Lesson #19 (21: 1-25) 1
In Lesson #17 we examined Jesus resurrec<on, the single most important event in Scripture, and arguably the single most important event in all of human history. Indeed, in addressing the church in Corinth Paul writes: But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrec>on of the dead? If there is no resurrec>on of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. (1 Corinthians 15: 12-14) Without Christ s physical, bodily resurrec<on, our faith no maner how authen<c, how deeply felt, or how worthily expressed is worthless. John offers a drama<c account of Jesus resurrec<on, an account quite different from those in the synop<c gospels. 2
John s gospel ends with chapter 20, but one issue lingers, unresolved: Peter s denial. The synop<c gospels do not address it, but John s does. Peter was leader among the twelve, and with Jesus resurrec<on and ascension he will play a key role in the birth and growth of the Church, preaching his first sermon with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, A.D. 32 (Acts 2: 14-41), at which 3,000 people are saved. When we le[ Peter, however, he was unerly devastated by his denial of Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus, and he hanged himself as a result, but what of Peter? How do we get him back? John offers a brilliant narra<ve on Peter s reinstatement, a narra<ve that is so subtle and psychologically insigh]ul that it is dazzling to read. In this lesson we do so. 3
In John s gospel we met Peter for the first <me in 1: 35-40, when Peter s brother Andrew and John meet Jesus in Jericho at the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Andrew and John were disciples of John the Bap<st, who iden<fies Jesus as the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (1: 29). A[er spending the day with Jesus, Andrew and John bring Peter to meet him. 4
Recall the rela<onships among the central characters in our story: Peter and Andrew are brothers; James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are brothers; Peter, Andrew, James, John and Zebedee are all from Bethsaida, and they are partners in a commercial fishing business on the Sea of Galilee; Zebedee s wife, Salome, is the sister or sister-in-law of Mary, Jesus mother. Consequently, James and John are Jesus cousins; Addi<onally, John the Bap<st is the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is a rela<ve of Jesus mother, Mary, making John the Bap<st also one of Jesus cousins. 5
When Jesus forms his inner circle of 12 disciples: Peter and Andrew; James and John, the sons of Zebedee; Philip and Bartholomew (Nathaniel); Thomas and MaNhew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean (Zealot) and Judas, those closest to him are Peter, with whom Jesus lives at Capernaum, and Jesus two cousins, James and John. Peter, James and John comprise Jesus innermost circle; they are his in<mate companions. 6
In the synop<c gospels, a[er Peter s confession of faith at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus assigns Peter a posi<on of leadership among the 12, saying to him: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you (suv, 2 nd person, singular), you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you (suv, 2 nd person, singular) the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you (suv, 2 nd person, singular) bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you (suv, 2 nd person, singular) loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (MaNhew 16: 17-19) 7
Peter Paul Rubens. St. Peter (oil on canvas), c. 1610. Prado Museum, Madrid. 8
A[er Peter s confession of faith we see him exercising his leadership role among the 12, as when he speaks up at the Transfigura<on, when the religious leaders ask Peter about Jesus paying his taxes, and when he sits at Jesus right hand at the last supper. But Peter makes a terrible mistake! 9
Indeed, he does! Although Peter demonstrates his willingness to die for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when he draws his sword to defend Jesus, Peter s courage fails completely in the courtyard of the high priest when he denies three <mes even knowing the Lord. 10
Giuseppe Cesari. Christ Taken Prisoner (oil on walnut panel), c. 1597. Museumslandscha[ Hessen Kassel, Germany. 11
Caravaggio. The Denial of St. Peter (oil on canvas), c. 1610. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 12
A[er Peter denies knowing Jesus, Luke tells us that Peter rushed out of the courtyard and began to weep biqerly (Luke 22: 62). Peter is heartbroken at what he has done! 13
Jan van der Venne. Denial of St. Peter (oil on panel), c. 1631-1651. Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna. 14
Yes, and a[er Peter s denial in all four gospels we never hear him speak again! He s certainly present at Jesus two appearances in the locked upper room but he says nothing. And although John tells us that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, both Luke and Paul tell us that Jesus appeared first to Peter (Luke 24: 34; 1 Corinthians 15: 3-5). If that s the case, what did Jesus say to Peter? 15
I ll bet Jesus said: I forgive you, Peter. Your faith didn t fail; your courage did. I understand that you were afraid. Heaven knows, I was afraid, too. In the Gethsemane I was swea<ng blood! It s OK. Jesus may have forgiven Peter, but Peter couldn t forgive himself. That s the problem! 16
