Blood congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We left the men, the seven of them, eating breakfast together. We were talking a little bit after church this morning, but, you know, we just read that everything that Jesus did, we didn't write all of it down because there'd not be enough room in the world for all the books. But wouldn't it have been nice to have a little bit of the conversation over breakfast? I mean, what did they talk about? Do you think they talked about the price of fish? You know, they were fishing together, and we have 153 fish, and the price is pretty good. Thank you, Lord, for providing that. Do you think they talked about the price of fish? Maybe. I don't know. We don't know. It seems unlikely, though, right? In that context, it just doesn't seem like that's what they would talk about. Do you think they talked about the latest sports scores, or did you hear that the Romans beat the Greeks in the last soccer game? I don't know. Maybe. But I doubt it. But you never know. But that also seems just unlikely. The reason I'm bringing this up is quite often most of us men, that's what we talk about after church. How's it going? How's work going? How's the wife? How's the kid, you know? But how often do we really talk about what the Lord is doing? And how about women? Do we really talk about the things of the Lord? And I don't want to be over-pious in all of this, but it is interesting to think, what did they talk about during breakfast? They ate together, likely the Lord Jesus prayed for them as was normally His want. And then He looks at Peter. Now there is discussion about this whole text again, all right? And I'm going to do my best to just leave all that discussion alone, because if it's true, like I said this morning, it actually got me down, this constant criticizing of the text, and then commentators wrestling with that instead of really wrestling with the things. It's almost like the same thing. How much do you think the price of fish is? All of that stuff, it's really interesting, but they just pick and pick and pick away, because then they can say, well, look, the text of John isn't right, and then the text of Scripture isn't right, and then we lose Jesus, and we lose all of it. The devil just never ends. But for me as well, this passage has deep meaning and great hope. And to preach it, just from a personal standpoint, and to say, really, we're going to deal with all these textual variants and all of that. But there are some things we do have to deal with in the text, and I hope we can do it succinctly, but in a way that doesn't keep our eyes off of Jesus as He reconciles Peter, as He brings Peter to Himself. as he turns the fisherman into a shepherd, prophesies about his life, and then gives to us what we need to believe that this testimony is absolutely true. That it's trustworthy. You can believe it. That we hear the words this afternoon, follow me. You, follow me. That we would believe in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, As this section brings all of the gospel of John to a fitting and beautiful close. Because we need to see what happened with Peter. And in that we see Jesus dealing with a sinner. Jesus dealing with a broken man. A broken man who is broken because of his sin. Who is exasperated. Who is filled with sorrow. And then Jesus says, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you really love me? That with Peter, we can say, Lord, you know I love you. You know everything. You know that I love you. Just a very simple theme. It's just Jesus commissions Peter. And in Peter, we ought to see much of ourselves. First of all, we'll see that Peter is reconciled and commanded. And then the prophecy of Peter's martyrdom. And then the concluding remarks of John. So there's some discussion about whether Jesus took Peter for a walk, but more of the European commentators using their German and Greek Bibles And I think I agree with them. There's a connecting verse there, right? Verse 15. So when they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon. So the sense is that those other six men are there. There is something public that's going to happen, and that's coupled with Jesus now addresses Peter as Simon's son of Jonah. Some other texts use John if you have more modern texts, but Jonah is what's written there. Simon's son of Jonah, do you love me? Now, we remember that Peter jumped in the water and brought his coat along, and that when he brought that coat along, he was having a religious experience, that he was putting that coat on because he wanted to honor and respect Jesus. He was going to see the Lord. This, to him, was very important. And Jesus now returns that, and in a very formal way. He doesn't call him Peter, but he calls him Simon, son of Jonah. We would say his baptized name, but his circumcised name. I want to talk to you now, my son. I want to talk to you now, my brother, and I want to ask you a question. In light of all of these men, do you love me? Do you love me, son of Jonah? He said to him, yes, Lord. You know that I love you. Now, in other version, or rather in verse 15, we see Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? And that brings us to a problem, because we don't know what these refers to. So some people think that, do you love me more than these? Jesus is pointing to the nets, and he's pointing to the fish, and he's pointing to the boats. And remember, we talked about that this morning. There was a danger if Peter and the men were going to go back to fishing. And if Jesus had left them on their own, that's probably what they would have done. But Jesus now has come to gather them, so that they would become fishers of men, that they would be as witnesses in the world. Peter, do you love me more than your fishing, than your nets, than the work that you have done? But that doesn't seem probable in light of what's going