Allen Laben - Class 5: Restoration (Exhortation)

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   Brother Alan Laban will continue in his subject this weekend on the story of the Apostle Peter. And his exhortation this morning is entitled Restoration. Brother Alan.

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   Hello again and good morning. Just one minute as I get wired. Can you hear me? Excellent. Well, once again, thank you for having my sister wife Tara and I out. It's been a really delightful weekend to gather around God's Word, to share in fellowship, and look at the example of Peter.

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   Also, as was mentioned previously, if you do want some more information on these subjects, feel free to put your email address down. There's an additional timeline that goes along with this class that kind of shows the harmony of the post-resurrection accounts, as well as some additional references for your further study. So, if you'd like some of that information, feel free to put your email address down and we'll get that to you.

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   So, after we go through the accounts of Peter's denial and we move to the end of the four gospel records, the narratives diverge again, right? They kind of center in around the episode of Jesus' death and resurrection, but then the narrative ends a little bit differently. When we reach John's gospel in our opening reading from John 21, we read about a unique episode that's not recorded in the other gospels.

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   Matthew ends his gospel record with the eleven disciples up in Galilee again, on a mountain where they received the Great Commission to go and to teach all nations, and a promise that Jesus would be with them even unto the end of the world. And if we flip over to Mark's account, Mark ends in a similar fashion.

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   Over in Mark 16, Jesus appears to them as they eat a meal, and exhorts them to go and preach the gospel to every creature. Then Jesus ascends into heaven, and the gospel closes in Mark with the disciples going around and doing just that, going out to preach. In Luke's closing, after talking about the account of the two that encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus, we read of Jesus meeting the disciples where he opened their understanding.

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   And as a result, they were told they needed to go and share the understanding they had now with all the nations beginning at Jerusalem. And then Luke closes with them doing just that. Praising God in the temple and witnessing to what they had come to understand. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we all have the disciples preaching the gospel, looking to tell all nations every creature beginning at Jerusalem.

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   But in John's gospel, we have a different close to the account. First off, the location is different. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they're all on land, and John's out in the water again. The audience is different. Rather than the eleven disciples plus other followers, we are limited to just seven in John chapter 21, verse 2.

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   And most of the chapters specifically devoted just to one, to Peter's conversation with Jesus. Also, the tenor of the narrative in John 21 is different as well. While all four gospels trace a path from fear and doubt to reassurance and joy, John's account focuses more on the process of recovery and restoration in a way that we don't see in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

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    And also that great commission, that evangelistic component to preach the gospel to all nations is not as prominent in John's close as it is in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Matthew, Mark, and Luke speak of proclaiming and preaching and speaking the truth and the accompanying miraculous signs. But John talks more about pastoral care in terms of feeding and caring and tending for those in the flock.

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    Instead of the great commission of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in John we have the great restoration. And that will be what we're looking at for the subject of our exhortation. In John's final chapter, we are going to see the resolution of the crisis we left Peter in at the close of those three denials.

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    It's the story of Peter's recovery after the account of his fall. And we'll see in this lesson that the righteous man is not the one who never falls, but instead the one who gets up time and again. If you want to put a cross-reference next to John chapter 21, make it over to Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 16 where the wise man wrote, Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.

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    The righteous aren't defined by their lack of failure, but their persistence in knowing they can get up once again. So by the time we reach John 21, Jesus has appeared several times already. Two of the occurrences are actually recorded earlier in John. John records how Mary Magdalene met Jesus in the garden, and then Matthew, Mark, and Luke share how the other women encountered Jesus as well and afterwards run and told the disciples.

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    That same day when Jesus was raised, he also appeared on the two to the road to Emmaus. And also on that first day, there's a meeting that Jesus has with Peter. It's only alluded to briefly. If you want to make a reference from John 21 over to Luke 24, 34, we have that little comment, The Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon.

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    And we have no other mention of that outside of a brief reference over in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 5, where Paul is recounting the various activities of Christ after his resurrection. But no doubt, Peter's denial would have been a subject of that conversation. It's interesting that that initial meeting between Jesus and Peter on the day of Jesus' resurrection has no details recorded for us.

