05-05-2019 – Jesus’ Final Words to Peter

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5.05.19 ~ John 21:15-25,

Jesus’ Final Words to Peter

Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “What does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good.” (Mark 12:30-31)
Read John 21:15-17... Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him; twice with agapaó, once with phileó.
Peter all three times answers with phileó.
Jesus wants Peter to care for, feed and shepherd His sheep [“pasture My lambs”]. As an under shepherd (1Peter 5:2), Christ is Chief Shepherd (1Peter 5:4).
Read John 21:18-25... Jesus tells Peter that in the future, he will be taken prisoner and crucified.
Then Jesus says to him, “Follow Me!”
In Christ’s death He brought glory to the Father; in Peter’s death he will bring glory to God.
Peter turns around, sees John, then asks Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him’? Jesus says to Peter, what does it matter to you if I want John to stick around longer, it is really none of your business. “You just follow Me!”
Some people thought that John would not die at all. But that is not what Jesus said or meant, in fact, John died at the end of the first century, in exile.
Actually, John was Peter’s companion, from the Day of Pentecost through the first part of the book of Acts, as they were constant companions.
John was eyewitness to the things he has written about and is basically saying, “It’s the truth.”
In John 20:31, we are given the reason for this record of Jesus’ life and ministry, “These things have been written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing might have life in His name.”
John closes his (John 21:25) gospel with, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”
John was not omniscient, he was just a man who love and served the Lord. He had no idea about the fascinating technological future of the world, with internet, Google Search, and the Cloud.
John didn’t know about that, but he did know that if everything Jesus ever did was written out in full, and everything He ever said was recorded, the world wouldn’t be able to contain the full story.
But you know, one day we will be with the Lord in heaven, and we will have an eternity to ponder these things. But for now, we have God’s marvelous, supernatural, and authoritative revelation to us in the 66 Books of the Bible, along with His Holy Spirit who lives in us, protects us, provides for us, and works to conform us to the character and nature of God’s Son, as He reveals the thoughts and intents of our hearts.
In our Lord’s last words to Peter, we are made aware of God’s great and merciful love for all of His sheep.
Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, and raised from the dead to demonstrate the eternal life, which is given to everyone who repents of sin, confessing Christ as Lord, believing in Him as Savior.