Jesus Restores Peter (John 21)

But, let's begin this section, the final section of John's Gospel.

We're going to pick up in verse 15. Remember, this is the restoration of Simon Peter.

Peter has denied Jesus three times. In the beginning of this chapter,

Peter and some of the other disciples had returned to fishing, which is an indication they may have been reconsidering their call to the ministry.

Some people would not see it that way. You can't prove that's exactly what's happening, but Peter, at least to some degree, he has to be wondering about his usefulness to the

Lord after such a great failure. So Jesus called him to be a fisher of men, but now he says, well,

I'm just going back to fishing, and half of the disciples follow him.

So Peter is in a low place, and that's where we pick up in John 21, 15 through 19.

Because remember, Jesus has just appeared to them while they were in the boat and they had breakfast on the sea.

So it says, when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?

And it's questioned whether or not Jesus is referring to the fish or to the other disciples.

I think he's saying, do you love me more than fishing? That's how I would understand this.

But that's what Jesus says, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?

And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, feed my lambs.

And he said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him, tend my sheep.

And he said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

And Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him,

Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, feed my sheep.

Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished.

But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.

And this he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify

God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, that is,

Jesus said to Peter, follow me. Okay, to start out with, notice

Jesus is referring to him as what? Simon. So, he says,

John does, Peter, Jesus said to Peter, but Jesus is calling Peter Simon.

Commentator Matthew Henry writes about this section, our Lord addressed Peter by his original name as if he had forfeited that of Peter through his denial.

Remember, Peter means the rock. Now he answered, thou knowest that I love thee, but without professing to love

Jesus more than others. And that's, I think that's the key.

Something that we often miss. What was the question that Jesus asked Simon, son of Jonah?

Do you love me more than these? And Peter doesn't really answer the question. He says, well, you know, I love you yet, but do you love me more than these?

And whether it's the fish or whether it's the other disciples, Peter, do you love me more than these? Well, Lord, you know,

I love you. Yeah, that's not the question. Matthew Henry goes on.

We must not be surprised to have our sincerity called into question when we ourselves have done that, which makes it doubtful.

Peter, by denying Jesus three times and perhaps by returning to his former life as a commercial fisherman, yeah, that's being called into question.

So Jesus asked him, do you love me more than these? Well, Lord, you know, I love you.

And there's another thing here that's not obvious. Jesus uses a strong word for love.

Peter uses a weaker word for love. So it can almost be seen as Peter.

Do you really love me? And Peter's like, Lord, you know, I really care about you.

Hold on a minute. So that's kind of the situation that's going on here. So Jesus then goes on to ask

Peter a series of questions. Actually, he's asking him the same question posed three times, followed by the exhortation or the command to feed my lambs or tend to my sheep, making it clear that Peter is either being restored to the pastoral office or Jesus at least is reaffirming the pastoral office that this is still the call upon Peter's life to shepherd the people of God.

And of course, the word pastor literally means shepherd. So Peter was a pastor.

He was a shepherd. Jesus was what? He was the good shepherd. He's like the shepherd.

Jesus was the pastor to the 12 disciples. So Jesus, what is he doing?

He needs to know that Peter is committed. Jesus knows what's ahead of him. He knows the life he is going to live.

It's going to be a difficult life of ministry and pastors today.

I don't think any pastor in the United States can really compare their life of ministry to the apostles who all died as martyrs.

But pastoral ministry isn't easy. As soon as you become a pastor, you immediately have critics.

You immediately have people who dislike you. You immediately face opposition. If you're actually teaching the word of God, you face this opposition, especially in the culture we're living in now.

But they had it 10 times harder than any pastor here in this country, 100 times more challenging.

But this pastoral, this call for Peter to be a pastor is reaffirmed.

It's restated, feed my lambs, tend my sheep. So Jesus needs to know whether or not

Peter is committed. You say, well, doesn't Jesus already know this? Well, I mean, sometimes, yeah,

I mean, I think he did. So you could argue that maybe Jesus is going through this, probably more that Peter needs to know that Peter is committed.

