THE LIFE OF CHRIST
PART 99
We have been examining those events that happened after Jesus was raised from the dead, and this is the last lesson in this series. I am really sad this is the last lesson, but I am happy at the same time because it has been such a great study to me. I had no idea how many lessons it would take me to get through the life of Christ. Certainly more could be added, but this final lesson is part 99, just one short of 100 lessons. So, let’s begin our final lesson starting in:
John 21:1 After these things
Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this
way He showed Himself: 2
Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of
Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 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.
The first appearances of
Jesus occurred around Jerusalem, but His appearances recorded in this chapter
happened sometime after the 8th day of His resurrection (Jn. 20:26).
The apostles had made their way to Galilee because that is where the disciples
were told to meet Jesus on a mountain at an appointed time (Mt. 28:16ff).
Before that appointed time came, seven of the apostles with two being unnamed,
decided to go fishing when Peter said, “I am going fishing”.
Many speculations have
been made about this incident. Some think the apostles were trying to go back
to their old jobs of fishing, while others think they were just trying to catch
some fish to eat or sell. Whatever their reason for fishing that night, it
turned out to be a big disappointment because they did not catch anything.
John
21:4 But when the morning had now
come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was
Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to
them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him,
"No." 6 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. 7
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. 8 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.
The sun was just coming
up when Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples could not see that
it was Him. There are several reasons they could not have recognized him.
Jesus affectionately
calls His disciples children and asked them if they had any food, and they
answered “no”. I have no doubt that Jesus already knew the answer to His
question. He then instructs them to throw their net on the right side of the
boat so they can catch some fish. Some like to discount this event by saying
that Jesus was able to see the group of fish from where He was standing as any
person could do. However, this is not true because just like His disciples were
too far away to recognize Him it would be difficult if not impossible for any
person to see a group of fish under the water from 100 yards away. At best, a
person might see some fish jump out of the water from that distance.
While the Gospel of John
is known for its seven miracles of Jesus, as I have pointed out before there
are other events recorded that could certainly qualify for being a miracle and
this one of them. These men knew how to fish yet they caught nothing all-night,
but Jesus causes them to catch 153 fish in one throwing. These fish made the
net so heavy they could not haul it into their boat. Instead, they had to drag
it behind their boat to the shore.
In verse 7, this
miraculous catch caused John to realize that it was the Lord on the shore and
he told Peter this. I don’t know specifically what made John come to this
realization, but I speculate that he was reminded of when Jesus did this before
back when He first asked them to give up their fishing job to follow Him. We
read about this in:
Luke
5:4 When He had stopped speaking, He
said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a
catch." 5 But Simon
answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught
nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this,
they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners
in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the
boats, so that they began to sink. 8
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying,
"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him
were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James
and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to
Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their
boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
When John told Peter that
it was the Lord, Peter grabbed his outer garment and put it back on, and He
jumped in the water and swam to shore. Peter could not wait to be next to
Jesus. The other disciples made their way back to the shore in their small boat
pulling all those fish with them.
John
21:9 Then, as soon as they had come
to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring
some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 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.
We have no idea what was
going through their heads, but it is possible that when Peter saw the fire of
coals it reminded him of how he was warming himself around the fire as Jesus
was being tried by the Jews and how he later denied Jesus three times. Seeing
the fish and bread may have reminded the disciples of how Jesus fed thousands
of people on two different occasions with a little bread and fish. By the way,
did you notice the detail of how Jesus was already cooking a fish that was not
part of the 153?
Jesus asks them to bring
some of the fish they just caught, and Peter dragged the net of large fish onto
the shore, which indicates that Peter was strong man. We know these fish were
heavy because John was surprised the net had not broken. While some numbers in
the Bible have a special meaning, I do not believe there is a special meaning
to the number 153. Instead, I believe the
details of this event are there to show that this event was recorded by an
eyewitness.
John
21:12 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.
13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them,
and likewise the fish. 14
This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after
He was raised from the dead.
Not only did Jesus
provide the fish for them to eat, He also cooked it and served it. Even though
these men knew this was the Lord, it seems they still had some doubt since John
said that none of them “dared ask Him, “Who are You?””