And, hence, we have John 21 the epilogue which resolves the issue of Peter. Let s have a look at the text! 17
After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, We also will come with you. So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, Children, have you caught anything to eat? They answered him, No. So he said to them, Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something. So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved [John] said to Peter, It is the Lord. When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from the shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish... 18
When they climbed out on the shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish you just caught. So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, Come, have breakfast. And none of the disciples dared to ask him, Who are you? because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. (21: 1-14) 19
Let s follow the story closely: No<ce how this sec<on of the epilogue is framed by Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (v. 1) and This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead (v. 14). In John, Jesus appeared to his disciples twice before, once in the locked upper room, and again in the locked upper room with Thomas present. Presumably, a[er Jesus 2 nd appearance, the disciples le[ Jerusalem and returned to Galilee. The non-canonical Gospel of Peter claims that the disciples le[ Jerusalem and headed back to Galilee on the last day of the 8-day Passover fes<val. 20
Six of the remaining eleven disciples are at the Sea of Galilee with Peter: Thomas, Nathanael from Cana, James, John and two unnamed disciples. Nathanael is not a fishermen (Cana is 43 miles from the Sea of Galilee); we don t know where Thomas is from; and the two unnamed disciples may or may not be fishermen. When Peter says, I am going fishing (21: 3a) and the others say, we also will come with you (21: 3b), they are not back in the fishing business; they are worried about Peter. They spend the night on the lake, but they catch nothing. Did they even try? 21
Just as dawn breaks, they see a man on shore, about 100 yards away, but they don t recognize him. That would be understandable in the hazy early morning light. 22
Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee. Photography by Ana Maria Vargas 23
The man calls out, Children, have you caught anything to eat (21: 5)? The word translated children is paidivon (pi-de - on), here a term of affec<on, bener translated friends, pals, or buddies. A[er the man tells them to cast their net on the starboard side of the boat, they catch 153 fish, the net so heavy they can barely pull it in! The 153 fish is an odd number in the biblical world of symbolic numbers: 3, 7, 12, 40 and so on. Perhaps John uses it to create verisimilitude (as Dr. C. refers to the old Roman road from Jericho to Jerusalem as being 17.3 miles). 24
Of course, there are countless other explana<ons, some compelling, others silly. One of the most common recalls that when Jesus called Peter to be a disciple in MaNhew, he and Andrew were fishing, and Jesus said, Come auer me, and I will make you fishers of men (4: 19). In St. Jerome s commentary on Ezekiel 47: 10 Jerome claims that Greek zoologists catalogued 153 species of fish; the disciples catching 153 fish would thus symbolically represents them catching all of humanity. This would assume, of course, that John knew the wri<ng of ancient Greek zoologists! [Ezekiel 47: 10 Fishermen will stand along its shore from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will become a place for drying nets, and it will abound with as many kinds of fish as the Great Sea. The reference is a future Messianic-kingdom river that will flow from Jerusalem down to the Dead Sea, making the brackish water fresh, plen<ful with fish.] 25
I doubt that! 26
Meanwhile, John says to Peter, It is the Lord. Peter quickly tucks in his garment, jumps in the water and rushes toward shore. We have noted that the boat is about 100 yards off shore. The scene takes place near Tabgha, and the lake bonom is gently sloping. At 100 yards out, Peter s feet would touch bonom. Tabgha! 27
When Peter gets to shore, rather than embrace Jesus or fall at his feet, Peter helps drag the net ashore, Jesus cooks breakfast of fish and bread over a charcoal fire, and the disciples quietly eat with Jesus. Peter doesn t say a word. 28
At the campfire Peter is so heartbroken and ashamed that he averts his eyes and quietly picks at his food. When breakfast is over, Jesus says to Peter, Let s go for a walk. Go for a walk! Ok!! 29
30
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. He then 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. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was distressed that he had said to him a 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. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, Follow me. (21: 15-19) 31
We have noted throughout our study of John s gospel how carefully, how me<culously, John cra[s his narra<ve, selec<ng his dic<on, grammar and sentence structures with the care and cra[smanship of a world-class poet. As we work through Peter s reinstatement we need to pay careful anen<on to the details, much as we would if we were analyzing one of Mozart s six Haydn Quartets, the pinnacle of classical string quartets and some of Mozart s finest and most refined composi<ons. 32
