Bible Study Blog


 

Session 32: March 4, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 21:9-25

9 When they got out on the beach, they saw a charcoal fire ready with a fish placed on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you have just now caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and pulled the net to shore. It was full of large fish, 153, but although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 “Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said. But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15 Then when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Jesus said a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd my sheep.” 17 Jesus said a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” and said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the solemn truth, when you were young, you tied your clothes around you and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will tie you up and bring you where you do not want to go.” 19 (Now Jesus said this to indicate clearly by what kind of death Peter was going to glorify God.) After he said this, Jesus told Peter, “Follow me.”

20 Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. (This was the disciple who had leaned back against Jesus’ chest at the meal and asked, “Lord, who is the one who is going to betray you?”) 21 So when Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours? You follow me!” 23 So the saying circulated among the brothers and sisters that this disciple was not going to die. But Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but rather, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours?”

24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things and has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Main Themes

Jesus at the Shore

Jesus Already Has Fire, Fish, and Bread

When Peter finally arrives to meet Jesus, Jesus has a fire ready, fish is cooking, and there is bread to go with it. It paints a picture of a self-sufficient Jesus. Jesus does not need anything from the disciples. Instead, Jesus makes an invitation: “Bring some of the fish you have just now caught”—the fish Jesus effectively gave to them—and “come, have breakfast.”

As a quick historical sidenote, the apostles were probably very much looking forward to having breakfast (aristēsate, the morning meal). Wealthy Romans would eat three meals a day. Most everyone else ate two meals a day. Some ate the morning meal at dawn and some closer to midday. After a long night of work, the apostles were surely ready to eat and rest.

The Abundant Catch, the Stronger Net

When Jesus invites Peter to bring some of the catch, we are given two important details. The net was full (including some large fish), yet the net was not torn. There is a double image of abundance. The fish are many. If the fish symbolize people, then multitudes will come to Jesus. But even more beautifully, not a single fish is one too many. The net can hold all of them without problem. The Kingdom of God is sufficiently vast—it can handle the abundance of all who will come.

Now this is the will of the one who sent me—that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day. (John 6:39)

153

The number of fish caught amounted to 153. As you are probably familiar, there are few things that will cause more wild speculation than numbers in the Bible. This is no exception. Many people have applied the hermeneutical technique known as gematria to assign meaning to this number. Gematria is “the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumerical cipher.” (Forgive me, this is one of the few times I have quoted Wikipedia.) For example, some suggest that the numerical value of the Hebrew expression for “children of God” is 153. Others use gematria to assign the numerical value to the fishing villages in Ezekiel 47:10. Others suggest even more remote possibilities like “Nathaniel gamma” or “alpha Mary.”

Would John expect his readers to decipher the secret code behind the number 153? Obviously not. There is probably no secret code to be deciphered. It is the number of fish—a very large number that stresses the abundance of the fish and the historicity of the account. It also emphasizes the nearly miraculous fact that the net did not tear.

Peter the Servant

Notice that Peter was eager to reach and serve Jesus. As we discussed last time, he jumps from the boat and swims to shore, getting his clothes soaking wet. Then, when Jesus tells Peter to bring some of the catch, Peter immediately runs back to the boat and “pull[s] the net to shore.” (Not that this is the point of the passage, but Peter’s ability to pull a full net to land suggests considerable physical strength.)

The Third Appearance

John tells us this was the third appearance of Jesus to the disciples. One cannot be confident regarding exactly how John is counting, since Jesus appears to different disciples (particularly if the women are counted) more than three times. The context of chapter 20 suggests that John may be accounting for the appearance to the apostles when Thomas was not present, the appearance to the apostles when Thomas was present, and then this one.

Jesus Feeds Them Bread and Fish

Jesus gives the disciples bread and fish. This is reminiscent of Jesus’ most public miracle, the feeding of the 5,000.

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) So the men sat down, about 5,000 in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten. (John 6:10-13)

Notice that the miracle in chapter 6 has the same motif of abundance discussed above. In chapter 21, the net does not break despite the large number of fish. In chapter 6, the food does not run out despite the large number of people fed. There’s even ample leftovers. There is no competition in the message of the gospel. One man getting in does not push another one out. There is plenty for all.

No One Dared

In my opinion, the most curios part of this scene is the apostles’ fear to ask, “Who are you?” The text explains they were hesitant to ask “because they knew it was the Lord.”

An online commentary has a potential explanation:

The disciples lack of questions about Jesus' identity can be taken in several ways. One possibility is John emphasizing the lack of doubt, as if saying, "there's no need to ask, since it's clear."

