John 21:18-25. Look to Yourself!

Jesus had met up with seven of his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. At first he reminded them that they had been chosen and trained to be ‘fishers of men’ Then Jesus told Peter three times, ‘Feed my sheep’. The shepherd would feed the sheep mainly by passing on and explaining God’s word.. Note the flock would not be Peter’s but the Lord’s.

“Feed my sheep.” John 21:15,16,17

The foundation of God’s church

The Roman Catholic church has used this passage to try and support the primacy of Peter and his successors over God’s church. Peter had been told that the founding principle of God’s church would be faith in Jesus as God’s Christ.

When Jesus had asked Peter,

“ ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. . . .” Matthew 16:16

Jesus then replied,

“ . . .And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church’” Matthew 16:15-18

In the Greek there is a play on words. The word Peter means ‘rock’. But when Jesus says ‘on this rock’ he used a subtly different word ‘petra’ . This has caused much debate by scholars, some of whom have suggested that this means a ‘rocky ledge’. However the original conversation was in Aramaic and there the word for rock is feminine. It is therefore likely that the same word was originally used. When translated into Greek, a man’s name had to be in the masculine case whereas an idea could be feminine. The revelation, conviction and confession on which Christ’s church is built is the open acknowledgment of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. That this is what Jesus meant is clear by the use of the word ‘this’. Jesus was talking to Peter, yet he says ‘on this rock’, that is ‘on this belief and confession. He would not have used the word ‘this’, if he meant ‘you’

The rest of the New Testament confirms that Peter did not have more authority than other shepherds of the early church. All shepherds should reflect both the authority of a leader or overseer but at the same time a meekness and humility. Meekness is ‘power under control’, such as demonstrated by a stallion that has been broken in. For example, Paul said to the Ephesian elders,

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.. Be shepherds of the church of God which he bought with his own blood.” Acts 20:28

Here Paul stresses that it is God’s church and the elders were just his temporary sub-leaders who are ultimately responsible to him. It is the Holy Spirit of God who appointed them!

Peter’s destiny

It appears that Jesus and Peter went off for a stroll to have a personal conversation about the future role Peter was to play.

“Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.” John 21:20

Did John overhear the conversation Jesus had with Peter or did Peter tell him about it later? We don’t know. After Peter’s proclamation about his love for Jesus, he is given a warning. Did he remember the previous warning he had been given,

“Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the cock crows, you will disown me three times.” John 13:38

It appears that Jesus is again referring back to that episode. He uses the same introductory phrase and then distinguishes the independence of youth with what will happen when Peter is old.

“I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” John 21:18

One commentator has suggested that the phrase, ‘Stretch out your hands’ referred to the practice of placing the cross-piece, or patibulum, of the cross onto the condemned man’s shoulders, tying the outstretched arms to this, before forcing him to ‘carry his cross’ to the place of execution.

John confirms that this was Jesus’ meaning in the following verse.

“Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.” John 21:19

What a profound statement this is. The apostles remembered when some Greeks had asked Philip for an introduction to Jesus and that Jesus’ response on being told this was that his death was imminent.

“Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23

The sacrifice of Jesus by willingly dying on that cross as ‘the lamb of God’ to ‘take away the sins of the world’ was the purpose of his life, it was the glory of the life of Jesus. His death also meant that he could return to live in heavenly glory with his Father in heaven. In both senses Jesus’ death brought glory.

Peter’s death would also bring glory to God. How would this be? Surely by his resolutely staying the course and not denying his God and Saviour. How we die can indeed glorify God.

I well remember an elderly lady called Alice in my ward who had advanced cancer and was in for terminal care. On a teaching ward round attended by junior doctors, medical students nurse and physios we came to her bed. I sat down on the bed and held her hand and asked how she felt. She looked at me straight in the face and asked,

“Mr. Palmer, how long will it be before I can go home?”

“Alice,” I replied, “Do you really think you are well enough to go home and cope on your own?”

I will never forget her reply,

“No, I don’t mean that. When will I go home to live with the Lord Jesus?”

The conversation at the post ward-round coffee time was all about what Alice had said.

On October 16th 1555 two of the great leaders of the Biblical reformation of the Church in England were burnt at the stake as the Roman Catholic queen Mary, bloody Mary, did her best to turn back the tide of biblical thinking. Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were moved from the tower of London to the town prison in Oxford, where they were to debate in public with Roman Catholic theologians. Ridley defended his beliefs with particular brilliance. There were mounting defections from Protestant ranks as the pressure mounted. Heresy trials began in January 1555. John Rogers was the first to be burnt at Smithfield in February. Ridley wrote of his death,

‘And yet again I bless God in our dear brother and of this time proto-martyr Rogers.’

Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were all condemned to die in the flames. Latmier and Ridly were killed first, Cranmer being forced to watch. As the flames were kindled, Latimer said,

‘Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as shall never be put out’.

The historian Eusebius tells us that this remark was first said by Polycarp as he was being martyred in the second century AD.

There are many ways in which a person’s death can glorify our Lord but the most important one is for us to remain faithful to him whatever pressures we are facing.

Peter came to recognise that Christians would go through many kinds of suffering but that this would be an opportunity to demonstrate as well as experience the glory of God.

“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” 1 Peter 4:13-14

Follow me

After warning Peter about how he would die, Jesus insists that from then on his commitment to himself must be resolute.

“Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’” John 21:19

That phrase, ‘Follow me,’ must have again given him that feeling of ‘deja vu.’ When Jesus had first summonsed Simon and his brother Andrew to be trained as his disciples he had said,

“ ‘Come, follow me . . . and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-20

Whenever we are told embarrassing or difficult news there is always a temptation to change the subject and Peter was no exception. Peter saw John following them and he asked,

“Lord, what about him?” John 21:21

Jesus’ reply was short and sharp, essentially saying ‘that is none of your business.’

“If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” John 21:22

How important this reminder is. The pronoun ‘you’ here is in the singular and is emphatic in the Greek . Each of us as individuals must make up our minds and make living in obedience to the Lord the priority of our lives. It is so easy to look over our shoulder and see others who have different gifts, privileges and opportunities to ourselves. Jealousy or pride are utterly destructive. We have been placed where we are now. Our present position may partly be because of foolish or wise decisions we have made in the past, but that is in the past. We are to live in the present with our eyes on the future. We must obey and live for the Lord, wherever we are, from now on.

“You must follow me.”

A decision is needed. It is a big decision, similar to deciding whether to get married to someone. The relationship with God will last into eternity. We must make a decision. To defer without good reason may result in the opportunity disappearing. The church is the bride of Christ. God speaks to us both through the inner voice of his Spirit speaking through our consciences, and the Bible’s message delivered by his church. At the end of the Bible comes this plea to all people,

“The Spirit and the bride say ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17

Looking at others

Visiting other churches, with their wonderful buildings and large numbers in their services, can be depressing if that is not what you are seeing in your church. Many new churches do not even have a building and are not always finding life easy. Older generations used to talk of their church building as ‘God’s house’. We know what they mean, it is a building that means much to them. But they are wrong. The building is not God’s house, the building is not God’s church. Christians don’t go to church to worship any more. That is Old Testament, old covenant religion. Now we are the church. True Christians, whatever their nationality or denomination, are united together round the cross of Christ. Our foundation is the apostolic gospel found in the word of God.

There are many videos and books telling us how to do church better, make our services more attractive to outsiders, be better pastorally, how to attract more young people and how to be more effective in evangelism. We are offered slick solutions to these all too common problems. It is so refreshing to hear Jesus say to me,

“What is that to you? You must follow me.” John 21:22

Obviously there are areas that we can all improve how we do things but we should never let Satan get under our skin about our weaknesses and failures. He is a past master at lying and disinformation and we must not listen when he attacks us.

Peter had just been given a bombshell, he will also be crucified, he will be killed painfully. His first thought was to compare himself with John. It’s not fair. What about him? Will John have to suffer in the same way. Why shouldn’t I live to a right old age?

Today people ask similar questions. Why can’t my ministry be as successful as others? Why can’t I preach as persuasively as Dick Lucas did? Why can’t I get to understand the meaning of Scripture as John Stott did or Don Carson does? Why aren’t I as successful in winning people for Christ as Billy Graham, Roger Carswell, J John or Rico Tice? There may be areas that I can improve in what I do but this should never be at the cost of letting Satan get me down. Jesus will not judge me on whether I am better or worse than others. Jesus has a work for just me to do and simply calls me to follow him to the best of my ability, with the limited gifts I have been given. The Lord has given each of us the grace we need to fulfil his work. We have been called by the Lord Jesus ti walk with him in great freedom. What he wants is for us to persevere to the end.

There was a village school linked to a church mission in Uganda. The children were asked to write and recite a poem about the Christian life. One young lad stood up in front of the class and recited his poem. He said,

“If you would be a Christian, Go on,

Go on, go on, go on, go on,

Go on, go on, go on, go on,

Go on, go on, go on, go on, . . . “

And so the poem went on – but the truth he was sharing was profound. If we are Christians we must have a mindset to ‘Go on, Go on, go on . . .”

Testify

The need for all Christians to talk about the Lord Jesus, to testify, is a very common Biblical theme. At the end of the book ‘The Duty of a Disciple’ many of the passages in the Bible that emphasise the importance of speaking about Jesus are written out. At the end of his book, John reminds his readers that he has set an example in this,

“This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down.” John 21:24

What a helpful reminder this is. We do not testify just by speaking to people about our Lord, we can also write to them. I have just watched a short video by the evangelist Roger Carswell in which he shares how being housebound because of the Covid-19 shut-down has not restricted his sharing the gospel with others. He writes cards to people - and includes a leaflet that explains the gospel. He has sent several hundred cards to people and has had many grateful replies. We can write letters to friends and members of our family and include something to remind them of what really matters.

We are not telling people our views, we are sharing God’s truth. John confirms that his evidence about Jesus is really true.

“We know that his testimony is true.” John 21:24

This is why everyone must be a follower of Jesus Christ – it really is true what Jesus said about our need to be born again, to start a new life with him as our Saviour and Lord.

There has been some speculation about whether John was still alive when this book was written. Notice that the tense used is the present tense – ‘he who testifies’, his testimony is true.’

John finishes by reminding us that what he has written down for us is just a selected brief account of the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. What he has written is enough evidence for all of us to recognise that this is the truth. If we were members of a jury looking at even just this selected evidence we would have ample evidence to make a judgment on Jesus and whether these witnesses are telling the truth. John concludes,

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” John 21:25

BVP