97. "Final Instruction...'Follow Me!'", John 21.18-25

In this, our last lesson from the Gospel according-to the Apostle John, we have several different things happening almost all at once, including Jesus' final instruction to Peter, as well as a personal comment on the life's work of Jesus, by John himself.

Previously, we had seen Peter's jealous obsession with John (21.20-21), likely because of John's close relationship with their Master. However, we must realize that Peter and John had a very close bond, due to their years of travel with, and teaching from Jesus Messiah. And like brothers sometimes do, they occasionally experienced a personality clash, or two...and Jesus was very much aware of the problem. Although the timing is unusual, considering the near-end of Jesus' earth walk, John had obviously been "inspired" to make note of it. He was most likely the younger brother of Andrew, the sons of Zebedee...together nicknamed by Jesus, "the sons of thunder". So without a doubt, John had a temperamental personality, such as did Peter, which could have from time-to-time, ignited fireworks between the two!  

It's also worth mentioning that from this point, John is rarely heard-from, up until his three short letters to the church, and finally, his "Revelation" of the Lord in His glorious eternity. In fact, according to Luke's record of the development of the early church, Peter is prominent, while John is second in evidence after him, if not third after James, the Lord's brother (Galatians 1.19, 2.9). But as we notice from chapt. 21.20, he is careful to make the point for one last time, that it was he whom "Jesus loved", and who had "leaned upon (Jesus') breast at the supper...", clearly indicating his role as one of Jesus' most trusted friends and confidantes. 

Now for Peter to have ignored John's fate after having been told by Jesus, of his own as recorded in vss. 18-19, would have been very much out of character...unthinkable, in fact! It seems to have been a real flaw in Peter's personality that he had to know everything about everything...he wasn't one to "keep himself to himself", just as a lot of Jesus' followers still are today. Notice, however, that Jesus' response to him, as recorded in vs. 22, is a real brush-off. He had no time left at this stage, to play referee amongst these soon-to-be apostles; Holy Spirit would be in charge of that, mostly, once-and-for-all. For now, Jesus needed Peter's full attention...to stick with the program, as Paul had written in his first letter to Timothy...to "concentrate on your own business, and that of the Gospel!" 

The Lord's business was His Own business, and it was apparently, none of Peter's business as to what the future held for John...their Lord certainly had a plan for each of them. We should well know as Believers, that our destinies are in the hands of our all-knowing God, and our Lord made it clear that from HIS perspective, there was only one expectation of Peter, and most certainly for John and for every future disciple as well, and that is..."Follow Me!" 

Now of course, that exchange got another rumour started amongst the Jews...that John would never die (vs. 23)! Talk about misunderstandings; but notice the theology here concerning the Lord's eventual return...that it could happen even in your lifetime, or in mine. But isn't it all the same in the end, regardless of your personal theology concerning eschatology? We will one day be with Him, regardless of the time and the means, and that end will be entirely according to His providential will. I believe that this proves without a doubt, that what "the brethren" have to say about the matter is nowhere nearly as reliable as the holy, inspired Word of God, as recorded in "The Book". 

So ends the apostle John's account of the "Greatest Story Ever Told". No mention here, of Christ's last commission to disciples-at-large; no mention of His ascension into the clouds; and no mention of the other disciples, who had missed out on these last few, precious moments! In fact, the record ends with a word picture representing Jesus and the disciples still together in body...but soon to be reunited in spirit. And so, we shall "forever be with the Lord"!

But before we close the Book on John's Gospel account, let's take a closer look at vss. 24-25, the personal oath and testimony of the chronicler of this Gospel record. This is the truth, and the whole truth concerning the Way, the Truth and the Life. And it's clear that the Apostle realizes just how insignificant his own efforts are, and just how huge the life and works of Christ really are...more than all the books of the entire world could ever contain! But this one book is just sufficient to have documented all that we need to know. Are all our questions answered there? Certainly not. Is there more that Holy Spirit may yet reveal to us? Certainly, yes!

