So this is it, the final chapter and the conclusion for us before we break for 2 weeks. I’m almost certain that this is my 5th or 6th read-through of the Gospel of John and my first time teaching it all the way through; and I must say, because of this study, this has been the best year of my life bar none (tho in fairness past years have never been too special or spectral by any means but anyhow) so thank you all for your continuous support and encouragement it really does mean the most to me.

Like, I said its a 2-week break. So be thinking about how this study, or myself, can improve in any way at all. Also, leaders please be ready for one of y’all to teach sometime in late May. I should have our Ephesians study planned out by the end of April at the latest so y’all should have plenty of prep time beforehand, and I will send all that info out to you when it’s ready. Anyhow, on to our study.

Pray

Read the text.

So some scholars have attempted to argue that this chapter shouldn’t be in this Gospel; because they seem to think that this portion is so different from the previous 20 chapters of John. As per usual they’re wrong; because you can think of the chapter as an Epilogue with the comments on Peter as well as John’s emphasis on the meaning/interpretation of the text. So let\’s dive in.

21:1-14

21:1-4

21:3

We know from Luke’s gospel that they were given orders from Jesus to wait at Galilee for Him; it seems here the disciples are simply in a holding pattern while waiting for Him.

21:4

I know I’ve mentioned this before but it\’s really interesting to me how when people will have a “face-to-face” type encounter with God/Jesus and not know who it is.

It makes me wonder how often God will be showing Himself to us or working in our lives and we just never see it or know it.

So with that, let me ask this question: How do we see or know God in the day-to-day mundanity of life? (Or to phrase it another way in more Cultural Christian terms: How do we feel the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives?)

I think John might have the answer to that question in 21:7. He knew it was the Lord based on His word and the truth thereof. Likewise, with us. The more we know of the bible the more in begins to affect and change our hearts so that we are more and more “in-tune” (if you will) with God and the movement/working of His Spirit within our everyday lives.

21:6

There’s definitely a lesson to be learned here; what do y’all think it might be?

We must not only be considered with doing things for Jesus but also with/under His power as well. Even our very best efforts are nothing without Him working with us. We could not raise ourselves from the deadness of our sin; we likewise cannot cut off our right hand without Him; let alone save souls or bring about a revival.

21:7

Let\’s focus on Peter here for a minute. Think of another time when someone put on clothes/covered themselves to meet the Lord.

I think here we may have a repeat of Genesis 3; where our first parents put on “clothes” to cover themselves. Do y’all know why they did that?

To cover their shame/guilt. I think Peter is doing likewise here. He still feels guilty over his 3 rejections of his Lord. And the Lord is about to rectify that guilt.

21:9

Where else has fire been mentioned in relation to Peter?

At his rejections. Like I said, a moment of redemption is about to transpire for Peter.

21:10-14

Brief aside: In preparation for this study, I listened to a sermon by the late R.C Sproul entitled “Breakfast by the Seashore” which sounds like a perfect name for a little mom-pop restaurant on the beach. So should any of you feel so included to ever open a restaurant I highly recommend “Breakfast by the Seashore” as its name. And I will be one of your most frequent customers and, beyond Sushi, I don’t even care much for seafood. Though I do request that you have a smoking section. Anyhow, now back to the study.

At verse 13, whats that remind y’all of?

Communion, obviously. The follower of Christ gathered around eating in the presence of the Lord. And that’s just what we do at our communions here at service. We celebrate and enjoy the presence of the Lord with us in our life. (Not that we believe the bread and wine/juice contain Christ at all. But He is still none the less there with us at communion).

21:15-19

What do y’all think this passage is about?

Peter had a 3-fold rejection, he must now have a 3-fold redemption.

For this section, the English language fails us. Let me explain:

In 21:15 & 16 Christ uses the word “agapo”, another form of the word “agape”. Here, it would mean to “love in the heart”

Whereas in 21:17 Christ uses the word “phielo” which would be to love in the head/love founded in and springing forth in fair.

Given this, why do y’all think Jesus might have used these words in this order in His discussion with Peter?

This is something God has been showing me lately: We must love Christ in the heart before we love Him in the head. That is, we must be given a new heart, as one prophet puts it, a heart of flesh- able to feel and have its affections for God stirred up before the head can even engage in any kind of goodwill/love toward God.

In short, Christ is to be the object of affection within the heart before there can be any affection within the head. (affections in the heart for the person of Christ Himself before any affection for the study (and love of studying) of Christ.)

