John 21
I have always loved the afterword to John’s Gospel. There is a clear closing paragraph at the end of John 20, in verses 30-31. So why John 21? The last two verses of 21 (24-25) are apparently in another hand – you would have to be a strange person to say of your own words “and we know that his testimony is true”. So why tuck this episode in, after the close?
I can think of a couple of obvious reasons – it could have been triggered by John hearing news of Peter’s death, prompting this reminiscence; and it could have been written down by John but only attached to the Gospel which bears his name after his own death; or it could even have been prompted by his continuing presence with the Church long after the other disciples had died; if the “this disciple will never die” story was doing the rounds again, for example. And of course, it could simply be that friends had said to John, I wish you would write down that story at the lake so we don’t lose it. (“Yes, yes, we know the whole world couldn’t contain the books if you wrote down everything Jesus did, but we really like this one…”)
However it came about, I am grateful. It does get some funny (funny strange, not funny haha) treatment at the hands of both translators and expositors, so here is my rendering, with the occasional note in parentheses.
After these things, Jesus showed Himself once more to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; He revealed Himself like this…
There were, together in the same place, Simon Peter and Thomas called the Twin, and Nathanael, the one from Cana in Galilee, and the Sons of Zebedee and two others of the disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing”; they said to him, “We’re also coming with you.” They went out, climbed into the boat and in that night they caught nothing.
It was already early morning when Jesus stood on the shingle bank on the shore; only the disciples did not yet know it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, “Lads, don’t you have any breakfast with you?” They answered Him, “No.”
[This needs unpacking. The King James and New King James get closer than the NIV and others, but it is hard to translate without explanation as well. Jesus definitely isn’t asking if they have failed to catch any fish. μή τι προσφάγιον ἔχετε; means “Don’t you have some cooked food?” – which commonly equated (certainly in Athens, but probably in other fish based cuisines as well) to “cooked fish”. I think we should probably hear this as “did you forget to bring your breakfast, lads?”
Lads is a curious term – literally the word is either very small children (which doesn’t seem appropriate), or slave-lads. Where are the disciples? Back where Jesus certainly first encountered at least Simon Peter and the Zebedee boys – slaving away in a boat all night, catching nothing. So “slave-lads” may be an intentional poke.
As may be the word προσφάγιον. Yes, as I just said, it means cooked food or fish. But προσφάγιον is a homonym; its identically spelt but unrelated twin means “a victim sacrificed beforehand”. Coupled with Παιδία (O slave-lads), μή τι προσφάγιον ἔχετε could mean “do you not have a sacrifice that has already been made”, i.e. to free you from all this?
As I suggested in an earlier post, Jesus had already overcome the world before He went to the cross; the cross was to deal with us and to establish the legal basis for us to receive the Kingdom. So when Jesus finds these disciples back at their old way of existence (or possibly, subsistence) He has a pointed joke with them: “Slave lads, got no food? Not been set free from all this?”
I don’t insist on this. For me, Jesus is forever making pointed observations wrapped in wry humour, and those observations are none the less loving and good-intentioned for all that. Certainly, what happens next will model for them once more the Kingdom truth that a word from God will always tell you where your provision is and how to harvest it.]
He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat and you will find” They cast therefore and they were no longer strong enough to draw it, from the abundance of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
[I always imagine Peter saying at this point, in a mock sarcastic tone of voice, “Oh really? You think so? Funnily enough, I was starting to think I had maybe seen this play before…”]
Therefore Simon Peter, hearing it was the Lord, girded round him his robe, for he was stripped, and dived into the sea.
[I am perfectly calm. Nothing to see here. I have just put my clothes on and jumped into the lake.]
The other disciples came in the skiff, for they weren’t far from the land but were about a hundred yards (two hundred forearms, if you prefer the original) off shore, trailing the net of fish. When therefore they reached the land, they saw a charcoal fire laid, with small fish laid upon it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the little fish which you have just caught.”
Simon Peter therefore got up and drew the net up onto the land, full of 153 great fish; and despite being so many, they had not ripped the net.
[Again I see humour – and intention – in Jesus’ words “bring some of the little fish you have just caught”, when in fact they are 153 huge fish. For one thing, the fire Jesus has built has little fish upon it; with His – and the Holy Spirit’s – instruction, they will do greater things even than He has.]
Jesus said to them, “Come and breakfast!”
None of the disciples had the effrontery to examine Him saying “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This was already the third time Jesus showed Himself to the disciples, having risen from the dead.
When therefore they had breakfasted, 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.”
[Time out: crucially to understanding this passage we have two words for love, and I am sure you have heard that a bazillion times. But the nonsense that is spoken over the verb ἀγαπάω needs some paring back. Yes, it does get adopted by the early Christian community as a key expression of the love between believers and the love of God for us, and of us for God. But it was in common usage long before that, and especially here, we cannot simply pile the whole of Church-age theology onto this verb and hope to understand what Jesus is asking.
One of the earliest usages of ἀγαπάω is in Greek Tragedy, where it is used only of showing affection for the dead. So while there are a range of usages, and it is used at times interchangeably with φιλέω (the other word for love used in our passage), the core of ἀγαπάω is about regard and honour. Both words carry the sense of affection, even deep affection; but only ἀγαπάω has this inner core of regard and honour.