But here is what's happening. Again, you might not pick up on it, but in the original

Greek language, Jesus and Peter are using different words for love.

This doesn't come out in our English translation. So we missed the nuance. Jesus is asking

Peter, do you love me? And the word Jesus uses is agapao. You say, well, what does that mean?

Well, you've heard of agape, right? So agapao is a strong term for love.

But Peter responds with the word phileo. I'm sure many of you listening are familiar with these different words for love.

In the Greek language, there is the word for love, it's translated love, phileo, which means, refers to a brotherly love.

You think of the city of Philadelphia, it's the city of brotherly love.

Although people who have gone to Philadelphia have said they don't really see that. But that's what the name means, phile, right,

Philadelphia, phileo means brotherly, a brotherly type of love. And then there is the

Greek word eros, which is an erotic type of love. In Greek mythology,

Eros was the god of sex. His Roman counterpart was

Cupid, because after the Greek Empire fell, the Roman Empire rose up and what the

Romans did is they just took all the Greek gods and gave them Roman names. So Eros became

Cupid. But Eros is an erotic love. So you have phileo, which is a brotherly love,

Eros, which is an erotic love, and then you have agape, which is considered a divine love.

So the two terms being used here in John 21 are agape and phileo.

So look at it this way. Jesus asked Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you have this agape love for me?

And Peter responds, well, Lord, I have a phileo love for you. And then he says, feed my lambs.

He said to him again, Simon, son of Jonah, do you have agape? Do you have this agape love towards me?

Well, Lord, I have a phileo love for you. So you see, it's not, he's not really responding the way

Jesus wants him to respond. He's using a weaker word. One theologian put it this way, that Jesus is asking

Peter, Simon, do you really love me? And Peter keeps responding, Lord, you know, I really care.

So the third time, Jesus then uses the different word. He uses the word that Peter's using.

Peter, do you really even care about me? And at that point,

Peter's grieved and he says, Lord, you know, all things like, why are you putting me through this?

You know that I love you, phileo. And Jesus said to him, feed my sheep.

So why does Jesus ask three times? Well, he asked

Peter three times, once for every denial.

Remember, Peter denied even knowing the Lord three times. So Jesus, in restoring him to his pastoral office or reaffirming the pastoral office,

Jesus asked Peter three times, Peter, are you sure that you love me? Because Peter needs to love the

Lord. Peter needs to be committed to the Lord, because the Lord knows what's ahead of him. And then he goes into that and says, well, you're going to die this death.

It wasn't going to happen tomorrow, it wasn't going to happen next year. But Jesus knew the life, the difficult life and ministry

Peter would have and how it would end. And Peter needed to be 100 % committed.

So that's what's happening here. Jesus says, feed my sheep.

And then he tells Peter how he will die. This is basically a prophecy, which has been confirmed by church tradition that Peter, as an old man, would die by crucifixion.

Church tradition says that Peter was crucified in Rome upside down, which the

Bible doesn't say that it was in Rome, nor does the Bible say that it was upside down. But the fact that Peter was crucified like Jesus, that is what is being said here.

So that I believe is biblical. Notice what Jesus said, verse 18. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished.

But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, a reference to crucifixion.

That's what crucifixion was, you spread out your hands and another will gird you.

That is Peter, they're going to bind you and crucify you. That's where they're going to carry you where you do not wish.

Then John, in verse 19, just comes right out and says it. He says, this he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify

God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me.

So think about when John's gospel was written. Because John's writing, looking back in hindsight,

John's gospel was probably written somewhere around 85 to 90 AD.

Mark was the earliest gospel. Some people think, I mean, there's some question about this, but it's pretty well established that John is the final gospel written somewhere 85, 90

AD, long after Peter is gone. Peter died somewhere around 64

AD. So no doubt John was well aware of that and how it happened.

But John's not writing a book about church history. John isn't giving, yeah, that's true. Peter was in Rome and he died upside down on a ...

