How Does Jesus Address our Failures?
John 20:1-31
April 2, 2017
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
And that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31
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John 21 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did
not realize that it was Jesus.
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He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.
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He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”
When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number
of fish.
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Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as
Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment
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around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other
disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from
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shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning
coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
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Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So
Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of
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large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them,
“Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?”
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They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them,
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and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to
his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
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When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of
John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
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Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
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The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He
said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
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Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, 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
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do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter
would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
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Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following
them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and
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had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked,
“Lord, what about him?”
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Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to
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you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the
believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not
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die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
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The New International Version. (2011): Zondervan.
1. Gone Fishing
John 21:1-14
“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Verse 3
A. Doing what they know should work
A default position
It wasn’t a spontaneous decision
Verses 1-3
B. Doing what they know shouldn’t work
Verses 4-6
Fishing outside the zone
Luke 5:4-11
Jesus makes things happen
C. Recognizing Jesus
Verses 7-10
John sees and Peter acts
Peter is intent on reaching Jesus
Intuitively clothing himself Genesis 3: 6-11
Jumps out of the boat John 6:16-24?
Nonverbal Luke 5:8
Jesus is tending burning coals Verse 9
Burning Coals ἀνθρακιά (anthrakia) A Greek noun used only twice in the NT (John 18:18;
21:9) It is a charcoal fire. The usage in John 18:18 is critically important.
Translated: NIV, Burning Coals; ESV, NASB, NLT, Charcoal Fire; NKJV, KJV, Fire of Coals
D. Recognizing something more
Verses 11-14
Net did not tear Luke 5:6
Bread and Fish with Jesus John 6:1-13
Luke 24:30, 31 Jesus on the Road to Emmaus
A third visit
Third τρίτος (tritos), τρίτον (triton) A Greek adjective used 56 times in the NT; 7 in MT, 3 in
MK, 10 in Lk and only 4 in John three of those occur in verses 21:14, 17. It means third.
John’s depiction of Peter John 13:37, 38; 18:16, 17; 18:25-27
2. Following Jesus
John 21:15-25
Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
Then he said to him, “Follow me!” Verse 19
A. Fishing or Following
More than these? Fishing or Disciples
How much do you love me?
Verse 15
B. Three questions
Verses 15-17
Motivated by Love
Mission is to Feed and nourish Jesus’ Sheep
Followers of Jesus are the sheep – John 10:11-18
C. A new Prediction
Peter will die not deny
Peter will follow not fish
Verses 18, 19
D. Tying up some loose ends
Verses 20-25
A rumour about John
John is an eyewitness
This gospel is not exhaustive but is enough (John 20:31)
How does Jesus address our failures?
He knows about them before we do
He does not ignore them
Denial, Concealment, Minimizing or Normalization
He forgives, challenges and empowers us to do and be better
Calls us back to obedience
Gives a better picture of what obedience looks like
Following is our mission
Background Information
Is there any significance to the number 153?
Option 1: Not much more than: Can you believe it? I wonder how many there are?
Option 2: There is some hidden or special meaning: There is some interesting math related to 153 that
has not gone unnoticed over the centuries.
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14+15+16+17=153
153 has a triangular relationship to 17
1+5+3=9 which = 3x3 Three being an important number in John
Jerome and Augustine worked long and hard to find an allegorical meaning to the number. Some
interesting ideas related to 17 as 10 + 7 being important symbolic numbers. Like 10 commandments and
a sevenfold spirit. Or 50 and 100 and 3 have significance (3 for trinity). Or in John 6 where we have 5
loaves and 12 baskets = 17 but then you need to ignore the fish even though we are counting them
here. There has been speculation that 153 fish was the total number of species of fish known, however
that is not accurate as the number seems to have been 157.
A number equal letters (a = 1) situation (gematria like John uses 666 for in Revelation). 153 becomes
something like ‘the church of love’ or ‘the children of God’. There is even a reverse gematria (z = 1) that
finds the Greek work ichthus (fish) which was an early acronym for ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour’. 2
Frankly I’m not sure I understand the math or the logic with most of the solutions. While this stuff is
esoterically interesting it is best to be sure we concentrate on the clear things in the Bible rather than
chasing down curious details with even curiouser interpretations. Option 1 is PT’s preference.
What should we make of the variety of words used as Jesus and Peter have their conversation?
They could be full of meaning and significance or simply be synonyms.
15) Jesus: Do you love (agapao) me? Peter: I love (phileo) you.
16) Jesus: Do you love (agapao) me? Peter: I love (phileo) you.
17) Jesus: Do you love (phileo) me? Peter: I love (phileo) you.
Feed (basko)
my lambs (arnion)
Tend (poimaino) my sheep (probaton)
Feed (basko) my sheep (probaton)
Option 1: They may be full of extra meaning and significance
Option 2: They are synonyms but the three-peat is important
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For a fuller treatment see George Beasley Murray John: Word Biblical Commentary, Word Publishing 1987, pages 400-404.
While it may be tempting to load layers of meaning to John’s word usage here. He has not shown in the
rest of the Gospel of John any real difference in usage of the two terms translated for love. Connect the
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three denials and the three questions as a commission to look after the flock.
Other synonyms or near synonyms are used interchangeably both in the immediate context—“lambs” (v.
15) and “sheep” (vv. 16, 17), “tend” (vv. 15, 17), and “shepherd” (v. 16)—and in the wider context:
“drawing” (vv. 6, 11) and “dragging” (v. 8), live “fish” (vv. 6, 8, 11) and “fish” as food (vv. 9, 13; also v. 5),
“boat” (vv. 3, 6) and little “boat” (v. 8). The accent in Peter’s reply, therefore, is not on the choice of verbs
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but on the omission of the phrase “more than these.”
Life Group Questions or for Personal Reflection
Your Life Group experience will be enhanced by jotting questions or insights in the notes or questions
If you miss a Sunday you can listen to the message and get the notes in the messages tab at mefc.ca
Beginning: Welcome, Fellowship and Opening Prayer
1. What insight, idea, question or principle from Sunday’s message did you find
most helpful, eye opening or troubling?
2. How does pride or embarrassment prevent people from dealing with sin?
Studying:
3. Peter and 6 others went fishing when they didn’t know what else to do. What
is your ‘default’ position when you are uncertain about God’s leading or
direction in your life. Did they have other instructions? (John 20:21)
4. Look at Matthew 4:20 and fishing versus following. What has changed?
5. Jesus a non-fishing person, gives fishing advice to fisher men here and in
Luke 5:1-11. Where has or does Jesus seem to ask you to do something
you normally would not think is a very smart idea?
6. Review John’s depiction of Peter John 13:37, 38; 18:16, 17; 18:25-27.
Compare it to Luke 22:54-62. Why would John not include Peter’s emotional
state after the denials? It seems strange there has been no reaction or
acknowledgement by Peter or others regarding his behaviour.
7. Read John 14:15. What does Jesus say about loving him?
8. Read John 10:1-11. Compare that to John 18:16, 17, 25-27.
Applying:
9. How does Jesus deal with our sin? Does he simply make it go away or does
he make us own it and learn from it, challenge us and then forgive us? What
sin have you learned from? What is Jesus challenging you to learn from?
10. Peter is told he will die for Jesus. What is harder being willing to die or being
willing to live for him now and no matter what?
Praying:
13. Pray for the person you would like to invite to the Easter Sunday Service.
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Adapted by PT from D A Carson holds the synonym view and explains it well in Pillar, The Gospel According to John, Eerdmans, 1991, pages 675-678.
Edited by PT from Michaels, J. R. NICNT, The Gospel of John, Eerdmans, 2010, page 1043.