#1542 John 21 Part 2 When You Grow Old

 

15 So when they had finished breakfast, 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.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” 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.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, “Follow Me!”

Jesus’ Command to Follow Him

20 Peter, turning around, *saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 So Peter seeing him *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” 23 Therefore this saying went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his witness is true.

25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they *were written one after the other, I suppose that even the world itself *could not contain the books that *would be written. John 21: 15-25 LSB

John 21: 15-25

…33Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.” 34“Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “ this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.… Matthew 26: 33-35

Simon - Jesus had given him a different name long before this, Peter, Petra, the Rock, but Peter wasn't being a Rock, wasn't being the leader yet that God intended. He often relied on his own strength, his will, his ability and resolve, but this was being broken. 

31Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33“Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death.”…

34But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”… Luke 22: 31-34

21From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” 23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”… Matthew 16: 21-23

V. 15b Do you love Me more than these - More than what? He was supposed to be waiting patiently at the mountain where Jesus had sent him, but here he was, with his boat, his nets, his other gear, and so Jesus is asking, "do you love Me more than fishing, more than this life, more than the comforts of your old routine?" I think it's important to remember what happened very recently; he had denied the Lord three times, and that after boasting about his unwavering devotion. I have always been guilty of picturing myself upon certain pedestals, only telling the parts of stories that kept that image up, but leaving out the parts of my own denial. Every time I sin I express doubt, unbelief in what God has said to do or not to do. Every wave of anxiety I have embraced, every time I have said "if" to God, rather than "yes Sir", I have denied God His right over His creature. He is the Potter, not I, and so laugh at Peter all you want, but your probably only expressing how out of touch with your own self you are. His ego was bruised, and he was supposed to be a leader, and men naturally followed him, but here he was, wanting to take them where he thought he would look better, but they didn't catch anything until Jesus showed up. This is the kind of failure that one needs to be able to see themselves. It's also clear that it is God Who calls, God Who prepares the one He calls, and God Who keeps us. Peter didn't mind talking or giving orders, he was always the first one to talk. He did hate being patient, which is strange for a fisherman. It's like hurry up to get to the place where I can take a nap. He is lazy, yet boisterous at times, probably a brawler, obviously an egotist, but now he is stuck under the weight of so many failures. He can't even catch fish anymore.  

Vs. 15c -17 Tend My lambs...shepherd My sheep...tend My sheep...Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "do you love Me" - Thrice he denied so thrice he is asked. Remember, like many of us, Peter usually answers too quickly, but certainly this is sinking in. Often in doubting myself I have come to rely more on Christ. Jesus had called Peter a ways back, and told him he would now be a fisher of men, that was his call to the ministry, but since then Peter has seen some things that have shaken him. The earthly reign of Christ is further off than he had hoped, his own resolve had been tested and found wanting. He saw Jesus fix His face like a flint and walk to the cross unwavering, and Peter thought he wouldn't waver, thought he would be faithful to death, but instead he got to see a view of himself that he never would have believed. What a calling this is, and now he is starting understand gravity, the weight of that position, that it is not about his strength or cleverness. The world always tells you, "just believe in yourself", but he is being called through the lens of self doubt, and Jesus is tying to this whether or not Peter loves Him. He saw what Jesus was willing to do for His sheep, and honestly, it's just not in him, or me, or you, and it's breaking him.

12This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends if you do what I command you.… John 15: 12-14

Vs. 18-19 And bring you where you do not wish to go - Jesus knows what's going on in Peter's head, and he makes it even more clearer to him. "Imagine what you don't want to do, and that is what in the end I am calling you to do." He was letting him know, yeah, you don't mind a fist fight down at the docks over who gets to park their boat here, that stuff doesn't scare you. You don't mind the good stuff, like walking into the kingdom right now, leading an army that is guaranteed a swift victory, "but if you follow Me then you are going to be a martyr, and I am telling you, follow Me." Democrats would never run a campaign like that, where's the free stuff? God offers us eternity and we pretend that we understand but then run back to our boats, our houses, our cars, our jobs, and try to squeeze as much out of this life as we can. Jesus is calling him to serve others, to lead them to the pastures of sound doctrine and the testimony of lives that are pleasing to God. It goes against everything in us, it's anti-American, it's forgetting to ask me what I want to do, what I like, or how I feel, it's so narrow.

iv. “Ancient writers state that, about thirty-four years after this, Peter was crucified; and that he deemed it so glorious a thing to die for Christ that he begged to be crucified with his head downwards, not considering himself worthy to die in the same posture in which his Lord did. So Eusebius, Prudentius, Chrysostom, and Augustin.” (Clarke)

v. “Jerome says, that ‘he was crowned with martyrdom under Nero, being crucified with his head downwards and his feet upwards, because he alleged himself to be unworthy of being crucified in the same manner as his Lord.’” (Alford)

Vs. 20 -22 What is that to you? You follow Me!!! - Peter understood the nature of the call now, and it isn't pretty. You may go to Ligoniers and think, "yeah, I want to be a preacher like that, esteemed by men like that, sound in my teaching, invited to question and answer sessions, sitting on a stage with men who are considered to be godly. I like wearing nice suits, having a fine library, traveling, going to dinner with dignitaries." Peter probably enjoyed the comradery, walking with Jesus, seeing miracles, the excitement, but Jesus is telling you to follow Him when He is no longer physically, visibly in front of you, and you are going to treated like He was, murdered. So what about my friend John there, the disciple you love, Mr. happy, is he going to be murdered too? What's it to you? Are you going to go into a rant now about fair and unfair? Is it going to somehow make you feel better when you are hanging from the cross?, "yeah, at least I know John is going to have to go through this too." There are preachers who have had long, incredible ministries by the world's standards, and there are some who gave their whole lives, were sickly, hungry, hated, penniless, and to top it all off, they never even saw a single convert through their ministry, yet they planted so much. They still brought glory to God, even in their hardship. God doesn't need Peter, and I think Peter is coming to that, and will grow in that knowledge. Don't worry about what God gives someone else, don't stress somebody else's talent, be happy for them, help them, sharpen each other along the way, but keep Christ as the focus. 

…29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must increase; I must decrease. 31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.… John 3: 29-31

V. 23 This disciple would not die - John clarifies this passage about himself because people are so quick to run with the wrong message. 

V. 25 Could not contain the books that would be written - The gospels tell us much, but Christ did so much more than what could ever be written down. It changed these men's lives, it proved them cowards and then remade them into bravest among us. It took their arrogance and exchanged it for servitude. They went from wanting war with others, to warring against their own sin. They went from disobedient to repentant, from weak in themselves to strong in the Spirit of God. Their witness has stretched across the ages, some unknown fishermen, a tax collector, a bunch of rednecks from Galilee, who would have thought?