on. Do you love me more than these? Peter, do you see these six men who are sitting with you? Do you love them more than you love me? But there again, too, that doesn't seem right. So we need to think about Peter's life for a minute, and who Peter was. So children, you remember that? It's been a long time when we've talked about that. But for instance, when Jesus is ready to wash the disciples' feet. It's Peter who stands up and says, no, no, Lord, I'll wash your feet. When Jesus says, I'm going to go to death, it's Peter who says, no, no, Lord, that must never be. I will die for you. I love you. I will give up my life for you. And when Jesus is going to be taken by the Roman guards and the Jewish police, the temple police, it's Peter who stands up and he cuts off the ear of Malchus. And in Luke, we read about how Jesus said to Peter, Peter, Peter, Satan is after you. Satan wants to sift you. He even says, get thee behind me, Peter. But I will take care of you, Jesus said. And now Jesus will take care of Peter. Peter, do you love me more than these? Likely means, do you still think that you love me more than they love me? Are you still wrapped up in your ego? Are you still wrapped up in yourself? Now, I want you to remember where they're standing. They're standing there right by a fire, where Jesus has lit that fire and he's put that fire there. And we would say, obsessively, well, to cook the fish. But do you think that was the only reason Jesus lit a fire? Children, do you remember the last time Peter was by the fire? Do you remember what he did? Peter, I think you were with that man Jesus. Oh no, he says, not me. No, no, you talk like a Galilean. I think you were with Jesus. No, no, not me. No, you were with Jesus. You belong to him. And then he gets angry and even foul about it. And he uses blasphemy and he swears, not me. I am not with Jesus. And then Jesus walks out of the room. As the rooster crows, Peter has denied Jesus three times by the fire. And now, Jesus will ask Peter three times by the fire. Peter, do you love me? Do you love me more than these? After what you have done, would you say you're still of that ilk, of that mindset? And by the way, the tone is not irritability. It's not to berate Peter. It's a gracious Jesus Christ getting Peter to deal with who He is. Because that's what Jesus does when He comes to us. We need to deal with who we are. Because as we've said this morning, when Jesus appeared to all of the men, including Peter, He said, Peace be with you. My peace, I leave with you. Shalom. It's right between you and God. Peter. Do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus' ancestor, David, wrote Psalm 139. And for those of you who are visiting, that's our theme for our home visiting for this year as a congregation. You know me. You know who I am before a word comes off of my tongue. You know it. You wrote all of my days in a book, and then at the end of it, search me. And know me, O Lord. See if there is any wicked way in me. Peter's referring that to that now, but not to God the Father, but to Jesus, my Lord, and my God. You know I love you. I'm not even going to appeal to myself. I'm not even going to appeal to who I am and what I've done. I lay my heart open before you, Jesus. Look into my heart. You know that I love you. Well, this time he asks him again, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And again, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And he said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And Peter is grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? Now we can't get around the fire and now we can't get around the three denials. And three times Jesus says, do you love me, Peter? And Peter is crushed. What crushes Peter, beloved? Is it the law? You denied me three times, Peter. No, that's not what Jesus did. Do you love me? Do you love me with your heart and soul and mind and strength? Peter, I know Lord Jesus, I know why you're asking me. You're asking me because I let you down. I offended you. I hurt you. I was the leader of your disciples. I talked a good game. I talked a big game. And in the moment when I needed to stand for you, I couldn't. And I'm speaking this way because that's us. That's who we are. It's easy to look at Peter. His sin is blown up. Just like David, the ancestor, who sins with Bathsheba, who counts the numbers of the people, who let God down, who killed Uriah the Hittite, who impregnates Bathsheba, his wife, and a little boy is dead, and many are dead, and the sword never departs from the house. And Absalom comes after him. Lord, you know me. You know that I love you. I have to say it because in my actions and my deeds, I've let you down. And there was a minister in the United Reformed Churches who led people, who taught catechism, who did marriage preparation, who led funerals, who did all kinds of amazing things by the power of God, and then he forgot. And then when the going got tough, he forgot. And when he couldn't find peace in Jesus Christ and the Word of God, he forgot and he turned to a bottle. And he lost everything. And Jesus comes with grace and says, do you love me? So that that man was restored when Reverend John Bowers asked the questions to me. And the Church of Jesus Christ, Jesus through the Church of Jesus Christ restored a man by grace, by hope, by love. That's what this world needs. I know we're angry. I know we're frustrated. I know we look at the world and go, what's wrong with people? They don't know the love of God, the way you know the love of God. This is the love of God, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live. He is the resurrection and the life. He's the way, the truth and the life. He's the way back to God. He is God. Do you love me? People are God. Jesus cries out to you. Oh, please. I hope all of you. I hope all you little ones can say Lord Jesus You know me You know, I'm a sinner, you know, I can't do it But I love you Now there's a real interesting Thing that doesn't show up in the English But it shows up in the Greek and if you did a little bit of study with the passage, you know that came up Jesus says, Peter, do you agapeo me? Do you love me, using the word agape? And then Peter replies, I phileo you. So Philadelphia is the city, Delphos is brother, and phileos is love. Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love. You know, Father in heaven, I love you. Do you agapeo me? I phileo you. But then Jesus, in the third question, says, do you phileo me? And Peter responds, again, the same way. Now, it's really interesting. On the basis of the grammar, New King James has really done a fine job. That's what all those words mean. In the Gospel of John, John uses those two words interchangeably. They're synonyms, for sure. And yet, John never uses these two words this close together. Something is going on here. We have to understand Jesus is doing something. Now, some of the ancients and some of the middle-aged writers say that agapeo is the higher form of love. Do you love me with the love of God, Peter? And Peter is saying, no, I can't say that because I'm a human being and you know that I failed. You know that I love you in my human capacity. The grammar doesn't really bear that out, and the vocabulary doesn't really bear that out, but you know what does bear it out? You're the reader. You can understand. What is Jesus doing? He's taking a man who feels estranged, comes to him, says, Do you agapeo me? And he's answering, You know that I phileo you. I can't tell you that I love you in the way that you're asking me. There's a humbleness, there's a humility in Peter that's proper and right. And then what does Jesus do? Does he wait for Peter to say, I agapeo you? No, Jesus changes the question. In grace and graciousness, he comes to Peter. That's your God. That is our Jesus, oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise. He breaks the power of reigning sin. He sets the prisoner free. This music in the sinner's ears is life and health and peace. He breaks the power of reigning sin. Do you love me? And now Peter is reconciled. And every time Peter says, I love you, Jesus answers him with a command. Feed my lambs, and then tend my sheep, and then feed my sheep. Why does he use three different things there? Well, it's because the Lord is our shepherd. And He knows all of the sheep. He knows the lambs. All of you little children, Jesus knows who you are. He knows you by your name. He knows exactly what you do. And He loves you. He says, let the little children come to me, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. You know, a lot of religions have no time for children. But we take you to church. And we teach you at home, and we read the Bible with you, because Jesus is loving you through that. The elders take time in a home visit to talk to the children, because Jesus is loving you through that. And as we get to know more about Jesus, we realize what a shepherd he really is. When he says, I am the good shepherd, I lay down my life for the sheep. But he also says, I'm going to heaven, but I will not leave you as orphans. So F.F. Bruce puts it this way, which I thought was kind of neat, and it's a nice thing to remember. that to the fisherman's hook, Jesus now adds the shepherd's crook. I will make you fishers of men, but Peter, you're going to be a shepherd. It's more than just calling them and getting them. You're going to take care of them. You are going to know them. It's why we've understood, even to this day, that though the apostles have passed, that the minister of the word needs to also be busy in a congregation. as best as he can to know you. He assists the elders who learn about you, who come into your homes and visit you, so that when we sit in a meeting, I learn from them about you. In that way we can learn, is there sickness in the flock? Is there famine in the flock? Is there weariness in the flock? Is there joy? Is there happiness? Are things well? Is it happy? But I can't know on my own. And so we visit, we talk, Peter, I want you to take care of, and every time, did you notice that? It's small, but it's super significant. My lambs, my sheep, my sheep. They belong to me. Elders of this church, these are God's people. Husbands in this church, your wives are the sheep of God. Leaders in this church, These are the people of God. They need to be properly led. So that later on, Peter would write these words in his first letter. In chapter 5 he writes, To the elders among you I appeal as a fellow elder, a pastor, a witness of Christ's sufferings, and one who will also share in the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing. is God wants you to be not greedy for money, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being an example to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. The Roman Catholics use this passage here to prove their belief in the Pope as the successor of Peter. But you can see that Peter opens the letter to first Peter, I am an under shepherd with you. I am under the chief shepherd. Jesus is the pope. Jesus is the bishop. Jesus is the chief shepherd. He died for the flock. Come into his presence with singing, we read from Psalm 100. His people, the sheep of his pasture. We don't belong to ourselves. The sheep don't belong to the leadership. But the leadership, our sheep, who belong to Jesus. And in that moment, Peter the sheep, who Jesus has died for, has been called to be a shepherd of the sheep that Jesus has died for. I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep. And now Peter will hear the prophecy of his life. Do you see Jesus? Jesus the King. Jesus the King says, I want you to walk with me for a moment. I want you to talk with me for a moment. I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished. Think