John isn't necessarily giving all the details. That's not the focus of writing this gospel. John is recording what happened during the ministry of Christ.

But John does confirm that Peter died by crucifixion.

Again, Jesus said, you'll stretch out your hands. Clear reference to crucifixion. John says in verse 19, this he spoke signifying what death

Peter would glorify God. So the restoration of Peter, Jesus is once again making sure that Peter knows what he is signing up for.

From the start, Jesus told his followers that they were to take up their cross daily and follow him.

And Jesus told them where he was going. Jesus told the disciples on many occasions he must be betrayed, arrested, and be put to death.

So when Jesus says follow me and take up your cross and this is where I'm going, the disciples needed to be willing to face that as well.

And all of them did. Again, this is church tradition, but it's pretty well accepted that all of the apostles died a martyr's death, except John.

The term martyr, by the way, means to bear witness. And by dying a martyr's death, what did that do?

It proved that these men truly believed that Jesus had died and risen.

It truly showed they loved him and it proved, I believe it proves that Jesus had been risen from the dead.

People will die for a cause that they believe in. People will die for a false cause, for a bad cause, but they believe in it.

But nobody would die for a cause that they know is fraudulent.

So Peter, here's the thing, he not only followed Jesus for three and a half years, he followed Jesus to the cross.

The apostles would have known more than anyone whether or not Jesus rose from the dead and they were willing to follow him.

Why were they? Remember when Jesus was arrested, they all ran and hid, they were afraid, but after they saw the risen

Lord, they were willing to die. Why? Because they knew that death wasn't final. The fact that they were willing to die proves that they truly believed and they saw him, but they truly believed

Jesus had risen from the dead. Because of that, they were willing to follow him even unto death.

But where else did Jesus go? After he was risen from the dead, he ascended into heaven.

So Peter not only followed Jesus to the cross, he followed him to heaven.

And if we want to go to heaven, we must follow Jesus wherever he leads us.

Because that's where he is now and that's our final destination. If we have faith, heaven.

But where are we going to be led before we get to heaven is really the question. Revelation 2 verse 10 says,

Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested.

And you will have tribulation ten days. And here's the statement, Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

2 Timothy 3 verse 12 says, Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Now when it comes to martyrdom or dying for your faith, this is what Peter faced.

This is what the apostles faced, all except for John. So after hearing this news from Jesus about his death, verse 20,

Then Peter, he turns around and he sees John. He sees the disciple whom

Jesus loved, following, who also had leaned on his breast at the supper and said,

Lord, who is he who betrays you? And Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, but Lord, what about this man?

So you see what's happening. Jesus tells Peter, Peter, you're going to die by crucifixion.

And Peter looks and sees John over there. Yeah, well, Lord, what about him though?

I'm going to die a martyr's death. What about John? Is he going to die a martyr's death? And Jesus said, yeah,

Peter, don't, that's not your concern. You need to follow me. So Peter and John were very close.

We see this in the book of Acts. The two of them are often together. So John and Peter were very close friends, partners in ministry.

I don't know how a group of 12 guys, in a group, some people you're closer to than others.

Peter and John were close. I think that's pretty clear. But here's the thing, Jesus and John, I think we're closer.

Again, John is that disciple whom Jesus loved. Which tells you that John, out of all the disciples,

Peter may have been the leader, but John was the one closest to Christ.

He was the, and he was the only disciple who stood by Jesus as he hung on the cross.

To prove that further that John was closer to Jesus than anyone else, Jesus committed his mother

Mary to John's care. Remember, woman, behold thy son.

Thy son, behold thy mother. So now Mary is basically

John's mother. John is her son. He is responsible for her care. I don't think

Jesus is just playing favorites here, that John gets to escape a martyr's death.

I personally view this as John's reward for being faithful and standing with Jesus at the cross.

Peter, on the other hand, denied Jesus three times. All the other disciples, they ran and hid, they were in hiding, they did not, they were not with Jesus in that hour.