Some say there is
contradiction in verse 14 because John said, “This is now the third time Jesus
showed Himself to His disciples.” It is true that Jesus had appeared more than
three times before this appearance. However, John does not say this was Jesus
third appearance, but his third appearance to his disciples. Apparently, John
was referring to Jesus appearing to His apostles as a group for a third time or
it possibly means this is the third day He appeared to them. The first day
would have been the first day of the week when Jesus was seen by several of His
disciples and was saw that night by all apostles except for Thomas. The second
would have been the next Sunday when Thomas was present, and His appearance on
the shore would be the third, so there is no contradiction.
John
21:15 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." 16 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." 17 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.
After they ate their
breakfast, Jesus asks Peter three questions and makes three statements. In
these three questions, we have two different types of love being mentioned from
the Greek.
1. Agapao - to
have a warm regard for and interest in another, cherish, have affection for,
love (BDAG Lexicon).
2.
Fileo - to have a special interest in
someone or someth., freq. with focus on close association, have affection for,
like, consider someone a friend (BDAG
Lexicon).
In the first two questions, Jesus uses the Greek
word agapao, but in the last question He uses fileo. Peter answers all three questions using the Greek word fileo. Since we have two different forms
of love being used here some have said this means something significant.
However, we also find two different Greek words being used by Peter for the
word “know” when he answered “You know that I love You.” Two different Greek
words are used for “feed” and “sheep” when Jesus said, “Feed My lambs” and
“Feed My sheep.” So, if we are going to make the different types of love in
these three verses significant, then we need to make these other differing
Greek words significant as well. I like the explanation given by Gene Burgett:
F. F. Bruce maintains that the change
in the word for love is merely a stylistic variation, and questions whether
"we are intended to see such distinct significance." Bruce offers
several reasons for his position. First,
though John wrote in Greek, it is highly probable that Jesus and Peter spoke in
Aramaic where there is no "comparable variation of vocabulary" like
the [agapao] and [fileo] variation we are examining. Second, in the Septuagint the Greek words
[agapao] and [fileo] are used interchangeably to translate the same Hebrew
word. Third, Bruce cites examples where
John himself seemed to use the two Greek words for love interchangeably. One notable example he offers is the phrase
"the disciple whom Jesus loved." [Agapao] is used in John 13:23;
19:26; 21:7,20; but [fileo] is used in John 20:2. Bruce concludes : "It is precarious,
then, to press a distinction between the two synonyms here” (Denton Lectureship
on John 21).
I think Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times because Peter denied Jesus three times even though he claimed he would not. Whatever the reason for asking this question three times, we learn that it caused Peter to be full of sorrow.
When Jesus asked Peter “do
you love Me more than these?" there are two different thoughts on what
Jesus is talking about. “These” could be referring to the fish they caught, and
some have suggested that Jesus wanted to know if he loved Him more than his
previous job of fishing. Others believe Jesus is referring to the disciples and
wants to know if Peter loves Him more than them. Whatever Jesus is referring
to, one thing we know for sure, He wants to know if Peter loves Him first over
everything and everyone else, which we must all do if we want to be pleasing to
God (Mt. 10:37).
Jesus also tells Peter to
feed or tend the sheep or lambs, which means He wants Peter to teach the
disciples about God’s Word and take care of them like a shepherd. Some have
suggested that the lambs refer to the young disciples and the sheep to the
older, but this is just speculation. This responsibility would fall on all the
apostles and future spiritual leaders within the Lord’s body. Paul emphasized
this idea to the Elders from Ephesus:
Acts
20:28 "Therefore take heed to
yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
The elders in every
congregation must oversee the flock and make sure they are being fed
spiritually with God’s truth.
John
21:18 "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." 19 This He spoke, signifying by
what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him,
"Follow Me."
After Peter confesses three times that he loves Jesus, Jesus
prophecies about Peter’s death. He tells him that when he was young he girded
himself, which means he took his outer garment and drew up around his waist so
he could move freely, and he could walk anywhere he wanted to because no one
hindered him, but when he gets old, this will not be the case. When Jesus said,
“You will stretch out your hands, and
another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish,” most believe
He was signifying that Peter would be bound and led to his crucifixion.
Mr. Coffman notes:
Concerning Peter's death, tradition places it at Rome in the reign of Nero, with the detail that he was crucified head downward after his protest that he was unworthy to be crucified in an upright position like Jesus. As Lanctantius wrote of Nero:
He it was who first persecuted the servants of God. He crucified Peter and slew Paul. St. Peter, as a Jew, could thus be dealt with; St. Paul, as a Roman citizen, was beheaded. Nor did he (Nero) escape with impunity; for God looked on the affliction of his people; and therefore the tyrant, bereaved of his authority, and precipitated from the height of empire, suddenly disappeared, and even the burial place of that noxious wild beast was nowhere to be seen (Coffman’s Commentary, John 21).
