THE FINAL CHAPTER: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
VERSE 23:
This is a one line version of a longer discourse that Jesus gives.
IT IS NOT teaching that the apostls had the authority to forgive sins….as it is grabbed on by the Roman Catholic Church.
SINS here really should be translated OFFENSES…not iniquity…which is an offense against God’s holiness and only HE CAN FORGIVE.
THIS WOULD BE IN LINE WITH MATTHEW 18:
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
The whole topic was legislative authority of the gathered church…..
loosing and binding here is the allowing or disallowing….authority of the church.
IT HAS NOTHING to do with remission of inquities.
Secondarily:
It could be a reference to who is admitted to water baptism.
those who are deemed to have repented and confessed that Jesus is the Christ is a candidate to be baptized.
this is based on the belief that water baptism is entrance to the kingdom….and thus Jesus combines the BINDING AND LOOSING STATEMENT with KEYS to the Kingdom….entry.
THE PRACTICE OF PRIVATE CONFESSION TO A PRIEST was developed by Irish Monks in the 6th io 7th century.
The irish Christians were fairly isolated and developed practices not known in the rest of Christianity.
BEFORE this, PUBLIC CONFESSION before the gathered church was the practice, with the Elders utilizing authority to reconcile the sinner back into the local assembly.
THE IRISH, developed public confession to a priest only…and developed an intricate system of penance.
LATER, abuses formed where even a finance tariff or fine was implemented.
CHAPTER 21
VERSE 1-14
3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
Why do you suppose they went fishing????
- Some say it was an attempt to just return to the their old lives. (but they had just seen Jesus resurrected and been visited by Him)
- they were idle…and just filling in time not knowing what to do.
- more practically: They all needed to eat and/or, earn some income.
WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT IS THE POWERFUL SYMBOLISM HERE:
- the gospels begin with Jesus calling the disciples from their nets and fishing boats.
16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. Mark 1:16-20
MATTHEW RECORDS THIS ALSO, including the incident where Jesus directs them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat…and they catch an unbelievable load of fish….thus Jesus says…”YOU THINK THAT IS SOMETHING…FOLLOW ME AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN”
NOW:
Here they are again…in their fishing boats…
THIS IS ALMOST A REFRESHER…A REMINDER of when they were first called!
sometimes we doing ministry need a reminder of our call….the reason why we dropped our nets!
THIS IS A REVISIT
- They are fishing at night….with nothing to show….but at the dawn of day….Jesus shows up.
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!
ANOTHER MESSAGE:
These were experienced fishermen….from at least 2nd generation fishermen. YET in their own effort they were not successful.
UNTIL THEY TOOK INSTRUCTION FROM THE LORD.
When did the disciple whom Jesus loved (John) realize it was Jesus speaking to the them from the shore? When the miracle of the fish took place…
HE RECOGNIZED THIS AS A JESUS THING….
Jesus did this before….
DOING ministry….serving God in His church….often requires recognizing when a GOD THING is happening.
WE LEARN to recognize that God is working…..”when something has His thumbprint on it.
JOHN recognized the miracle and thus realized the Miracle Worker.
WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE THEY DID NOT RECOGNIZE JESUS PHYSICALLY?
- Some believe that chapter 21 is not in chronological….thus explaining their initial lack of recognition.
- Some say it was because of the early dawn…and Jesus being way on the shore and they far out enough to cast nets.
- Some say that Jesus purposely took on a different appearance…in order that they see Him not on the human side but for His Divine side…
- Yet, most say that His glorified Human body….healed from all His wounds miraculously was somehow different.
BUT THE ROAD TO EMMAUS reveals that it was deliberate:
16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. Luke 24
PETER FISHED NAKED?
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.
“gar en gymnos” “for he was naked”.
NOTHING is in John frivolously….
THE TRANSLATION implies this:
Peter was stripped down at work…as most men in almost all cultures…probably down to his loin cloth….