So what did Jesus just ask Peter, and how did he answer?
“Simon, son of John (a very formal address), do you honour me in your love (ἀγαπάω) more than the rest of these men do?”
“Yes Lord, you know that I love you (φιλέω).” (And yes, in terms of relationships, this is how friends love one another; the word is wider than this, but the context probably makes it “I love you as my friend” – a reasonable assumption; as we shall see shortly.)
So what is going on here? The popular view is that Jesus is bringing Peter to a full recognition of just how bad his failure in denying Jesus was, in order that He can forgive and restore him.
And that makes me wonder what is wrong in our heads and hearts. The answer, of course, is that we all think God is mad at us; and so get some satisfaction from thinking that God was even madder at Peter. The truth is that God is not mad at you, and Jesus wasn’t mad (or sad) at Peter. The story we are in is a mighty rescue, in which the rescue is all for you and me, fallen sinful men and women, until now, trapped by our own treason against the one who loves us; and any wrath, and the day of God’s vengeance, is all for Satan and his angels. We really need to get this straight.
Jesus had told Peter everything that was going to happen, including his denials; and also that He was praying for him (Peter) that his trust (not faith) might not fail. The one outcome Jesus was not prepared to entertain was that Peter would stop playing his God-given role and assignment because he might think he had missed the mark so terribly that there was no point trusting and following Jesus any more. But on the contrary, Jesus told him, “and when you have returned, strengthen your brothers.” (see Luke 22:32 – στήρισον is literally ‘make fast’, in the sense of securing a ship, so ‘strengthen’ rather understates the intention here)
When Peter knew it was Jesus on the beach, did he sink down into the skiff and hide for shame? No, he put on all his clothes and jumped in the lake, in his hurry to get to Jesus; for love. Peter is telling the truth when he says φιλῶ σε – I love you.
So what is this passage about. It is not about Jesus trying to make Peter miserable over his sin – although Peter becomes distressed along the way. It is about Jesus moving Peter onto a foundation that is more solid and reliable that the one he was on. Peter’s prior belief was that he loved Jesus the most, that no one would lay down his life more readily for Jesus than he, Peter, would; and so on. This self-perception let Peter down, because it was about comparing himself to others and based on his own strength. The reliable foundation is that Peter really does love Jesus, and Jesus really loves Peter.
With that thought in your head, read on…]
Jesus said to him, “take care of my little lambs.” [Βόσκε is more than just feed, it is feed and tend to]
He said to him a second time, “Simon son of John, do you honour me in love?” (still ἀγαπάω)
He said to Him, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” (still φιλέω, love as my friend)
He said to him, “Be shepherd to my sheep.” (Ποίμαινε also has the general sense of tend)
He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, are you my friend?” (and now Jesus has used φιλεῖς με, do you love me as a friend).
Peter was distressed because He said to him the third time, “Are you my friend?” [Even though Jesus was now mirroring what Peter had replied on the previous two occasions.}
He said to Him, “All things, you know: so you know that I love you / am your friend.”
[Two words for “know” here – “All things, you know” is οἶδας, know by reflection; and “so you know I love you” is γινώσκεις, know by observation. But where has this conversation led?
Jesus has brought Peter down (apparently) from “no one loves Jesus as much as I do” to “I am Jesus’ friend.” Wow. What a come down…
Because Peter is now the second person in recorded history (or third if you allow what God says of Moses: “as a man talks with his friend”) to be, on his own admission, the friend of God. First Abraham (Is. 41.8 et al); now Simon, son of John.
That’s not a comedown; and it certainly isn’t a telling off. That’s solid ground. Friends don’t relate by trying to prove they love each other more than any other friend might. (That’s insecurity.) A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. That’s just what friends are.
And of course, if Peter, then why not you, too?]
Jesus said to him, “Take care of (Βόσκε again) my sheep. Truly I say to you, when you were young, you used to belt yourself up and go where you wished; when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will wrap you round the middle and carry you where you do not wish to go.” This He said signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And having said these things, He said to him, “Follow me.”
[Follow me – Ἀκολούθει μοι – as I have said elsewhere, this is an order to be obeyed, not an invitation to wander off together. A war leader says this to a subordinate, a master to a slave. Being Jesus’ friends doesn’t mean He is any less our Lord and Master. But please also note, that once again, Jesus has told Peter beforehand what will happen to him; this time it is not any failing on Peter’s part; Jesus is simply preparing him so he won’t start thinking that he has missed the way when that day arrives.]
Turning, Peter saw the disciple whose Jesus loved following them – him who had lain at dinner against His breast and said, “Lord, he who betrays you – who is it?” Therefore, seeing this one, Peter said to Jesus, “What about him?”
Jesus said to him, “If I should wish him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” Therefore the word went out amongst the brothers that this disciple would never die. Jesus didn’t say that he wouldn’t die, but rather, “If I should wish him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
[Or in other words, “Peter, you have got enough on your own plate in walking out what I have set before you; so mind your own business!”]
This is the disciple who bears testimony concerning these things and the one who wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. There are many other things which Jesus did, which, if every one of them were to be written down, I fear the world wouldn’t be able to make room for all the books being written.
Seeing the Kingdom 