about that, right? Peter girded himself and jumped into the water, and he ran to Jesus, and he pulled in the nets, and he went to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem back to Galilee. He walked wherever he wanted to. When you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." One of the difficulties we have in the church, and we had a really good discussion about this with fellow pastors, is we have a difficult time understanding Messiah. We understand Jesus Christ as King, usually, Son of David. He rules over everything, the Ascension. But Jesus is a priest. Jesus gave himself in holiness and righteousness of himself and sacrificed himself for your benefit, for your salvation, for your well-being. And all he asks is, do you love me? Do you trust me? Do you believe in me? And now the king priest is also the prophet. Jesus knows what's going to happen to Peter, because Jesus has decided what's going to happen to Peter, because Adam is having dominion over the whole earth, including all the creatures on the earth, including the sheep under his care. Peter, right now you can do what you want, and in time you're going to do what you want. And if you read the book of Acts, it's a lot about Peter. Peter stands up and by the power of the Holy Spirit preaches a fiery sermon and he stands up to the magistrates and he shows great courage. But as Acts moves along, he moves back and the Apostle Paul steps forward. So that we read in Galatians at a certain point the Apostle Paul has to rebuke Peter because Peter kind of fell back into his old ways. Now, some people think that your arms will be stretched out means that Peter will have his arms shackled, that he'll be put in prison, he'll be dressed, girded, by someone else in his old age. We know that Peter died in Rome, but most now, and again we know from church history, from Tertullian, who preached about it, and Eusebius in his church history, that Peter was crucified under Nero. And Eusebius adds to that that Peter was crucified head down, and that the church legends, according to the annals of Roman Catholicism, and they're very interesting to read, said that Peter would not bring dishonor to his Lord by being crucified in the same fashion that he was. We can't be absolutely sure about that, but what we can be absolutely sure about is that Peter died on a cross. Peter, do you know, Jesus says, that if you love me, you will tend my sheep. I want you to tend my sheep. Do you love me to tend them enough to die for them and for me? And that's how Peter went to glory. Peter died an inglorious death in light of the world, but when he came to heaven, The Lord God said, O good and faithful servant, receive the crown of salvation. Now let's go back to the beginning when Peter and James and John and all of those men are looking for Jesus. Are you the Messiah? And for them they thought the Messiah was, as we said this morning, this Davidic king. And he was going to have personal wealth and personal glory and personal accolades. It was going to be awesome. Look at what Jesus could all do. Feeding the 5,000. there by the lake of Tiberias, where they are, as we heard this morning. Jesus healing the sick and making the blind to see, casting out demons. He even had authority over the rest of the world in his teaching. He taught as a man with authority like the scribes and the Pharisees and the rabbis didn't have. It was going to be amazing. Who was going to sit on the right? Who was going to sit on the left? Peter. My kingdom is not of this world. Do you love me? Take care of my sheep. And by the way, you're going to die on a cross. You're going to have a full life, but you're going to have a difficult life. They're going to hate you. I already told you that in the upper room, because they hate me. And they're going to think they're doing the world a service when they first boot you out of the synagogues, and then they hand you in front of the magistrates. But when they hand you over to the magistrates, my spirit will come upon you, and you will speak great and amazing things. You will do greater things than me by the power of the Spirit, Jesus says. But you will die on a cross. And Peter. It's an interesting thing. The word turn in the Gospel of John is very interesting. I'm not going to go through all of that. But we have one last time where we have somebody turning, verse 20. Then Peter turning around. And some see that almost as distinct as Lot's wife looking one last time at the back where we were going. Peter still hasn't completely understood it yet, has he? Peter turning around saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following who also had leaned on his breath. Peter and Jesus are walking, and John's walking with them. Some people think that's because John and Peter were normally disciples together. They were paired off. So by the way, if we think in verse 21, chapter 2, you have the sons of Zebedee, and the sons of Zebedee are James and John. So they're together, the other two are not named, but it seems likely then that this is John, and that John is the one who then is the disciple whom Jesus loved. And Peter looks back and he sees John, but what about him? What does he get? Is he gonna get more than me? You can see that as much as the grace of Jesus Christ has had power over Peter, there's still that sin in him. There's still that lag. What about him? And Jesus says to Peter, follow me. And don't worry about him. I have plans for him. If I want, I can leave him alive until I return. But that's none of your business. It's a powerful thing, you know. It has repercussions for your whole life. It's almost impossible to be thankful for what you have in Jesus Christ if you're someone who compares. Oh, I wish I had that car. Did you see their house? Oh, I wish I had his husband. I wish I had his wife. I wish I had their parents. They let them do anything they want. You