John 21
COMMENTARY:
: 15 So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, love you ME more than these? He said to HIM, Yes, Lord; you know that I love YOU. HE said to him, Feed MY lambs. (4118 “more than” [pleistos] means most, very great, at the very most, plentiful, deep, or abundant.)
DEVOTION: There are two words for “love” in this passage. The one word is “philo” which seems to mean brotherly love with some strings attached. It is not the same as the second word used for love in this passage which is “agape.” Agape is committed love. It is not a partial love it is total commitment to someone. It is what husbands and wives are supposed to have for one another. They should be willing to die for one another.
Jesus is using the word “agape” when HE is talking with Peter. Peter is using “philo” when he is talking to Jesus. Remember that LORD wants our total commitment to HIS commands and ministry.
HE wants all those who are HIS followers to be willing to die for their belief in HIM. Each of the disciples was killed for their belief in HIM at the end of their lives. At the beginning some doubted but that doubt was taken away after the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Many people today in our churches have their love for God on their sleeves. If someone offends them they will leave and never come back. They will complain to others about how they were treated by other believers or even by God if things don’t go their way. New believers need to understand that other believers are still growing in the LORD. These lambs need to have all the milk they can drink to become mature in the LORD.
God wants us in HIS ministry for the long haul. We let HIM down regularly. We might think that HE lets us down regularly but that is not true. HE is faithful to all of HIS children. HE might let us and other go through real rough times but it is always for our good. It is to strengthen us.
CHALLENGE: We can either become better servants or bitter servants of the LORD. The LORD wanted Peter to become a better servant so HE confronted him on this occasion. HE wanted Peter to know that HE was with HIM.
: 16 HE said to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, love you ME? He said to HIM, Yes, Lord; YOU know that I love YOU. HE said to him, Feed MY sheep. (5368 “love” [phileo] means to approve of, to like, befriend, to show signs of love, to be fond of doing, or kiss.)
DEVOTION: The same two words are used for love in this verse. Jesus is using “agape” and Peter is using “philo.” Notice that the LORD knows that Peter’s love is going to change in the future but for now HE wants him to understand that HE wants him in HIS service.
HE commands Peter to “tend” to HIS sheep. Who are these sheep? They are those who will become believers on the day of Pentecost and after. There needs to be follow up on those who claim to be followers of the LORD. It is not a raising of hands and nothing. It is a raising of hands and then training.
Jesus told the disciples to go out and preach the gospel. HE gave them the entire world for their assignment. They were not to stop in Jerusalem. And they didn’t stop there.
While they were seeing individuals come to a saving knowledge of the LORD they were to train them or teach them so that they could go out and win others to the LORD also. They had to understand some Biblical teaching other than the Old Testament. They had to understand the teachings the disciples received from Jesus and from the Holy Spirit.
Once there was an understanding of both these areas they were being tended to properly by the disciples. Peter was a leader and so Jesus told him to make sure the new believers were fed properly.
Too often today we leave those who make a commitment to the LORD to fend for themselves. Attending Sunday School and church and prayer meeting is not enough training for new believers. There needs to be a parenting process where every believer has someone they can go to get answers to their questions. They need someone to show them how to witness to others. They need someone to show them what to do when they fail. They need someone to come alongside when they are struggling.
Many believers become shallow Christians. There are individuals who have been believers for many years who haven’t even learned the basics of the faith. The mature believers must step up to the plate to help those in leadership “tend” to the sheep in the congregation.
CHALLENGE: The LORD challenges HIS disciples and HE is challenging us to be the servants we are supposed to be. We are to feed HIS sheep. This means we are to have family devotions with our children. This means that we are to invite other to come into our home and have a Bible Study. Are we feeding our families with the truths of the Word of God daily?
: 17 He said unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, love you me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Love you me? And he said unto him, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep. (3076 “grieved” [lupeo] means be sorrowful, make sorry, to affect with sadness, to make one uneasy, made sad, pain, to be distressed, to be in heaviness or irritate.)
DEVOTION: Jesus confronted Peter three times. It hurt Peter that the LORD kept asking him to love those who would become followers of Jesus. It made him sad.
Another reason it made him sorrowful is that the LORD changed HIS word for love from agape to philo in this confrontation. Jesus knew that Peter was not ready to commit to an agape love for his fellow believers. He was still sorry for his denials and needed time to adjust to what his future responsibility was going to be.