But John was. And I guess I can't be dogmatic about this, but I believe that John, because he was at the cross, he is rewarded with the longest life in ministry.

Just consider, if Peter died in the year 64 AD, John is writing his last book,

Revelation, around 90 to 95 AD. So even though Peter and John are friends, it's human nature for Peter to wonder and say, hey, what about John?

What's gonna happen to him? Is this just a genuine concern for John's wellbeing?

Maybe. Or Peter might be getting the idea that John's gonna get better treatment than me.

Maybe John's gonna escape this, and this doesn't seem fair. We don't really know what's in his mind.

We do see Jesus's response, and this is applicable to us as well. Jesus said to Peter, after he asked about John, he says, if I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?

In other words, Peter, if it's my will that John lives until my second coming, that's none of your concern.

You need to be concerned about following me. Then this saying, verse 23, went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die.

Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die. But if I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?

I don't know how many of you have seen the movie Indiana Jones and the

Holy Grail. Have you seen that movie? Remember at the end, he goes into the, is it Petra?

He goes into the city carved into the rock, and there's the man there guarding the grail.

Was that the apostle John? Wasn't that guy alive for, this is a movie, this is obviously false, it didn't really happen this way.

But wasn't there a guy guarding the grail that was like hundreds or thousands of years old?

Was that the apostle John? I don't know. But you see this rumor, maybe it was supposed to be, but this was the rumor that went out that John's never gonna die.

Peter asked, what about John? Jesus says, don't worry about it. If it be my will that he remain till my return, what is that to you?

And then this rumor got started amongst the disciples that John would never die. And yet John clarifies this.

He says, no, this is not actually what happened.

This was just a rumor. So John clarifies that no, that's not actually what

Jesus said. Verse 24, this is the disciple who testifies of these things and wrote these things.

And we know his testimony is true. So that's not exactly what

Jesus said, but that was the rumor. And before we close this study, we need to have that same attitude, don't we?

When we start looking around and wondering, we start thinking, well,

I have it bad, I have it rough. And then this is human nature to look at someone else and say,

Lord, I'm a Christian and I'm following you and I have all these issues and I'm going through all these things.

What about that person? And you look at someone else and you think, they're living on easy street.

Lord, this isn't fair. Have you ever done that? Lord, what about that person?

And again, I can't prove that that's what Peter was thinking. It sort of seems like it might've been what was going on.

But have you ever done that? You pray to God or maybe you just have that feeling, that thought, hey, this isn't fair.

I'm going through all of this, but this Christian, Lord, how come they have it so easy?

How come they have it so good? Well, you know what, if that's something that you have thought, you know what

Jesus's response would be. Well, I think we do know because it's the response that Jesus gave to Peter.

It's not really any of your concern. By the way, you don't really know whether or not that person has troubles.

It might not look like it on the surface, but you don't really know. But that's none of your concern.

What's Jesus saying? You need to be concerned about your own walk. That's none of your business.

What I do with them, you need to follow me.

So as we end this study, are you following him?

Are you learning? Are you growing? Are you faithfully serving as a member of a

Bible -believing church? The main reason John wrote, let's not forget, we saw back in chapter 20, verse 31, that these things are written.

This is why the gospel of John was penned. These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the

Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

So acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God, that is the first step. That Peter and John and the others, they made that decision three and a half years earlier.

And because they believed, they gave their lives to Jesus and they served him to the end.

You have that picture of the apostate who gives up, who falls away, that's Judas Iscariot.

But all the others, they loved Jesus and served him to the end. And I pray that would be the case for you.

Obviously, not everyone is called to pastoral ministry and not everyone and probably hardly anyone will face the opposition or certainly martyrdom as the disciples did.

But this is the mission for all of us, to cooperate with each other in the church, to make disciples, to baptize them, and to teach them all things that Christ commanded.

So are you doing that? Are you helping out? I pray that you would. The gospel of John ends with these words in verse 25.

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one,

I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.