Wednesday Bible Study: The end of all things- John

John 21 is truly one of the richest final chapters we've hit so far.  I gathered my thoughts on it under four categories.

Category one: The gathering

So I first looked at the group of Disciples that were there....

Joh 21:2  There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas who is called Didymus, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 



So Peter is a given; the discussion held off-page between him and Jesus (Mark 16:7) set him back at the head of the group.  The sons of Zebedee, John and James, also pretty much a given.  Thomas seems an odd member of the group; one commentator speculates that having missed the first appearance before the Twelve, and being shown up on the second, he was going to stick to Peter and John like glue to avoid missing the Lord again.

Nathaniel takes a moment more.  Only here in John is he named Nathaniel; in the other Gospels he is referred to by his surname Bartholomew (son of Tolomeus).  Only in John does he get more than a mention, and it's worth it to review that story from John 1.  He is sitting underneath a fig tree, possibly trying to put what he believed at peace with what the Teachers of the day were teaching (but not living), when Phillip comes up and proclaims to him:

Joh 1:45  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Joh 1:46  Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."


Now here's the thing, one commentator points out:  This is Nathaniel scoffing at the idea of a messiah coming from Nazareth.  What then plays on that is Jesus' response:

Joh 1:47  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"


This was a double play on words.  The word for deceit, or 'guile' in other versions, is the same word that was used to name the original Israel, Jacob.  So, in return for Nathaniel's snide remark about no good coming from Nazareth, Jesus in essence calls Nathaniel "an Israelite with no Jacob in him"- he has the blood, but not the faith!  Nathaniel is amazed that Jesus could even know he sat under a fig tree some time before, let alone his thoughts at the time- and it's enough to convict him.  So Jesus then challenges him:

Joh 1:50  Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these."
Joh 1:51  And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." 

So, much like Thomas, Nathaniel is there because he has no intention of missing out.

The other two?  I speculated that they may have been disciples but not of the twelve, since they weren't named; Commentator consensus figures it's Andrew (since that would complete the fishing partnership of Peter, Andrew, James, and John) and Phillip (since the Gospels usually have them paired up).  Why would John leave them out?  Good question.



Category two: The fish story

Joh 21:8  The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
Joh 21:9  When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.
Joh 21:10  Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."
Joh 21:11  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.


If you know me at all, I have to ask: "Why 153 fish?"  But instead of chasing the bunny this time, I let the Lord guide me.  And what I discovered was this:  The number is meaningless to US.  But to someone reading this back then, reading about the net almost breaking, and thinking, "Must have been a pretty wimpy net", he then hits 'large fish, 153 of them', and he has a visual picture he CAN'T deny.  This was no fish story!


Category three: Competition or partnership?

Peter and John have, in a few places, a kind of one-upsmanship in the stories, at least from our perspective.  Especially considering the race to the tomb.  And so, when you see John figuring out it's Jesus on the shore first, and then Peter swimming to shore, it's easy to think that the following passage is more competition:

Joh 21:20  Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?"
Joh 21:21  When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" 



Because here we have what seems to be a private convo between Jesus and Peter, and here comes John sneaking up behind.  But let's look at some clues that it is nothing of the sort.

1- Here's one I missed right off the top:

Joh 21:7  That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.


John SAID TO PETER!  Think about this: in a boat with 7 men on it, John goes first to his- HIS- leader- and tells him.  If you have studied John at all, you find that he is ALWAYS ready to defer to Peter.  In Acts, Peter AND John travel Jerusalem together, but it is always Peter who gives the sermons.

2- Note the way the story is described: "the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?"   This story, if you recall, involved Peter giving a hand-signal to John to ask that question.  Would it be to much to speculate that John had come nearby to signal Peter to ask about himself?  These two men evidence not a rivalry, then, but a bond born of years of working together, of cues they could read without speaking.


And it changes Jesus' answer not a bit:  Our job is not to worry how the other guy is following, just to follow.


Category four: And Peter was grieved because....

Joh 21:15  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, 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."
Joh 21:16  He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."
Joh 21:17  He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, 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 everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.


Traditionally, we think Peter is grieved because Jesus asked a third time, but I believe it is more than that.  Those of you who study these things know that the first two times, Jesus asked the word "love" as agapos- the Agape deep love that is the most intimate kind; and Peter answered with phileo, or brotherly affection.  A lot of speculation has been made about how it was that Peter could not get his profession of love to match the request of Jesus.  The third time, Jesus also uses phileo- a 'dumbing down' of His love for Peter's sake.  Jesus came to Peter's ability to love!  Of course He did so understanding that Peter still awaited his filling with the Holy Spirit.  John points out that it was this third time, when Jesus deliberately stepped down His question, that grieved Peter- not just because it was the third time, but because he had not been able to make the climb himself.  Of the many lessons of this passage, the one that strikes me today was that Jesus got what he sought- the desire in Peter to rise to that new level of love.  And that He understands we need help to get there.  And, that he's looking at that farther ahead date that we CAN love Him that way.  He didn't say, "Peter, once you are able to love Me that way, I have a plan for you"- He knew Peter WOULD rise to that love, and had a plan for that day already in hand!

He says that to us, too.  Why else do you think we often say, "God, I'm not ready for what you have planned?"  But He sees us complete.