Now, with that said, how do we gain this affection/love in heart for Christ?

Answer: How else do you grow in love for anyone? Be with them. IE Communion with Him.

\”Love (Noun and Verb):

and the corresponding noun agape (B, No. 1 below) present \”the characteristic word of Christianity, and since the Spirit of revelation has used it to express ideas previously unknown, inquiry into its use, whether in Greek literature or in the Septuagint, throws but little light upon its distinctive meaning in the NT.

\”Agape and agapao are used in the NT

(a) to describe the attitude of God toward His Son, Jhn 17:26; the human race, generally, Jhn 3:16; Rom 5:8; and to such as believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, particularly, Jhn 14:21;

(b) to convey His will to His children concerning their attitude one toward another, Jhn 13:34, and toward all men, 1Th 3:12; 1Cr 16:14; 2Pe 1:7;

(c) to express the essential nature of God, 1Jo 4:8.

\”Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God\’s love is seen in the gift of His Son, 1Jo 4:9, 10. But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects, Rom 5:8. It was an exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself, Cp. Deu 7:7, 8.

\”Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments, Jhn 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; 1Jo 2:5; 5:3; 2Jo 1:6. Self-will, that is, self-pleasing, is the negation of love to God.

\”Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all, Rom 15:2, and works no ill to any, 13:8-10; love seeks opportunity to do good to \’all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith,\’ Gal 6:10. See further 1 Cor. 13 and Col 3:12-14.”

-In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant “love” and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential \”love\” in them towards the Giver, and a practical \”love\” towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver.

-The context itself indicates that agapao in the first two questions suggests the \”love\” that values and esteems (cp. Rev 12:11). It is an unselfish \”love,\” ready to serve. The use of phileo in Peter’s answers and the Lord’s third question, conveys the thought of cherishing the object above all else, of manifesting an affection characterized by constancy, from the motive of the highest veneration.” (https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G25&t=ESV).

21:18

What’s it mean when Jesus says, “feed my sheep”?

If communion with Him is how we are to grow, and we grow physically via sustenance, then I think it reasonably follows that we are feed/grown by knowing/seeing/taught/Jesus Christ.

So what’s Jesus talking about in the rest of verse 18?

Peter’s dead. Given the juxtaposition of the command “feed my sheep” and John’s commentary “…He said this to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God” I think from these verses we can conclude that Peter was killed/martyred for his teachings on Christ. But we know that from basic Church history anyhow.

Talk to me about this: what does it mean to glorify God in death?

“for me to live is Christ and die is gain” (Phil. 1:21) IE We live for Christ now and reap those benefits/treasures afterward.

21:20-25

Given this whole passage, what do y’all think John’s main point here is?

The importance of finding the meaning in the text. (That is, the importance of letting the text speak for itself).

That said, how does one find the meaning of a text?

We read the text in order to discover the author’s intent. John had a purpose for writing this Gospel; we, the reader, are therefore tasked with the duty/privilege to find that intent and let it take effect within our lives. John, here, ends how he began; emphasizing the importance of truth.

21:25

What do y’all think John means here?

It seems he speaks of the glory/honor that Christ is so full of that the world doesn’t have space to fully speak of.

Have y’all ever heard the argument that “oh well, Heaven will be boring so I meant as well go to Hell and have fun”?

I have. There\’s a reason eternity is eternity. Because it will simply take that long to exhaustively know the glory of Christ. Our Wednesday night studies are, at their very best, a mere stepping stone to that glory, that communion that we will have with Christ forever.

So to conclude: Let us live excited, joyful as we are heaven-bound in this life; knowing that the Father is not slow in keeping His promises to us. He promised a Messiah to redeem us, seek us and to keep us and to treasure us and we continue to treasure Him in our everyday lives.

Talk to me about the Resurrection. What is it? And why does it matter?

Jesus died for His Church/was killed by the Romans and Jews as clearly seen in the last chapter. No one could have survived what Jesus went through. The Resurrection is Jesus raising back to life in a new/eternal/spiritual body. This matters because

1) It proves Jesus as the Christ

2) It proves His divinity

3) It proves His teachings as legit/true.

Practically speaking, without the Resurrection there would be no Ascension/Him returning to The Father in His new/spiritual body.