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    And perhaps it's a reminder for all of us of the sensitivity of situations where we are called to restore a repentant sinner. Nothing was recorded or repeated about that meeting, though I think we can be sure that it's content focused on bringing Peter back into the fold. Going on after that first day of the resurrection, that evening Jesus appeared to the 11 disciples, less Thomas, and then eight days later he would appear again with Thomas present.

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    Mark notes another appearance leading up to John 21, where the disciples sat at table. And 1 Corinthians 15 also alludes to a meeting that Jesus had with James, his half-brother. But all of those appearances, from the first day all the way up to the eighth, were surprises. And no one was, he didn't announce these in advance, except for the appearance that we see in John 21.

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    That one was foretold. When Jesus had spoken to Mary Magdalene and his mother in the garden, he told them to tell his disciples that they should go up to Galilee. Go tell my brethren, Jesus said, that they go into Galilee and there they shall see me, over in Matthew 28, verse 10. And Mark's account of that adds the additional note that when the angel talked to Mary and Martha, there was a specific mention made for Peter, an appeal just to him.

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    Mark 16, verse 7, But go your way and tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. There ye shall see him, as he said unto you. Thus, as we get to John chapter 21, the disciples are heading back up that road to Galilee, north, just as Jesus commanded. And here we find Peter at the lead of the group.

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    They're headed to a familiar setting by the Sea of Galilee. John 21 refers to it, though, you'll notice by its Roman name. It's not called the Sea of Galilee there in verse 1. It's called the Sea of Tiberias. Something he did back in John chapter 6, verse 1 as well. A foreboding indication that there was going to be another test about to come.

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    As we get to John 21, verse 2 and 3, the first thing we'll notice as we move to these verses is that not all the disciples are there. Instead of 11, here we have 7. And interesting, look at who's noted or mentioned right after Peter this time. It's Thomas. It's the only time that Thomas is mentioned second in the list.

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    Perhaps he is bolstered by that last appearance of seeing Christ eight days after his resurrection. Thomas and Nathaniel are being called out as being of Galilee. James and John, also residents of Galilee. And we can surmise the two other of those seven are most likely Andrew and Philip because those are the other two that are often named together.

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    From reading Matthew's account of the appearance of Jesus to his disciples in Galilee, we do know that all 11 did go up there. But just the seven seemed to go with Peter when he said, I go fishing. And so as night fell, it was seven of the 11 that got in that boat and headed out into the water.

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    And we're not told explicitly why Peter wanted to go fishing at that moment. And there's two different ways we can look at it. The first could be purely practical. The announcement that Jesus was going to appear up in Galilee had gotten out. It had spread around. And we know from 1 Corinthians 15 that there were 500 presents all at once that were there on a mountaintop when Jesus appeared.

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    It would make sense that the disciples would look to have some food. If you had a crowd of 500 people showing up, you probably should have something to feed them. So maybe it was a purely practical exercise. Peter and the others get in a boat and go out to try to catch some fish for the crowds that would be coming in a couple of days.

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    But the other way to view this passage in John 21 where Peter goes out of fishing is to see it as another example of Peter's struggles. Peter going back to his nets rather than to the work of the Lord is a picture we have seen before. In fact, this would be the third time that Peter goes back to his nets.

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    The first time was after his initial renaming by Jesus back in John 1, verse 42. And again, after his second calling. Remember, he went back to his nets again. Was Peter still struggling with doubt and shame in seeking the comfort and familiar ways of the life he followed prior to knowing Jesus? Was Peter having failed Jesus so publicly, feeling like he was no longer able to serve the Lord as a fisher of men and instead returned to be a fisherman?

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    It's similar to the struggle he had in Luke 5, verse 8 on his third call when he faced his own weakness in light of the Lord's righteousness and felt that the reaction should be, Depart from me. Was Peter's same own personal Satan having left him for a season coming back again? If that is a correct reading of the passage, to what extent can we be the same?

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    When we're faced with our own failings, do we go back to old habits? To what extent do we doubt that the Lord still has a use for us in spite of our weakness and thus be reluctant to really engage in the work of the truth and instead busy ourselves in the tedium of daily life to take our minds off of our own inadequacy?

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    And so, with Peter at the head, they push out into the dark waters and let down their nets and caught nothing. This parallels back to the last time Peter went fishing and back in Luke 5, when Jesus calls out with Peter in the boat, Peter noted that they had not caught anything the prior night.