I took the time to examine again, the starlit sky one night, and it just leaves me in awe to know that the Lord God has created all that is and ever was, recognizing that I am merely a nearly indiscernible speck, on what is barely more than a water mark on the multi-universal creation of Lord God Almighty. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God", John 1.1. He has also critically recorded in his first letter to the churches, 1 John 5.7-8, "For there are three that bear witness in heaven...the Father, the Word, and Holy Spirit; and these three are one." And of course, from John's record of the Revelation of Jesus Christ during his exile on the Isle of Patmos, the testimony of the ascended Redeemer, chapt. 1.8, "I Am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End...Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty."

I've sometimes heard it said that such and so, is a work in progress; well that would describe our great God's eternal Plan, Jesus being the King Who reigns over it all...and will bring it to fruition for us, in His Own good time!

Thus endeth John's very personal account of the Gospel record.

96. "Do You Love Me More Than These?", Pt. 2

Well when we finished last time, we had considered not only the extent Peter's faith, but of our own as well. He had been charged with caring for the flock of the soon-to-be church of Jesus Christ, and you can be certain that he had no idea of the extent of the mission he was being ordained-to. None of us, in fact, ever are really sure as we step out in service to the Lord, what He has in store until the penny drops (so to speak!). However, if you have truly been called by our Lord to salvation, and have been given to your church for some aspect of service there, the command of Jesus to Peter may sound very familiar to you indeed. In fact, back in chapt. 14.12, He had revealed to His disciples that they would find themselves performing even "...greater works than these (His own)!"

If you look back to John 20.19, 21 and 26, we find that Jesus had appeared in the midst of the ten, gathered in mutual consolation, He had thrice pronounced that blessed benediction upon them, "Peace be unto you!" Then in vs. 22 He had breathed Holy Spirit upon them, followed in chapt. 21.16-17 with the charge to Peter to "Feed My lambs", and to "Feed My sheep". Now with that little bit of background, you may find it a bit harsh that Jesus would then in vs. 18, immediately begin to reveal to Peter an end-of-life prophecy. 

However, what is taking place here, is that the Lord is giving Peter notice that, although he had dishonoured Jesus in the past, the time would come when, because of his faithful service, he would glorify God by his own sacrificail death. A true Believer's love for the Lord is apt to be far greater than his love for his own life, and we believe that, when that final time of testing came for Peter, he was fully prepared to die for his Lord! The well-loved Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, said to be a disciple of the Apostle John, was burned at the stake in Rome for his faith in Christ, where Peter just may have ministered until the end of his own life. 

Do you realize what the western church has rarely ever experienced? Persecution and death on behalf of our Lord! In fact, history tells us that some of the early settlers of the Americas, came here because of persecution in their mother lands; and they founded their new homelands in the name of the Lord God. But the persecution of the western church today, is not far off...we can see it just on the horizon, in the name of racism and multiculuralism and modernism and agnosticism and conservatism and deism and hedonsim and humanism and a whole bunch of other "isms"; even humanitarianism and materialism and perfectionism and rationalism...and maybe even, Americanism!   

The fact of the matter is, as any and all of these different "isms" creep into the church, employment, and into our social circles, Western Believers will begin to experience real live, close up and personal persecution ourselves, as well as on a truly international scale. But it was to be in times of persecution that Peter's true faith was revealed, as it had been as well, with Paul, of whom the Lord had said at the beginning of his ministry, in Acts 9.16, "I will show him how great things he shall suffer." 

Suffering is a great teacher, as the Lord reminded the faltering Hebrews in He. 10.32. "...remember the former days in which, after you saw the light, you were able to endure the many afflictions of life." Notice that they weren't told to remember the good times in life, but the bad; and how the Lord had seen them through! We certainly are awaiting His return, and return He shall! But we know today that many who do now, and have lived before us have died as a result of persecution, and we may too, before the Lord returns! In the meantime, remember that Jesus has, and will have His hand on your life, what'ere befall.

Who is to say that your own death couldn't glorify the Lord as well? It's a fact that many Believers have come to trust in the Lord at the passing of a loved one, because of that one's patient endurance, testimony of the love of Christ, and by the reassurance of their loved ones that they have no fear of the grave, because of the comforting presence of the Life-Giver, and the Preserver of their very souls! We may never know, but the truly faithful Believer may succeed in doing more for their Lord in death, than they ever could, in life. 