Even though Peter would die a cruel death in his old age, he could take comfort from what Jesus said because his death would glorify God, which means that Peter would die for the cause of Christ.
When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” some say He meant spiritually unto his death, or it could simply mean Jesus wanted him to follow Him, which seems to be the case based on the next verses:
John
21:20 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?" 21 Peter, seeing him, said to
Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If I
will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow
Me." 23 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?"
Verse 20 indicates that
Jesus and Peter were walking together and the disciple whom Jesus loved was
following behind them, which most believe is the apostle John. Since Jesus
predicted Peter’s death, he wants to know about John’s death, but Jesus did not
answer his question. Instead, He teaches Peter that it does not matter what
John’s fate will be because his fate will not affect how Peter will live his
life, and He tells Peter, “You follow Me.” In other words, He is telling Peter
not to worry about the fate of others, live your life by faith and continue to
follow me. This is great advice for every Christian.
Some had distorted what
Jesus said about John, and they thought John would not die until Jesus came
back again, but John dispels this rumor by saying that Jesus did not say that
he would not die, “but, If I will that he will remain till I come, what is that
to you?”
John
21:24 This is the disciple who
testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his
testimony is true. 25 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.
Verse 24 clearly shows
that the Gospel of John was written by one of the apostles who witnessed these
events. As I have said throughout this study, most believe that John is the
author.
In the final verse of
this great Gospel, John is letting his readers know that he has only recorded
part of what Jesus did while He was on the earth, but the things John wrote are
sufficient to prove that Jesus is the Son of God. Now it is up to those who
study the evidence presented in his Gospel to either believe or not to believe.
This concludes what the
gospel accounts teach about Jesus before His ascension. Luke gives us a little
bit more information about Jesus before He ascended in the Book of Acts.
Acts 1:1 The former
account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit
had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive
after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty
days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from
Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He
said, "you have heard from Me;
5 "for John truly baptized with water,
but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they
asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel?" 7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons
which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 "But you shall receive power when the
Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth." 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while
they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward
heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do
you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,
will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."
Luke summarize how Jesus
appeared to them over the course of 40 days and spoke them about the kingdom,
but we see in verse 6, that His apostles were still having common Jewish
mindset of the kingdom being a physical one like that under David, but they
would no longer be confused about the spiritual nature of the kingdom once the
Holy Spirit was given to them on the Day of Pentecost as seen Acts 2.
However, we do see that
His apostles are given the charge to be evangelistic and to spread the good
news of the gospel to all the world because they were eye witnesses of Jesus.
Of course, we see a similar message given in following verses from the synoptic
gospels:
Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which
Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore1 and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things
that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Mk. 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned. 17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they
will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink
anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the
sick, and they will recover."
Lk. 24:46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was
necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise1 from the dead the third day, 47 "and that repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 "And you are witnesses of these things.
49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My
Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on
high." 50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and
blessed them.
Finally, Luke
records:
Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken
up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward
heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do
you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,
will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the
mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.
Both gospel
accounts Mark and Luke record similar things:
Mk. 16:19 So then, after the Lord had spoken
to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And they went out and preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Lk. 24:51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them
and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising
and1 blessing God.
Amen.
Much could be said
about the final verses we just read, and we could also look at some of the
other words said by Jesus after His ascension, but the main thought I want to
leave you with is that just as Jesus left this earth in a visible way, He will return
a second time in the same manner, which will be on the final judgment day for
all mankind.
After everything we
have learned about Jesus in this series, it should give us great comfort and
should encourage us to know that Jesus is merciful and He understands our
struggles. He will be our advocate on the day of judgement. We will receive a
fair judgment, and we can know with utmost confidence that if we live for
Christ that heaven will be our home. We can also learn from the example of
Jesus’ disciples the important of evangelism. As we learned from our final
versus, Jesus’ disciples did not keep the wonderful news about Jesus and the
new covenant to themselves. No, they went into the whole world telling people
about the good news. That is our job as well.
I hope this series
of lesson on the life of Christ will inspire you to live your life for Him and
to be more evangelistic and to have deeper appreciation for all that He did for
us.