Once Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, he was the main speaker. There was three thousand souls saved on the day of Pentecost. There was a lot of follow up to be done with these new believers who would be considered “lambs.”
Four things were given to these new believers. They were taught doctrine. They were welcomed into the fellowship of other believers. They had communion services regularly. They were taught to pray. That was just for beginners.
Persecution came on the church through Saul or Paul as he would be called later. It caused the church to scatter which made the new believers become witnesses all around the area.
So the sheep needed to be fed and be fed quickly through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the disciples. The first deacons were well trained in the ministry. They became martyrs and evangelists.
Each of us needs to learn to move from a “philo” love for God to an “agape” love for God. Growth is necessary.
CHALLENGE: We are all responsible for the feeding of the sheep and the lambs in our congregation.
: 23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? (1831 “abroad” [exerchomai] means those who leave a place of their own accord, those who are expelled, to make known, declared, issue, to be spread, or to be declared.)
DEVOTION: John the disciple wrote this gospel. John, who was the beloved disciple, writes this final chapter with tenderness. Here we find Jesus meeting the discouraged disciples on the beach after they had fished all night. Peter had led the way. There were seven disciples fishing all night.
Jesus on the shore asked them if they had caught anything. They replied NO. HE told them where to fish. Guess what? They caught more fish than they could handle.
John tells Peter that it was Jesus because they had not recognized HIM. Peter swims to shore. Jesus had prepared a breakfast. After breakfast Jesus speaks with Peter.
Three times HE asks Peter if he agapa HIM. Peter replied that he philo HIM. Agapa is thought to be a stronger love than philo. Philo is more of a friendship love than a full commitment love. Jesus used the word two times and then the third time used philo. Peter used philo all three times.
However, all three times Jesus commanded Peter to tend to the flock that Jesus would give him. There is the fact of restoration in these verses. Peter had denied Jesus three times and here Jesus is restoring him by asking three times if he loved HIM. Jesus didn’t give up on a disciple who had failed. Praise HIS name.
Jesus commands Peter to “Follow HIM.” HE also tells Peter the type of death he was going to face in the future. Peter was going to die a martyr’s death.
Peter looked around and saw John and asked what about him. Jesus said what difference does it make? Even if HE wanted John to live until HE returned it didn’t matter to Peter.
This issue deals with something regarding him and his future. Jesus is quoted as saying that he would live until Jesus returned but this was not said. It was spread everywhere among the followers of Christ that John would live until the second coming.
We find that people are sometimes more willing to spread half-truths rather than the whole truth. Some people don’t listen close enough to hear the truth. Here is a case of the disciples not listening closely to Jesus. Do we have this problem when we are listening to what people say about another person? Do we then spread half-truths?
Do we have that problem in our reading of the word of God? Are we listening to the Holy Spirit talk with us regarding how we are to live our lives?
We need to learn from this verse to listen closely to what people say. If we are going to quote someone or say something about someone – write it down and check it out. Don’t fall into the same habits of some of the other disciples of Jesus.
Never repeat anything that you have not checked out for yourself. I do this sometimes with email facts and find that the email was false. I need to check things out all the time also.
CHALLENGE: Watch what you spread about others. Even in the form of a prayer request.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Wrote these thingsverse 24
Written every oneverse 25
Booksverse 25
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Bookverse 25
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverse 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Jesusverses 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 12-14, 17, 20-23, 25
Lordverses 7, 12, 15-17, 20, 21
Third showing of Jesus to disciplesverse 14
Risenverse 14
Testimony is trueverse 24
Many other thingsverse 25
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Grievedverse 17
Betrayverse 20
False rumorverse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Discipleverse 1
Lovedverses 7, 15-17, 20
Feed lambsverse 15
Feed sheepverses 16, 17
Glorify Godverse 19
Follow Jesusverses 19, 22
True testimonyverse 24
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Disciplesverses 1, 4, 12, 14
Sea of Tiberiasverse 1
Simon Peterverses 2, 7, 11, 15-22
Thomas (Didymus)verse 2
Nathanael of Cana in Galileeverse 2
Sons of Zebedeeverse 2
Two others of HIS disciplesverse 2
Childrenverse 5
Disciple whom Jesus loved (John)verses 7, 20-23
Other disciplesverse 8
Last Things (Future Events)
Deathverse 19
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