In very short, this means that the Ascended Jesus

1) Intercedes for us, even this very second, to be made more like Him (sanctification) and that we endure all trials and suffering in this life and

2) for The Father to send out the Spirit to save/redeem others. Also, when we are downcast and opposed by our sin we have a friend to go to in our time of sorrow and need who understands what we’re going through more than even we do.

IE Jesus Christ accomplished His work on the cross by taking on the wrath of God for our sin; Jesus now aides in applying that accomplished work to our lives.

So let\’s dive into the text and see what effects (impact of the action) and effects (results) that the Resurrection had on the disciples.

20:1-10

20:1-2

What was Mary’s initial reaction to the empty tomb?

She thought that His body was “taken away”. By this, we can assume grave robbers were a not so uncommon occurrence in this time.

So Mary didn’t believe directly upon sight of the empty tomb?

Yes, correct.

If anything, this shows how utter reliant on God-man is for salvation and the importance of the risen Christ still working in and through us to save people. Apart from this, no one would believe.

20:2-10

20:2

Speculate for a moment: What do y’all think John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) and Peter were discussing?

I’ll bet y’all that they were consoling each other over the death of Christ. But I wonder, given 20:8, if they were debating if the Christ was to rise.

20:3-10

20:4

It interesting how many little jabs that John as thrown at Peter throughout his gospel. This seems to be one of them-that John outran Peter and got there first.

20:4-8

What do y’all think the significance of the “linen cloths lying there” and “the face cloth…folded up in a place by itself”?

No one is fully certain what the significance of these is. But, we can draw a few insights from this:

1) The clothes were still there meaning that grave robbers are unrealistically unlikely for the explanation of Jesus’ body disappearance

2) The facecloth was folded. Someone commentaries seem to think that folding a napkin at the dinner table was a sign of their intent to return to the table.

Thus, it\’s possible that Jesus here signals His intent to return to His followers. The folded cloth also shows that grave robbers are furthermore unrealistically likely (because why bother folding a cloth when stealing a body.

Moreover, John saw all this and believed. Whatever the fuller meaning to this the intention of it all is to cause believe within the person.

20:11-18

20:11-15

20:13

Why was Mary weeping?

Sorrow over her Lord’s body being taken, or so she thought.

Why do y’all think the angels were there anyhow?

I wish the text said which way there were facing but, assuming they were facing inward let me ask this question: what do y’all know about the Ark of the Covenant? Moreover, what was contained in it?

Ark of the Covenant is the gold-plated wooden chest in the OT times housed the 2 tablets of the Law that was given to Moses by God. The Art rested in the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem and was seen only by the high priest of the Israelites on the Day of Atonement.

And the Ark contained the 10 commandments, Aaron’s budded Staff/Rod, and a Jar of Manna (bread from Heaven).

Heres why I say all of this: If the angels were facing both inward then we have a symbolic repeat of the Ark of the Covenant. Christ being the fulfillment of the Law, The true head of Israel that was chosen by God, and bread of eternal life.

Expect that all of these things are bound up in Christ and Christ is no longer in the tomb; therefore we can assume that this means that the Ark (which Hebrews tells us is a sign of what is to come) is fulfilled in Jesus Christ that He is the true of Ark of a new, superior covenant with His people if you will.

So, in very short, the Angels were there to be, in essence, Angels or Messengers of this great fulfillment of prophesy.

20:14-16

20:14

It’s unclear why she didn’t recognize Him; perhaps the tears in her eyes because of her extreme sorrow. We just don’t know.

20:15

For a second time by a spiritual being she’s asked the question, “why are you weeping?”. It is apparent to these spiritual beings that this is no time for weeping but joy.

20:16

At one word, at the utterance of her name by her Lord, all of her weeping immediately turned to joy. As the Psalmist writes, “Lord, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.” (18:28).

20:17

What do y’all think Jesus means here?

“Don’t cling” as in “Mary I’m not gone yet. You need not hold me tight. I’m still here and am not going just yet.”

2 quick rants for y’all:

Credit where credit is due to the Catholics actually has a “feast of the ascension” to celebrate the ascension of Christ. I would def encourage y’all to research and meditate further on the ascension.

Second rant: it is worth noting that some modern scholars, read Heretics, will use this passage and try to make the augment that Jesus and Mary had some kind of either romantic or sexual relations together. They are fools no doubt because no one is church history has come away with that interception because the text simply doesn’t mean that. Jesus is encouraging her in a loving manner in her grieve now joy over His resurrection.