The other option is that the men believe this is Jesus, but they're tempted to ask, just to be sure. This would be like someone asking a close friend, "is it really you?" Or, as when seeing someone wearing new clothes with a new hair style, Jesus' resurrected form might have been subtly different (Luke 24:13–16, 31; John 20:14). This would cast John's remark as reassurance: even though Jesus' appearance was not exactly as it had been, there was no valid reason to think it was someone else.

I lean towards the second explanation. Recall the first appearance to the apostles:

Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19b-20, emphasis added)

Jesus had to prove his identity during their first encounter. Then recall the second appearance to the apostles:

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” Thomas replied to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:26b-28, emphasis added)

Jesus had to prove his identity during their second encounter as well.

Should Jesus have to prove his identity a third time? Perhaps the apostles thought that to ask for identity verification a third time would be tantamount to denial.

The Call

Do You Love Me More Than “These” Do?

Peter receives a special call (i.e., vocation) from Jesus. The conversation begins with a pointed question, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?” Before we move on to Peter’s answer, we must ask: who are “these”? The text does not provide an antecedent for the pronoun, so we must use context to understand to whom or what it refers. As translator’s note 30 in the NET explains (emphasis added):

To whom (or what) does “these” (τούτων, toutōn) refer? Three possibilities are suggested: (1) τούτων should be understood as neuter, “these things,” referring to the boats, nets, and fishing gear nearby. In light of Peter’s statement in 21:3, “I am going fishing,” some have understood Peter to have renounced his commission in light of his denials of Jesus. Jesus, as he restores Peter and forgives him for his denials, is asking Peter if he really loves his previous vocation more than he loves Jesus. Three things may be said in evaluation of this view: (a) it is not at all necessary to understand Peter’s statement in 21:3 as a renouncement of his discipleship, as this view of the meaning of τούτων would imply; (b) it would probably be more likely that the verb would be repeated in such a construction (see 7:31 for an example where the verb is repeated); and (c) as R. E. Brown has observed (John [AB], 2:1103) by Johannine standards the choice being offered to Peter between material things and the risen Jesus would seem rather ridiculous, especially after the disciples had realized whom it was they were dealing with (the Lord, see v. 12). (2) τούτων refers to the other disciples, meaning “Do you love me more than you love these other disciples?” The same objection mentioned as (c) under (1) would apply here: Could the author, in light of the realization of who Jesus is which has come to the disciples after the resurrection, and which he has just mentioned in 21:12, seriously present Peter as being offered a choice between the other disciples and the risen Jesus? This leaves option (3), that τούτων refers to the other disciples, meaning “Do you love me more than these other disciples do?” It seems likely that there is some irony here: Peter had boasted in 13:37, “I will lay down my life for you,” and the synoptics present Peter as boasting even more explicitly of his loyalty to Jesus (“Even if they all fall away, I will not,” Matt 26:33; Mark 14:29). Thus the semantic force of what Jesus asks Peter here amounts to something like “Now, after you have denied me three times, as I told you you would, can you still affirm that you love me more than these other disciples do?” The addition of the auxiliary verb “do” in the translation is used to suggest to the English reader the third interpretation, which is the preferred one.

I favor the emphasized, third interpretation. As the translator’s note explains, Peter had promised to die for Jesus, and that he loved Jesus more than all the other disciples.

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” (John 13:36-37)

Peter said to him, “If they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away!” Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, on this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” (Matthew 26:33-34)

But Peter denied and deserted Jesus just like all the others. Now that Jesus has died and resurrected, what will Peter do? Will Peter look at his failures and lose all self-confidence? Maybe a downtrodden Peter is unwilling to try again, unwilling to commit to a lofty cause. Or will a foolish Peter learn nothing from his mistakes and arrogantly make the same promises again? If “these” refers to the other disciples, Jesus is putting Peter to the test and asking, (I paraphrase) “Do you stand by your prior statements?”

Slightly paraphrased, Peter responds saying, “You know the answer. I love you.” Peter is speaking earnestly, since he is counting on Jesus’ divine ability to see into Peter’s heart and mind. But Peter also seems to have learned some humility. The answer is not, “Yes, I love you more that them.” It is simply, “Yes, I love you.” Maybe Peter realizes he is neither as good as he thought nor are the other disciples as bad as he thought. This newfound humility, however, does not change the fact that Peter is hurt by Jesus’ repeated questions, which begin to sound accusatory. The word translated as “distressed” is the same word used to describe the sorrow the disciples felt for the death of Jesus (John 16:20).