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    But this time, Jesus was not there to tell him to let down his nets for a great catch. Well, not yet at least. Because as we get down to verse 4 in John 21, the darkness begins to fade away and the morning starts to break upon the horizon, Jesus, just as he said he would, had come to meet them in Galilee, the disciples and Peter.

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    He stood there on the shore, but the boat was too far out to tell who it was. Perhaps it was one of the other four disciples standing there on the shore, one of the ones that had not gone out fishing with Peter and the others. Jesus came, as he said, as the night came to a close, but they knew not the day of the hour.

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    Almost a parallel for his second coming. And then this voice cries out, Children, have you any meat? Have you taken any fish? That word children is an unusual word to use. It means young child literally, and it's the first time Jesus calls the disciples by this term. John later picks up on it over in 1 John 2, verse 13 and 18, and it certainly communicates that the disciples had some growing to do.

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    Despite having spent three and a half years with the Lord, they were still children. They still needed to grow. They called back to the voice on the shore, not having recognized it initially, that they had not caught anything. And then comes the command with a promise. Reminiscent of the last time that Jesus was in the boat with Peter fishing back in Luke chapter 5, there too he promised, If you let down the net where I tell you, you will have a bigger catch than you can ever imagine.

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    The result was also the same as it was early in Jesus' ministry. They let down the net and filled it, as it says, John with a multitude of fish. And the parallel, the echo sank in. John, who had come to help with the last miraculous catch of fish, caught on to what was happening first.

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    It was Jesus that had given the command. It was Jesus that stood on the shore. And this point was not lost in the disciples. All their efforts through the night had been in vain, and they toiled for nothing. But when they heeded the words of Jesus, their efforts went beyond anything they could have imagined.

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    And that's the amazing thing with the truth, that God can take our temporal small efforts that are often fruitless and left on their own, and use our efforts to work wonders. As Paul says over in 1 Corinthians 15, 58, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

38. 13:42

    Coming down to verse 7, As soon as John realized who it was, he told Peter. What a loving gesture that was. John was acutely aware of Peter's denials. Why? Because he was there. He witnessed them. John was the other one in the courtyard. He talked to the maid in the house of Caiaphas, Annas the high priest, to let Peter in.

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    And John, being acutely aware of his brother's failings, was acutely aware of his need for a closeness to Jesus. He knew that there was a breach that still needed to be healed. And so he specifically leaned over and told Peter, Now's your chance. Peter's reaction shows that he grew, shows that he had grown over the past three years.

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    Recall his reaction during the last great haul of fish on his third calling. Back then, he had said to Jesus, Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man. No doubt Peter had realized his sinfulness more and more and more over those three and a half years with Jesus. However, he had learned to recognize that the proper response to his own failings was not to withdraw from Jesus, but to run, or in this case, swim, to the Lord.

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    What's the lesson for us there? Well, it's when caught in sin, our natural reaction is to withdraw. In fact, it's one of the main reasons we talked about yesterday that young people sometimes put off their own baptisms, feeling that they aren't worthy enough to answer the Lord's call. Feeling that they are too sinful to answer the call of the gospel.

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    But we see here from Peter's reaction that the opposite is true. It's when we realize our own sinfulness and inadequacy that we are ready to draw near. And so in this symbol of baptism, Peter dives into the water. And when he emerges, he's with Jesus. And there's another parallel here too. When is the last time Peter and Jesus were separated by a body of water?

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    Well, it's back in what we considered in our second class. During the storm at sea when Jesus came by night walking on the water, Peter's desire to be with the Lord is even stronger now. This time, he doesn't wait for Jesus to bid him come. Peter steps out. And some speculate that might be why he grabbed his coat.

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    The other disciples followed behind. There's about a hundred yard gap between them and the shore. And like with the early catch of fishes, the weight of the fishes in the net was way too much for a single boat. Another boat had to be called out to assist. And interestingly, note the progression here in John 21 of the effort it takes to get those fishes to shore.

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    In verse 6, they can't draw the net in. Then in verse 8, once they realize that Jesus is here, now they have the strength to draw it in. But it takes the whole ship. And the text specifically notes that they were not far from land where Jesus is. Now go down to verse 11.

