional, selfless and sacrificial? And he says, I love you as my friend.

And he tells him, feed my lambs. Right. The Simon became the chief apostle, and it is the job of any apostle, evangelist, pastor, to feed the sheep, right. The apostles and the evangelists, they fed their local churches, and they went out and fed people abroad. Then the local leaders, such as myself, we are a lot more of a shepherd in the sense that we spend most of our time with a small group of people, and we shepherd them.

So he tells him, shepherd, feed my lambs. But then he says a second time, simon, son of John, do you love me? Again? The word that Jesus uses when he says, do you love me? Here is agape.

So he says the first time, do you agape me? And Peter says, I filio you. So Jesus says again, peter, do you agape me? And he says, yes, you know that I love you. And I find it interesting that Peter again responds with, filio, this is twice.

This is why English sucks. When we read this passage, we read it in English where Jesus says, do you love me? And Peter says, yes, I love you. Then he says, do you love me? And he says, yes, I love you.

And we are never aware that they're talking on two different levels. Jesus wants to know, do you agape me? And Peter keeps responding, I love you as a friend. Right, in that friend way. This time he says, he says, shepherd, my sheep, right?

Watch after them, take care of them. And then he asks the third time, do you love me? Now, this third time, Jesus changes the word that he uses. And he says, peter, son of John, do you Filio, me? And Peter says, you know everything.

You know that I love you. And he replies, filio, again.

Now, why is he grieved? So, as we've gone through this, I do find it very interesting that when Christ is asking, is your love for me unconditional and selfless? That he keeps replying with a different word. But then we have this repetition of three, and it says that he is grieved on that third asking, why is that? Well, if you'll remember, Jesus told Peter, you will deny me three times before the rooster crows.

This repetition of three here is a reminder of the threefold denial that Peter had for Christ a few days ago. It's a reminder. It's his restoration, but it's a reminder to Peter that he denied Jesus three times. This is why he's grieved. When he hears it the third time, he remembers thrice.

He said, I don't know him or I don't follow him. I've never met him. And he is grieved. And then he says, you know all things. You know that I love you.

And so he says again, feed my sheep. So Peter, Peter has been fully commissioned here to feed the sheep. But then he says, truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. So Peter, he's being reminded of his youth. And even now he goes where he wants, when he wants, how he wants.

But when he grows old, says, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you do not want to go. Jesus is telling us that Peter will be crucified. That is, the death that Peter will die. So we know not just a historical fact, but a biblical fact that Peter died of crucification. However, oral tradition, which eventually became written, says that Peter died upside down, crucified upside down, because he felt not worthy to die in the manner that Christ died.

So while we know he did die on the cross, we don't know in terms of factual evidence whether he died upside down or not. Tradition says so, though. And then he tells him one last time, follow me.

Verses 2023. So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following. Then the one who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and asked, Lord, who is the one that's going to betray you? When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about him? If I want him to remain until I come?

Jesus answered, what is it? What is that to you? As for you, follow me. So this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him he would not die.

But if I want him to remain until I come, what is it to you? All right, so two things I want to focus on here. I want to focus on Peter. Then I want to focus on the rumor. So focusing on Peter.

Peter just hears that he is going to be crucified. That's how he's going to die. And he turns and points to John and says, well, what about him? Like, that's not fair, Lord, why do I have to crucify? How about him?

Don't we see that typical in humanity today as kids when our parents say, Matt, go clean the kitchen. And then I want to look at my brothers and say, well, what about him? Why am I being told to go do this? He's available. How about him?

Right? Same type of deal going on. Peter's being told what will happen, and I don't think he is quite ready to accept it. And his response is to say, well, what about this guy?

Christ tells him, you worry about you and what I told you to do. We need to remember that some of us are called to be pastors. Some of us are called to be evangelists. Some of us are called to be musicians. Some of us are called to just disciple our neighborhood, while some of us are called to be missionaries and go far away.

Some of us will get to die natural deaths. Some of us will die unnaturally due to persecution or unnaturally due to other things. Some of us will get to have lives with more wealth than others, and some of us will not. What we do not get to do is question God about why he does one thing with another person and a different thing with us. That's God's prerogative.

So Jesus says, as for you, read this for yourself. As for me, follow Christ, regardless of what he does with my neighbor or the person in the next city or another pastor or evangelist, is no concern of mine, but that I follow Christ. Now let's focus on the rumor. So Jesus says, what if I want him to remain till I come? How is that your concern?

Now, Jesus does not say here that he will. It's rather a hypothetical question to prove a point. What does it mean to you what I want to do with John? However, as a result of this, a rumor spreads. It becomes widespread and known.

Jesus says, John will not die.

It became so widespread that John had to write this to correct it so that we would know that's not what was said. But it's important to look at this because the Lds church today, Mormons believe that John never died and is still walking today. And they believe that based on what he said to Peter. So we need to remember that John himself corrected this rumor and tells us, he says, jesus never said that. He only said, what is it to you?

So we need to keep that in mind when we're reading. We cannot latch onto a single verse and say, oh, hey, based on this verse, x, y, and z must be true. We need to read it contextually. We need to read it in the fullness of its text in order to understand it. Verses 24 and 25, John's final farewell to us.

He says, this is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true, and there are many other things that Jesus did which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. So, verse 24, he says, this is the disciple who testifies. This is where John identifies himself to us. I'm the one, right?

In this book, right? He says that there was a rumor about this disciple, about John, and then he identifies himself in verse 24 as the writer. I'm the disciple writing these things together down, and this testimony is true. We then know that Jesus did many, many other signs, works wonders, that they could not be written down. As we come to the end of the study, the focus of the study, the focus of this sermon series, was to answer, who is Christ?

And I hope, as we have now, come to the end of the study and close this chapter before we move on, that we can answer with full assurance, full confidence that we know who Jesus Christ is, that he's the messiah, but more importantly, that he is God.

He is the fullness of God in the flesh. And if anybody would desire to partake of the gift of God, it begins with first admitting that we are sinners, with believing that Jesus is the God. Man who came down here, died on the cross, and rose again for the remission of our sins and to confess him as Lord and savior. And if you're ready to do that here in our closing prayer, I will walk you through that. You can repeat it with me.

And then immediately after, we will partake of the Lord's supper. So for those who would like to partake, please stick around for a minute, and we will do that following the close of service. Let's pray.

Father, I admit that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I know that my ways are wrong and they are contrary to you. And I believe, Lord Jesus, that you are the God of Amen. That you stepped down into this creation, that you lived perfectly, died on the cross, and rose again the third day. And I confess you as my God, my lord, and my savior.

I will remove my crown and submit to yours all the days of my life. And I ask you for this free and precious gift. Father, we thank you for. For your agape love for us. We thank you for your willingness to do what we could not do.

And I ask, Father, that we will walk in that newness and that we will glorify you and that we will share this light, that others may know who you are and that in knowing and believing, they too would be saved. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.