Agape vs Phileo

A detail that we must discuss is the different Greek words translated as “love” in Jesus’ three questions and Peter’s three responses. Jesus’ first question uses agapas, and Peter’s first response uses philo. The second question again uses agapas, and Peter once again responds with philo. The third time, however, Jesus uses the word phileis, and Peter again responds with philo.

In the Greek language, both agape and phileo mean love. Nevertheless, their semantic ranges are different. Agape is normally associated with a “higher” love that involves wishing well, taking pleasure in, esteem, and in the Christian context, self-sacrifice. Phileo often means to be friends (of a person or object), such as what brothers or close friends may feel for one another.

Because of these different semantic ranges and the fact that English only has one word for love, Christians often use the Greek terms to explain and distinguish the kinds of love God has for us and that we should have for God and one another. Broadly speaking, Christians say that agape love is the higher type of love that God has for us and that we should have for him. Christians may even say we need to strive to have this agape love towards one another. Although that may very well be true, we must be careful to understand the Greek words and how they are used in the Bible. Sometimes agape is being used intentionally and distinctly from other words for love such as phileo—precisely to emphasize its higher, self-sacrificial nature. But not always. Sometimes the terms are used interchangeably.

In the Gospel of John, and particularly during this closing scene between Jesus and Peter, agape and phileo are clearly used interchangeably. The story makes little sense if we ready it like this:

Jesus: Peter, do you have high love for me? Peter: Yes, I have low love for you. Jesus: Peter, do you have high love for me? Peter: Yes, I have low love for you. Jesus: Peter, do you have low love for me? Peter: Yes, I have low love for you. Jesus: Great! Take care of my people.

The moral of the story is, let’s use linguistics wisely.

The Task

To each affirmation of Peter’s love, Jesus gives a response and a task. First, “Feed my lambs.” Second, “Shepherd my sheep.” Finally, “Feed my sheep.” Then Jesus makes a somber prophecy:

I tell you the solemn truth, when you were young, you tied your clothes around you and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will tie you up and bring you where you do not want to go. (John 21:18)

Jesus concludes his instructions to Peter with the simplest command, “Follow me.”

Although the setting of the conversation includes fishing, fishermen, and fish, already an analogy for the ministry, the apostles, and believers, Jesus uses different imagery to deliver his message—shepherding. Jesus says “feed my lambs” and “feed my sheep.” These are effectively identical statements with lambs acting as a synonym for sheep. Jesus also says, “shepherd my sheep,” which in a literal sense includes all the duties of the shepherd, not only feeding. The three successive statements are a command to Peter—be like a shepherd to my people.

Then, Jesus’ prophecy clarifies the extent of the call. Shall Peter abandon the sheep if trouble comes? No. Notice Jesus does not command, “care for my sheep with your life,” he goes much further and predicts that outcome. Peter will die caring for believers. Jesus’ foretelling is sobering. When Peter is old he will “stretch out [his] hands” that someone may bind them—which usually preceded execution. Early Christian tradition is that Peter died by crucifixion, probably upside down. So, early Christian texts interpreted the phrase “stretch out your hands” to mean crucifixion.

The prediction of Peter’s death for the sheep is incredibly powerful in light of an earlier use of the shepherd analogy. Recall the following passage:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, he runs away. (John 10:11-13)

Jesus calls Peter to be like the good shepherd, not like the hireling. But that call only makes sense if Peter is in fact not a hireling anymore. The whole point of the analogy in chapter 10 is that the hireling is not part of the household. The sheep belong to someone else, so he has no incentive to die for them. The call to Peter in chapter 21 implies that Peter is now part of the household. As I have been saying throughout this study, it means Peter is now a son of God—one with inheritance rights. At least in either the filial or fraternal sense, the sheep are now his.

What About Him?

Peter must have understood Jesus’ prophecy—that he was to be executed—because when Peter noticed John (“the disciple whom Jesus loved”), he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus responds harshly, “What concern is that of yours?” (Some translations put it more bluntly, “What is that to you?”) Jesus makes clear that even if he chose to have John “live until [Jesus] comes back” that is no business of Peter.

Two important points must be noted. First, such is the call of God—completely up to him. I can hardly express this point better than the Wesley Covenant Prayer:

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you, Praised for you or criticized for you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service. And now, O wonderful and holy God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, you are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, Let it also be made in heaven. Amen. (This version uses modern language. The original prayer can be found here.)