Well look at vs. 19, "...and when He had said this...". This was to be Jesus' final word of grace to that fallen and restored disciple. But I believe that he didn't really need to tell Peter where his weakness lay; I'm sure his face had burned with shame, and his conscience had been pricked on many occasions. Peter, like a lot of disciples today who don't follow very closely, tend to forget that the Lord's idea of following, is to take up the very cross that has been constructed...yes, for you, and in conformity to His very death, in the bearing of it; that's not most Believers' idea of living The Life. 

In our minds, the worst of our suffering involves rushing through supper in order to get to prayer meeting on time! And many Believers don't even suffer that. Remember what Jesus had told Peter in the upper room (chapt. 13.36), that "...you can't go where I'm going now, but you will, afterwards." and that saying would follow him through life and death, and right to the Father's house. 

"Then Peter..." (vss. 20-21). Poor Peter, just going from one scrape to another; just when he had begun to fix his eyes upon Jesus, he laid eyes on John. Fully restored to favour, standing in the literal shadow of His Lord, and commanded to follow; but instead of following, he faltered...again! There can only be one explaination, and it would apply to us all...the lust and the pride of our spirits, at odds with the Spirit of God. In Peter's case, perhaps resulting in the jealous inclination that John may have been given greater love, or be granted an easier death. But rather than evoke jealousy, Peter should have taken a lesson from that "beloved disciple", and leaned more heavily on the Saviour's breast, especially in light of the coming hardships and loss which had been prophesied of him. 

Of course, John also died during imprisonment by Rome, on the Isle of Patmos. There really is...for the true Believer...no escaping at least some degree of persecution when we are cross-bearers, along with our Lord. Our only recourse, if we are numbered with the Faithful, is to realize once and for all, that there is no recourse. To follow Christ as a faithful witness and loyal servant, is to boldly go, where you would never have dreamed of going, before you were called by Him to make faith, your profession!

95. "Do You Love Me More Than These?", John 21.15-25

This is a very telling portion of scripture, taken from a very telling Gospel record, giving us a very telling account of Jesus' very last instruction to the very closest to Him on earth. And it blesses our hearts! The main characters in this short passage are of course Jesus and Peter, and the discussion that they have is nearly a sequel to what is recorded of Peter in chapt. 13, where Jesus was attempting to wash his feet. In that passage, Peter represents us all, demonstrating the frailty and the fickleness of every Believing one of us. 

Every Christian Brother and Sister can relate on some level, to Peter's fall and recovery, and his doubt and disobedience. So in these verses, we cannot miss his eagerness to please and to reassure the Lord, and to be given a greater challenge for greater service, even if it was to bring greater persecution...perhaps even death!

If you look back to Luke 22.31-32, you would notice that when Jesus acknowledged Peter's impulsiveness, He didn't pray to keep Peter from falling, which is Satan's will for the followers of Jesus. Rather, Jesus' wish was that Peter's faith would be strengthened, that he would realize the condition of his own heart, and the frailty of his own ability to keep himself from sinning when the pressure is on. And Peter's response to the Lord, in vs. 33, shows just how little discernment he had, concerning the direction in which Jesus' ministry was heading. He had some hard lessons to learn, between then, and the time of his Holy Spirit baptism!

You know, Jesus doesn't want a-one of us to fail, any more than He did Peter. His wish is that we turn from our own self-confidence and pride, and come to terms with the fact that we are nothing, without Him. That's when Satan fails in "sifting" us, as he had been able to do, after all, with Peter. For him, his failure in faithfulness could have been a death blow, and I'm sure that, at the least, it nearly had caused him to desert what remained of his faith, in those last critical days during the Lord's last week on earth. But...the Lord had a special role for Peter in the church He was building, just as He does for us, once we have finally received and believed!

Now take a look at chapt. 21.15-19. How much do you really and absolutlety love your Lord? Enough to die because of your faith in Him, as He is prophesying here of Peter? And this is not a word of judgment on Peter because of his earlier "indiscretions"...He hadn't asked Peter, "Why did you deny Me?" 