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    Peter is dragging the net by himself onto the beach. What an interesting visualization of how we become stronger the closer we draw to Christ. Coming down to verse 9. As they arrive at the shore, they find that Jesus has a meal prepared for them. John notes that it was prepared on a fire of coals.

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    An image that would have brought Peter's mind back to the last time he had a conversation with Jesus over a fire of coals. Back to the denial. And after first denial, he moved over near to such a fire of coals. And the second denial happened near the fire of coals. Peter moved away on the porch, but you'll recall he came back again to that fire of coals where he failed a third time.

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    And it was over that fire of coals that he made eye contact with Jesus in that great hall. And here again, now on the shore of Galilee, Jesus is looking at him across a fire of coals. The setting invites Peter to examine himself. And in a way, we have a type of memorial service laid out here on the shores of Galilee.

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    And Peter would later on use fire and coals as a symbol of trial, a symbol of something that should cause us to self-examine. The fish can be a symbol of our own weak flesh and sinfulness. And the bread, the broken body of the Lord, the example that we should follow. And when we break bread each week, we have an opportunity to think back to the example of Jesus, how he put the flesh to death.

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    He overcame his own fiery trial. And consider how we've fallen short, how we have not withstood the flames of purification and are in need of forgiveness. But the time for all this reflection isn't quite yet. Jesus goes on and tells Peter to bring some fish. And that is what Peter does. Interestingly, the text notes the number, 153.

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    It's kind of interesting that our attendance to this number was one off from that, 152. And while that's probably not the meaning of this passage, it is interesting to speculate what could that number 153 mean. And if you look through it, there are a lot of theories out there, but not really one clear answer.

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    Maybe it's numerology. Simon Bar-Jona, if you look at the numeric value of his name, adds up to 153. But that's not conclusive because that's also the numeric value of the phrase the net and of Mary Magdalene. Maybe it refers to the 153,000 Gentile builders of the temple back in 1 Kings 5. Jerome, an early Christian author, indicated that there were 153 species of fish in the Sea of Galilee.

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    The only problem with that is he made up the reference back to a second century poet that he tried to cite. So that one's not good. Some have calculated going through the gospel accounts that there are 153 different followers named, or sorry, throughout the New Testament, not just the gospels, that there are 153 followers of Jesus named.

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    Perhaps it could be a reference to the 153 people that were saved during Paul's shipwreck. Some say that through the four gospels, there are 153 individuals blessed. The word Yahweh appears 153 times in Genesis. The favorite explanation of Augustine of Hippo, you remember him from last night in our lecture, he liked the number 153 because it's the sum of the first 17 integers, and you get 17 by adding 10 for the Ten Commandments and the seven gifts of the Spirit.

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    All right. So I think the only thing we can really be certain on in terms of the number of 153 is it doesn't have an obvious meaning. There are a number of different allusions it could have, and I think that's the point. Because there might be a parable that parallels this situation that makes the same point.

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    Go and turn here for a moment over to the parable of the net in Matthew chapter 13 verses 47 through 50, and take a look at the similar parallels of this parable of Jesus back in Matthew chapter 13 and what we see happening over here in John chapter 21. So reading over in Matthew chapter 13, we won't read the whole thing, but just starting in verse 47.

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    Again, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind, which when it was full they drew to shore and sat down and gathered in the good vessels, but cast the bad away. This parable, you might have it in your margin, refers back to Isaiah chapter 60 verse 5.

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    It's one of the fun things about Jesus' parables is almost every single one has an Old Testament root, some passage in Isaiah or in Proverbs that it expands upon. Isaiah chapter 60 verse 5 says, The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

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    And in John 21, we see this parable acted out. There are a number of parallels between Matthew 13, if you have that in one hand, and John chapter 21 in the other. Both talk about a net. Both talk about the net being cast out from a boat. Both have a gathering in of fish.

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    Both nets are completely full. And both nets get drawn into shore. But there is a big difference between these two accounts, between the parable of Matthew 13 and the account of John chapter 21. In the parable of Matthew 13, it goes on to specify that there are both good and bad fish. The bad are cast away and the good are kept.