I say this, simple to encourage y’all to take the word, the reading and study thereof here at bible study and within your personal lives with earnestness. There are snakes in the grass ready, willing, and able to strike at the weak. You, as a believer, are to viscerally hate their doctrine and their effects that it has on your weaker brethren because of your love for God and man and Church. You have been given, by God, the duty and the privilege to combat these snakes whenever they open their lips and blasphemy against your Lord. As the ancient Hebrew war cry goes, “be strong and of good courage” not because of your own power, intellect but because you go with and fight by the power of God. As 2 Peter 2 describes these snakes will not be around forever and their end of hellfire and damnation is indeed just.

So, while we’re on the topic, how do you private life go? Are you in the study of the word and prayer regularly?

I ask this, because of 20:18

“I have seen the Lord” upon an encounter with the Lord one is simply not the same. If we are to love the Lord and follow His commands we must be with Him and know Him daily; this is also our duty and privilege.

20:19-23

20:19

Why do y’all think the disciples were in “fear of the Jews”?

20:20

Why were the disciples “glad” at the Christ showing them His hand and side?

Glad for proof of life and redemption that they had all been waiting for.

And def notice the pattern here: “Peace” through His broken body produces gladness in the disciples.

20:21

“so I am sending you”

would y’all say that Christ was successful in His ministry?

Yes. He accomplished the work that was set out for Him.

Why was He successful?

Because He operated under God’s power through the word.

Here, Christ says that the success of our ministry is based upon His succession in His ministry.

Christ didn’t fail then. Therefore, you won’t fail now.

20:22-23

Here we have an interesting text. What is happening here?

So the disciples receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and not here. What we think is happening here is that Jesus is acting out as prophesy what is to come on the day of Pentecost.

and the meaning of 20:23 is that Jesus doesn’t transfer the right to forgive sins- this is His by right of His divinity. Rather, He gives Church leaders authority to discern the life of a professing believer and proclaim, insofar as they can see, that such a person is in a state of salvation. When they hear a credible profession of faith and see Christian fruit in a person’s life, they can with confidence confirm that the person has been forgiven by God.

So, in very short, unforgiveness does not exist within the forgiven.

20:24-29

20:24-26

Why do y’all think Thomas didn’t believe his friends’ testimony?

“eight days later”

What do y’all think the disciples discussed and debated those eight days?

20:27

Be encouraged at this. It is truly awesome at how far the Lord is willing to go to retrieve those who are His. He, likewise, will go to even greater lengths to get and keep you.

20:28

The highest statement by a man of Jesus in John’s gospel. Once more, it\’s awesome (literally) how such a deep doubter and be made into such a great believer.

20:29

Are you blessed according to this verse?

Yes.

So what\’s it mean to be blessed?

Literally, “oh how happy”. It is the expression of man when He is looked upon favorably by God.

20:30-31

20:30

What’s John referring to here?

The other 3 Gospels.

I asked this question when we first looked at the passage, but I’ll ask again: what\’s it mean to believe?

To trust and obey for sure. But to believe is to with all your being desire and treasure above all else. That\’s belief.

So how does belief, treasuring Christ, above all else grant us life?

To contrast, the unbeliever doesn’t believe and therefore doesn’t have life because they only have their sin (and slavery thereto).

Paul, as we’ll see here in a few weeks in Ephesians, says that the unbeliever is “dead” in his sin and Christ raises them up to life. Our belief is by God and, therefore, so is our life. We are alive to God and dead to sin (as Paul says in Romans). Man, in Eden, was alive but due to sin death overcame everything and we were cast out away from God (but I repeat myself) but now we have God in us once more and therefore, life.

• 19:1-11

1. It was common that Roman criminals would be beaten/flogged prior to their trail to try and get them to confess any other crimes committed. Thus, the flogging further establishes Jesus\’ innocence.
2. I think Paul speaks on this in Philippians 2:4-10, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the (1) form of God, (2) did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but (3) emptied himself, by (4) taking the form of a servant, (5) being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being  (6) found in human form, he (7) humbled himself by (8) becoming obedient to the (9) point of death, even (10) death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee stud bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,…” So, Jesus was beaten/flogged because He was being obedient to The Father, even in suffering. And His great suffering gained Him His great exaltation/honor. 
3. Or to put it another way: Hebrews 5:8, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. Christ was sinless.

• 19:12-17

• 19:17-22

• 19:23-27

• 19:28-37