We can easily discern the structural highlights of this sec<on: 1. The 3-fold repe<<on of Jesus, Do you love me? and Peter s 3-fold assurance, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. 2. The accompanying 3-fold repe<<on of Jesus Feed my lambs, Tend my sheep, and Feed my sheep. 33
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. He then 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. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was distressed that he had said to him a 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. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, Follow me. (21: 15-19) 34
Since Peter denied Jesus three <mes, it looks as though Jesus is simply making Peter affirm his love three <mes. But as we know, John is a much more skillful and sophis<cated writer than that! There s a whole lot more, I ll bet. 35
A quick Greek lesson: ajgapavw to love in the highest sense; filevw to love, in the sense of friendship. o ida to know, in the sense of factual knowledge; ginwvskw to know, experien<ally. Bovskw to feed, in the sense of nourishment; provbaton to govern, in the sense of leadership. 36
1. Jesus: Do you love me more than these? ajgapaæß me Peter: You know you are my friend. o idaß Jesus: Feed my lambs. bovske filw: se 2. Jesus: Do you love me? [omit comparison] ajgapaæß me Peter: You know are my friend. o idaß filw: se Jesus: Tend my sheep. poivmaine 3. Jesus: Are you my friend? filw: se Peter: You know that you are my friend. ginwvskeiß filw: se Jesus: Feed my lambs. bovske 37
Wow! That s impressive! John really knows what he s doing! 38
Yes, he does! And by taking Peter aside and speaking to him as he does, Jesus enables Peter to confront in the bright light of day what he had done, and by reposi<oning him emo<onally and spiritually, Jesus enables Peter to take the first step in the process of self-forgiveness and healing. It is brilliant psychology! 39
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, Follow me. (21: 18-19) 40
Jesus recognizes Peter s profound guilt over his own cowardice. When confronted within the confines of the high priest s courtyard, Peter failed both himself and Jesus. The indirect result was Jesus crucifixion. In a very real psychological and emo<onal sense, Peter feels that it should have been him who died, not Jesus, for Peter had even said, Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you (Luke 22: 33). And he carries the heavy burden and pain of his guilt with him, the consequence of his cowardice. Here, Jesus tells Peter that he will have a second chance, and with that second chance Peter will redeem himself, dying in Rome with courage and convic<on, crucified upside down. 41
Caravaggio. Crucifixion of St. Peter [upside down] (oil on canvas), 1601. Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome. 42
Peter s denial of Jesus proved essen<al for his development as the leader of the 1 st - genera<on Church, demonstra<ng his vulnerability and brokenness, teaching him empathy, compassion and the ability to forgive both others and himself. Listen to Peter in his own words: The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a mul>tude of sins. (1 Peter 4: 7-8) And Peter uses ajgapavw for the word love. 43
[ Raphael. Christ s Charge to Peter (color on paper on canvas), 1515. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. [Pope Leo X commissioned this tapestry from Raphael; it is in the Va>can Museums. This is the paper cartoon for the tapestry, currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.] 44
Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved [John], the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, Master, who is the one who will betray you? When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about him? Jesus said to him, What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me. So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple [John] would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just What if I want him to remain until I come? [What concern is it of yours?] (21: 20-23) 45
Ha, ha, ha! When Jesus and Peter turn and head back to the others, they see that John had been following them. Peter asks Jesus, What will become of him? And Jesus replies, None of your business! Ha, ha, ha! 46
Because Jesus said, What if I want him to remain un>l I come? the rumor spread that John would not die. As he writes his gospel, John is in his 80s, and he expects the Lord to return any day now! And that will be the topic of John s Revela<on. 47
It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written. (21: 24-25) 48
That s for sure! [ 49
1. Why do six of Jesus disciples accompany Peter when he goes out to fish, even though they are not all fishermen? 2. What s the significance of catching 153 fish? 3. How do you know that Jesus and Peter went for a walk, away from the others who remained around the fire? 4. Why is Peter hurt when Jesus said the 3 rd <me, Do you love (filevw) me? 5. Why did word spread that John would not die? 50
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