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    Does that happen in John 21? It doesn't. In fact, in John 21, the record goes out of its way to note that every single fish, all the fish were kept. None were thrown back. And this is emphasized through the statement about the net not breaking. Nothing slipped through the crack. We only see part of the parable from John 13 acted out in, or from Matthew 13 acted out in John 21.

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    So perhaps that number, 153, is given to us because it's a number without a clear meaning that we can discern, but it's a definite count nonetheless. Much like how God knows exactly how many and who will be granted a place in the kingdom. But it's not our place to make that final judgment now.

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    So the meal is now over, and Jesus addresses Peter as we get down to verse 15. Like there were three warnings, three promises from Peter that he wouldn't deny Christ, three denials then from Peter, there are three questions that Jesus asks Peter as part of this great restoration. He starts his first question by encouraging Peter to think back.

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    Notice that in verse 15, Jesus calls Peter Simon, son of Jonas, using the same name he used back in Matthew chapter 16 when Peter gave that great confession of faith. Simon, are you listening? Are you hearing? Son of Jonas, do you remember what pronouncement was made as the dove descended on me at my baptism?

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    Are you going to listen to, or will you hear the words of the Father? Matthew 16 wasn't the only other time that Jesus used this title, Simon, son of Jonas. He also used that phrase at Peter's first calling, back in John chapter 1, verse 42, if you want to make that reference. With deliberate and specific use of names for Peter, Jesus is encouraging Peter to think back, to remember his first calling, to remember his great confession of faith.

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    Then he asked the question, lovest thou me more than these? What is, what's these? What is the these that Jesus is referring to? There are a couple of possibilities. Jesus could be referring to the fishing apparatus that was laying around. They'd come back on the shore, Peter had dragged in the net, and it was laying around them on the beach.

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    Twice before, Peter failed to put the truth ahead of his occupation. Is Jesus asking Peter, do you love me more than your boats, more than your nets? Will you put me above your occupation? Alternatively, Jesus could be referencing back to something Peter had said to him in regards to his unique devotion to Jesus relative to the other disciples.

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    Remember what Jesus, or what Peter said to Jesus a few weeks prior? Peter answered and said to him, if we go back to Matthew 26, though all men shall be offended of thee, yet will I never be offended. Peter had boasted, he had proclaimed, that his devotion was greater than any of these, greater than any other.

69. 24:55

    Though all men fall away, he wouldn't. At that point, Peter dismissed Jesus' warning that he would deny him, but there was no dismissing that fact now. Could Peter look around at these others and still claim superiority? He could not. Thus, when Peter responds to Jesus' first question, he couldn't say yes, that he loved Jesus more than these others.

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    It's well known how the Greek words for love differ between the question Jesus asks and the answer Peter gives to him. Jesus uses agapeo in his first two questions, and then switches to phileo in his third. And while it is true that we might make too much of the difference between the two words, and how John in particular, if you look at different places, does use them interchangeably, and if you look at vines, it kind of brings up this fact, I think here it is absolutely significant.

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    Peter had previously stated that his devotion to Jesus would make him willing to go to prison, and even unto death if needed. He would act on his love for his master. He would be willing to sacrifice himself. And the Greek word agapeo is most frequently associated with this love of action, this love that is demonstrated in what you do, love that is worked out even up to the point of self-sacrifice, as Jesus did on the cross.

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    Peter, in a moment of clear introspection, of honest self-examination, had to admit that he had not done that. He had not shown the love of agape, the love of action, the love of sacrifice. So he could not simply answer yes to Jesus' question. Instead, he uses another word for his love for Jesus, phileo.

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    He had affection for Jesus. He had left all and followed him. He came to him on the water. He hung on his words. He followed Jesus to the house of the high priests. It wasn't the answer that he wanted to give. But in giving it, Peter recognized, probably more than ever before, that he still had growing to do.

74. 26:50

    Jesus then responds in the end of verse 15, Feed my lambs. There is such mercy here in the response of Jesus. Peter had just admitted to not loving Jesus as he ought. And Jesus' response isn't one of rebuke, but it's a call to serve him anyway. Even though Peter had denied him, Jesus wanted Peter to feed his lambs, spiritually nourish those who are young in the truth, the newly converted.