It was appropriate to be stripped down working at sea….but not on the shore in general public.
Peter (according the original language) TIED HIS GARMENT AROUND HIMSELF.
this would make sense since he is jumping into the water….
SOME say this is his “fishermens coat”.
IT WOULD BE HIS IDENTITY…AS A FISHERMEN.
CONSIDER JOHN’S USE OF GARMENTS:
– At the Last Supper, Jesus lays aside his outer garment in order to dress as a servant would as he washes the disciples’ feet.
– When Jesus is on trial before Pilate, the soldiers put a purple robe on him, mocking his claim to be the “King of the Jews.”
– At the cross, as the soldiers are dividing up Jesus’ clothing, they don’t want to rip his tunic into pieces, so they cast lots for it. (In this case, the term for the garment is the same as in the fishing scene.)
These were all about IDENTITY.
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.”
13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
JOHN brings back another image:
bread and fish
WHEN JESUS MULTIPLIED THE BREAD AND FISH….how much was left over?
12 baskets….one for each disciple.
MANY see this as a message that each of the 12 would be given their own bread to distribute….PARTAKERS IN MINISTRY.
NOW: we see Jesus already has bread and fish cooking….BUT INVITES THEM TO BRING SOME OF THEIR FISH AND ADD TO THE MEAL.
A BEATIFUL invitation to cooperate
THE NUMBER OF FISH:
all sorts of speculation….about the specific number.
- one claimed that up to this time…Greek scientist had identified 153 species of fish…
- one claim is that it is an emphasis on the diversity of the harvest to be..
- some say, a fisherman’s note…that 153 fish yet the net did not break…
the real emphasis:
The harvest of people out there is great….but there is room for all.
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of [b]Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [c]love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of [d]Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [e]love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of [f]Jonah, do you [g]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. 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.”
JESUS refers to Peter by his former name.
JESUS started calling him SIMON PETER…but now He is referring to him by his former identity: SIMON SON OF JONAH.
It is a moment where He is calling Peter to decide.
OLD YOU…that renounced Me.
OR…the new you that loves me and will serve me.
PETER WHO DENIED JESUS THREE TIMES,
is now put in a place to CONFIRM HIS LOVE FOR JESUS THREE TIMES.
THE WORD Peter uses initially for “know” could imply “you must be able to see”…that I love you.
BUT BY THE THIRD TIME a different Greek word is used for “know”….
PETER IS CUT…the prodding of Jesus now convicts Peter….he hits humility…perhaps realizing what just happened.
PETER who was prone to throwing himself out there….pushing himself forward….speaking before others…
NOW UNDERSTANDS.
5 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but [a]willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being [b]lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.I Peter 5:1-4
Peter addresses the elders who were also SHEPHERS and OVERSEERS….
Peter writes to them as a FELLOW ELDER.
Verses 2-3 he teaches what this should look like.
VERSE 4 he recognizes that the sheep belong to Jesus.
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 [h]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?”
I’VE always enjoyed this MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS statement.
Why was Peter concerned about what John’s responsibilities were?
JESUS SAID…what is it to you what I am requiring of him? YOU FOLLOW ME.
Why aren’t others doing?
why aren’t others showing up?
Why aren’t others giving?
What is their responsibility?
PROBABLY one of the most petty of attitudes in any work place…but especially the Kingdom.
MATURITY is when we do what we do because we follow Christ.
I ALSO LIKE THIS PASSAGE:
It is a perfect example of how people take verse and make it into something it is not. In this case they took Jesus’ response and interpreted it that john would not die until Jesus returned.
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.
we know that this disciple then is one of the 12.
we know he was a fishermen.
We also know that in Revelation, which IS CLEARLY recorded by John, we see similar language as the gospel of John…
Early fathers attribute this gospel to John.
THUS:
Highly likely John is the source.
AND scribes within his community….WE KNOW
John records only 7 signs…
BUT he acknowledges that there were many things Jesus said and did….