You know, I've heard all kinds of interpretations in regards to the nature of the Believer's judgment before "the Judgment Seat of Christ". But the fact of the matter is, our appearance before Christ on that Day will not be an occasion for loss, but rather, a time for reward for faithfulness in the living-out of our faith, through the accomplishment of the works we have done, in His Name. For the Believer, there will be no reference to our often derelection of duty to the Saviour; only the dying echo of the last tear drops we might have ever shed in life, in that instant in which we experience the fulness of His glory as our eyes are opened, and our created purpose finally becomes clear! No condemnation, but a commendation, as with Peter before his Lord for the very last time in his earthly existence, as he was commissioned for his new work in fishing for men.

"Simon, son of Jonas; lovest thou Me?" If there is any question that might be asked of us at the Judgment Seat of Christ, it will be exactly that..."Do you love Me more...?" And the answer should be, like Peter's, a resounding, "Yes Lord! Thou knowest!" And as we will be, in our time, Peter must surely have been rewarded a crown for his faithfulness. The Lord knew that in just a short while, sinners would be saved by the thousands, and Peter would be one of the headliners in the accounts of the great spiritual awakening which would be soon taking place, beginning back in Jerusalem!

All those new converts would be needing pastors to lead them in their new faith. They would need feeding and tending-to and defending, and Peter was to begin an altogether new vocation...from fishing to shepherding. And the very first of the flock are the most vulnerable...the brand new lambs, the weakest and neediest in the faith-flock. And we in today's church, as well as Peter in his, need to realize that, although they are not our lambs, but the Lord's, it is still the church's responsibility to rear them up to fulness of faith...remembering that it's all about Jesus!

Then we read that, two more times Jesus asks Peter that same question, and a very searching question it is. We all know so much, and talk so much, and give so much, and go through so much, and we make such a show of it all, and yet, like Peter, are half asleep before Christ, practicing mostly dead works. It really is a very good question... "Lovest thou Me more than these?" 

Peter was not yet willing to own what Jesus had in store for him. But what about us...have you really counted the cost of discipleship? Jesus surely had good reason to plant that critical thought in Peter's heart. But notice that, according to vs. 17, just as any of us might do, Peter began to get a little testy..."Lord, You know all things!" And I thank You, Jesus, that You do, brcause every time I step off the narrow road, and tend to wander back toward that "broad road that leads to destruction", He knows that I still am in love with Him. So it's probly a little bit OK for us, like Peter, to confirm His all-knowingness; He really does see us little sparrows when we fall! He knows that we're made of flesh and blood. And He knows when it really is Him, that we really trust, and dearly love. 

This could very well have been Peter's pivot point...when he finally found himself, because, following his third confirmation of his love for the Lord, Jesus responds, as recorded there in vs. 17, "Then feed My sheep!" Peter had been an "apostate apostle", but Jesus had, as Jesus does, blotted out Peter's sin and fully restored him to a place of useful service. And remember, their conversation had taken place in the presence of the six other disciples; his sins had been very public ones, and so must his restoration be, and his ordination to his new shepherding role in the future church..."Then if you love Me, serve Me!" 

In fact, it is only when you really love the Lord that you are ever ready and able to minister in any appreciable way, to the church of Christ. But of course, He's been speaking to Peter in terms of the larger ministry...the work of prophet, pastor, teacher and misssionary, and he was being ordained to fulfill each one of those roles and more, as he began his real life's calling. And I'm sure your own pastor would tell you that that work would be so slow, and painful, and underappreciated, and criticized, that it could only be the love of Christ that would drive him on to the bitter end. So Peter here, is being forgiven for his past failures, restored to full functioning, as well as to even "greater works than these" (14.12)! 

There have been times during my many years of sometimes faithful service, when I, like Peter, needed to be "taken to the woodshed" by my Lord! I'm sure He never thinks of it in that way, but it's been my experience that when a not-so-veiled object lesson, as Jesus often used, would be more than enough to keep us on the track that our Lord has ordained us-to. Thank you, Jesus, for Your patience with Peter...and me.