75. 27:17

    In these words, Jesus affirms in the hearing of the other ten disciples that Peter should indeed be counted as a disciple of Christ. What a great reminder that even though we have sinned and fallen far short of the mark of our high calling, God still has work for us to do. Even as we admit we are unprofitable servants, God still wants us to serve.

76. 27:39

    The ecclesia is not made up of people who have been perfected, but people who have realized they need to be perfected. Here Peter recognizes his own weakness, and Jesus' response isn't, Well, I'm going to need to see a little more agape love out of you before you can resume your role in, resume your, you can really be of use around here.

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    No, Jesus' response to Peter is good. You are now seeing more clearly where you need to grow. You've repented and recognized that you need to grow. Now start serving your brethren. And in the remarkable divine economy that our economy that our Heavenly Father has set up, it's when we find ourselves invested in the growth of our brethren, in the work of preaching, that we actually end up growing the most ourselves.

78. 28:24

    The solution for Peter's failing wasn't to back away until he could do better, but to serve. And through service, his love would grow. So as we find ourselves at the memorials this morning, repenting for not loving the Lord as we ought, let's remember that we should not back away as a result. But instead, as we have repented, invest ourselves in the work of the truth all the more.

79. 28:49

    That's the lesson of Peter's call, right? When faced with our sin in the face of the Lord's righteousness, our statement should not be, depart from me, for I am a sinful man. It should be, forgive me, for I recognize my sin. Before we move on to the next verse, notice what Jesus is calling Peter here.

80. 29:06

    He's using the name Simon, son of Jonas. Again, it's significant. The name used in their first meeting, and bringing his mind back to his initial calling. And what a wonderful example of something practical we should do when we're struggling. If we have fallen in some ways, one of the things we should do, and Jesus' message to us, is to think back to our first love for the truth.

81. 29:29

    Think back to what that time was like, when we used to have that fire for the things of God. And go and do those things. Remember those first works. Remember that first love. That's the advice Jesus gives later on to the ecclesia at Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2. Nevertheless, in Revelation chapter 2 verse 4, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

82. 29:51

    Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works. In calling him Simon, son of Jonas, Jesus would have brought Peter's mind back to his initial calling, and back to his great confession of faith in Matthew 16. Jesus is telling Peter that he knew Peter was the same man who had finally agreed to follow him, and made that great confession of faith.

83. 30:16

    Jesus is also bringing Peter's mind back to the role that there was still, or back to the fact that there was still a role for him to fill. Recall that it was right after that great confession of faith in Matthew chapter 16 that Jesus told Peter the responsibility that he had, and that we all have, to preaching the word.

84. 30:34

    Those keys of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus had talked about to Peter some six months previously were still in Peter's grasp, Jesus was reminding him. And he could go and unlock the keys of the knowledge of the good news for others. And Peter does do this. He goes forward and feeds his lambs.

85. 30:53

    He preaches at Pentecost, bringing many to the waters of baptism. He preaches to Cornelius, bringing the gospel news to the Gentiles as well. This brings us down to verse 16, where Jesus asks Peter a question again, but this time it's slightly different. We read in verse 16 that Jesus asks, Simon, son of Jonas, Dovest thou me?

86. 31:12

    The comparison of with these from the prior verse is no longer there. The question no longer is a statement of, does Peter love Jesus more than something or someone else? Now the question is unqualified. Simply, do you love me? Jesus uses the same word again here for love, agape, but Peter doesn't change his response.

87. 31:32

    He is still conscious of his failings, and so again expresses his filial love for the Lord. Jesus' response here is a little different. The words change again. After his first question in verse 15, Jesus said to Peter, Feed my lambs. But here in verse 16, the word for feed and sheep change. Rather than the physical act of feeding back in verse 15, Bosco in the Greek, verse 16 focuses not on the feeding, but on the ongoing shepherding that's needed in verse 16.

88. 32:04

    Rather than the young sheep or lambs spoken of back in verse 15, in verse 16 we instead talk about mature grown sheep. If after the first question there was an exhortation to preach and feed the milk of the word to the lambs, those new to the truth, here is the exhortation to pay attention to those in the ecclesial fold, those who already had the milk of the word, but still needed shepherding.

89. 32:29

    And what a good reminder of the two main venues of our service in the truth. There is the gospel proclamation and the pastoral care. And Peter must have called these two questions from Jesus to mind when he later wrote his letter, because he talked about these two modes of care in his letter.