Our duty is to heed the call, not to decide what the call is. This is the true Christian egalitarianism. Some may be called to rule nations, some to intense and unappreciated physical labor. Some may be called to preach, some to sing, some to write, some to remain silent. Some may be called to be great adventurers and some to be homebound. But what is that to you and me? Nothing at all. Your call is yours and mine is mine, and in that sense we are the same.

The second point to be made is that even Jesus’ early disciples misinterpreted him! Notice that Jesus uses hyperbole to respond to Peter, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours?” Jesus will come back in the eschaton—at the end times. We could paraphrase Jesus’ response as, “If I want John to live forever, what is that to you?” The point is that Peter’s comparison with John is inappropriate. Yet, as the text tells us, early Christians misunderstood Jesus’ hyperbole and believed John “was not going to die.” Notice that as John writes the gospel late in his life, he attempts to set the record straight, “But Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but rather, ‘If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours?’” We should be careful to interpret Jesus properly as well.

The Closing

John closes his gospel with two statements. First, in verse 24, he emphasizes that his gospel is his testimony. The implication is he saw and lived the things he wrote down, and therefore the gospel is reliable. This statement is also in keeping with ancient Mediterranean documents, which typically listed witnesses at the end of the document.

Finally, verse 25 is a throwback to verse 20:30, “Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book.” Like we discussed last time, ancient biographies sometimes ended with this kind of summary praise. But as we also discussed, whereas other documents may have meant it solely as hyperbolic praise, we have good reason to believe John meant it more literally.

My Suggestion

We have come to the end of John. Believe it or not, we covered almost the entire commentary on John by Craig Keener—a two-volume, 1200-page text! My blog alone is approximately 130,000 words! That’s roughly the length of Tolkien’s The Return of the King. The point I am trying to make is that regardless of what you think of me, we learned. I dare say there is not a seminary course out there that covers John in as much detail as we have.

But if Christianity is true, then there is more to it than propositional knowledge. There is more than just learning. So I end the Gospel of John with a simple suggestion: experience it. Go meet with believers and see for yourself. I say this with trepidation. I fear you may allow a bad Christian (or a group of bad Christians) to disprove the gospel. Although that would not be proper logic, I must concede that if the gospel is true, then it must have an effect. There must be some group somewhere that is different because of it. It is in that spirit that I encourage you: try it out. Go to church.

But what if the church you visit or have already been attending is a bad one? How would you even know that it is a bad one? Here are some further suggestions. Consider the following:

(1) Does the church believe the Bible? An easy way to figure this out is by observing the church’s response to the controversial topics, such as homosexuality. I am not saying that homosexuality is some primary theme of scripture. It is a sin as many others. Nevertheless, it is one of those behaviors that is clearly considered sinful in the Old Testament and the New Testament, several times over. When a church condones homosexual behavior, you might consider a different church not because of their take on homosexuality per se, but because that church does not believe that the Bible is authoritative. That’s the real problem.

(2) Does the church believe the core Christian doctrines? I will make it simple. Could they honestly recite the Apostles’ Creed?

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

(3) Does the church practice fellowship? You don’t go to church just to learn. You can do that through an odd Saturday-night bible study taught by some stranger. You go to church to be a part of a family. Again, I will put it simply: are you treated like a new friend? I mean a real friend. If not, you might reconsider your church choice.

(4) Can you bear with all the other details? This last suggestion may seem surprising, but it is eminently practical. If the style of worship is so modern you feel silly and embarrassed to participate, I doubt you will go back. If the style is too old and stuffy, you might be looking at your watch more than you focus on worship. Do you have nothing in common with the people there? Is the drive to church too far? Is the service too early? To be honest, I would drive a long way, to a service that is too early, to sing songs I don’t like, with people with which I have nothing in common, if the people at the church were godly and the message was true. But it’s not always an either/or matter. If you can find a church in which you fit better (after taking into account the first three considerations above), do it.

If you have a hard time finding a church, or if you are wondering whether some church has sound doctrine, email me. I will be glad to help you research that church. It can be difficult sometimes. A common trend for modern churches is to have vague names that sound inviting, but those names are hardly helpful in determining what they believe or to what denomination they belong. If you want to know what you are stepping into, visit the church's website for a statement of beliefs or watch some of their sermons available on YouTube, if any. Of course, if you know their denomination, you already know their “official” beliefs. I put “official” in quotation marks because individual congregations often depart from what the larger denomination believes. There are “good” and “bad” churches of most denominations. Again, if you are struggling, send me an email. I will be happy to help.

May God bless you forever and ever.