90. 32:45

    Just like Jesus told him to feed lambs, Peter exhorted his hearer in 1 Peter 2, verse 2, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. And then just like Jesus told Peter to shepherd the sheep, Peter exhorted his hearers over in 1 Peter 5, verse 2, using that same word for feed or shepherd.

91. 33:08

    Shepherd or feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Moving down to verse 17, we see the third question. Again, the question changes. No longer does Jesus use the word agape. Instead, Jesus is asking about filio, love.

92. 33:28

    After Peter's denials, could he even be sure that his affection was sincere? Jesus is asking Peter to really examine his own heart. And we're told that this final question grieved Peter. And Peter's response to Jesus shows that he knew he could hide nothing from his Lord. Lord, thou knowest all things, said Peter, but yet he repeated his affection.

93. 33:54

    Jesus' response to Peter's statement changes a third time. The word sheep here is changed back to the same as it was in verse 16, the prior question, but the word for feed goes back to parallel what we saw in verse 15. Three times, Jesus affirmed that despite his flaws, Peter was still part of the flock.

94. 34:16

    And not only that, Jesus had work for him to do. And so it is with us. Even in our weakness, there is work for us to do in the ecclesia. This is an exhortation for all of us to get involved. Find a mode of service. Don't be caught feeling guilty or inadequate. We're all inadequate.

95. 34:35

    That's the first thing we had to realize coming to the waters of baptism. And now moving down to verses 18 and 19. We watch this narrative come to a close. John 21 and verse 18. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest whither thou wouldest. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

96. 34:59

    This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. The first look at these verses seems a little odd. They seem a little out of place. Why does the conversation go here? Why is Jesus talking about Peter getting old? Why is he all of a sudden talking about what kind of death Peter should die?

97. 35:23

    Well, let's think about the context. Three times Jesus asked Peter about his love, and three times Peter responded, truthfully, that he had not yet reached the point of showing that love of action, that self-sacrificing love that the Lord looked for. And it pained Peter to finally admit the fact. He wasn't willing to admit that or thought that previously.

98. 35:44

    But now he realized his own weaknesses, and it pained him to admit it. And for Jesus to press him on it as he did. Peter would no longer boast like he did before. Peter was now fully aware of his failings. But here, in verses 18 and 19, Jesus gives Peter some much-needed reassurance.

99. 36:04

    He tells Peter in verse 18 and 19 that unlike his headstrong youth, as he grew older, he would learn to show that agape love. He would eventually even die for his Lord. It was as if Jesus looked at Peter and said, your story has only just begun. You will show such agape love, Peter.

100. 36:27

     We don't have a Peter's death recorded for us in the scripture. Church historians believe that he was crucified. They say that he has to be crucified upside down, feeling unworthy to share the same manner of death as his Lord. And though his death is not recorded in the Bible, we do have some of Peter's final thoughts.

101. 36:45

     Turn with me over to 2 Peter 1, verses 13-14. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that I shortly must put off this my tabernacle, even as the Lord Jesus Christ has showed me. Peter certainly would learn to show that agape love.

102. 37:09

     So what then are the lessons that we can learn from Peter's restoration here? First, is our work is not in vain in the Lord. And in our weakness, we're not to withdraw from the Lord, but to draw near to him. And as we draw near to him, just as Peter got the strength to pull that net of fishes up into the shore, we will get stronger as we near our Lord.

103. 37:31

     We're reminded that if we've lost our first love for the truth, to go back and do the first works, even as Jesus brought Peter's mind back to his great confession of faith and to his calling. We're reminded that we have a loving Lord, and that we are to respond to him by showing the same type of love to our brethren.

104. 37:48

     And though we are flawed, we are still called to serve. Peter, through the rest of his life, never forgot that meeting on the beach with the Lord, where he realized that he had been forgiven, and Jesus wanted him to start acting like it. There was yet a part for him to play, a role for him to fill, lambs to feed, sheep to shepherd, a love to grow.

105. 38:09

     And then ending now back in John chapter 21, verse 19, we are told at the end of verse 19 that when Jesus had finished saying all these things to Peter, his final words to him were the same as some of his first, follow me. Let us commit and recommit to do the same as well.