can never be happy. You can never be really filled with graciousness if you're not happy for what you have. Peter, you've been reconciled. Peter, you've been called. Peter, you are going to be a fisherman and a shepherd. Don't worry about that. Be content in your own call. I think all of this gender dysphoria, I want to be something else. It's just comparing and not being happy with what we have. And I think that that's the absurd, you know, extent of that kind of thinking. But how quickly the devil gets you. What about him? Don't worry about it. Think about what you have. You have me. I came to you. I restored you. I saved you. That's what happened to me when Jesus Christ came and got me in a rehab. And that's what happens to all of you when Jesus came and got you. Do you love me? And somehow, some way we can say, you know that I love you. Follow me. But no, no, no. Peter, follow me. And it's really interesting that the last words that John writes of Jesus, and in our Bibles they're in red there, are, follow me. If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me. What a way to end, eh? The last words of Jesus. How poignant. That's why when you read a gospel, you've got to read beyond it. John's giving you these words to penetrate your mind and your heart. You follow me. Well, John wants to clean up one last thing. Apparently among the brethren, there was this understanding. And by the way, we have that from the annals of church history. There was this exuberance, and there was this excitement, because as John got older and older, and we figure he lived into his 90s, and he was living in Ephesus. Well, of course, every year he got older, they were like, Jesus has got to come pretty soon, because Jesus has said that John won't die before he comes. And now John says after he finishes his gospel, I want everybody to know the context of all of this, which was that beautiful fish story and the marvel of the reconciliation of Peter and say, look, Jesus never said that he wouldn't come before I die. Don't worry about that. That's not what he said. He was simply making a point to Peter. Jesus said, the day and the hour no one knows. Even the Son of Man doesn't know. So now we need to put that to rest. We think that's part of the reason that God will use John to write Revelation. That in a certain way, maybe Jesus did come for John before John died. Interesting then, eh? calling him up from the island of Patmos, come up here, come see what's going on, see the future of the world, see the future of the kingdom of God, lo, I'm with you to the end of the age, and in all things, you are more than conquerors through him who loved us. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. I am the way, the truth, and the life. And then John says, look, you know the apostle whom Jesus loved? Well, that's me. I am the one who wrote this. And the early church and the ancients undoubtedly were convinced that John wrote this gospel. Why, by the way, didn't he mention his name? All four gospel writers don't mention their names. They certainly don't say in the titles. There are no titles. We have them given to us by editors so that we know what we're talking about. But they just start. There's no, the gospel according to Matthew, and then it starts. And that's true here, too. John's point, and what the old writers would do is say, I don't want you to deal so much with me and who I am. I'm simply going to lay this out before you. And where it's important that you need to know I was involved, I was here. This is the John who was with John the Baptist. This is the John whom Jesus called and said, come and see, and then follow me. The John who stood by the cross, behold your mother. The John who looked into the empty tomb, who witnessed the resurrected Christ, who ate breakfast with Jesus by the fire, and who knew that he had a calling too, to be a shepherd. And all of these things he says, I testify to their truth. The we is likely the elders at Ephesus, or it could be a royal we, that he's just using we there. But the point is, you can believe this. It is true. And I know lots of people won't believe it. Come on, 153 fish and you just throw the net over the other side. And isn't that just a remarkable irony that Peter converts? And that Jesus is saying, you're going to die with your arms out and he's crucified. Of course, they're going to write that because Peter was crucified. And they just wrote that back into the book. On and on and on it goes. But you read a history book, no one questions it. You read the newspaper, we may question the opinions, but we don't question the facts. We take it on good faith. Why do people not Take the Bible on good faith, because the minute you mention Jesus, the mention of the Son of God becoming the Son of Man, it's a stumbling block that a man resurrected from the dead and caused others to resurrect from the dead. When you talk about demons and you talk about miracles, the great scientific minds cannot handle what our children can handle. This is our God. This is the beautiful Savior, Son of God and Son of Man. And that gets us right back to the beginning. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And who is He? Well, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. I am the resurrection and the life. Martha, do you believe it? People of God here in Zion, do you Do you believe it? Do you believe in those hands pierced for your sin? For that side that shows the wounds of the puncture, whipped and beaten and crucified, do you believe He is the resurrection and the life? And if you would stand here today with His hands and say, look at them, look at my feet, Look at my side, would you believe? But it's Peter who wrote, for now you have been grieved by all kinds of trials. And these have come that the genuineness of your faith would be proven to be better than gold, even much fine gold. In him you have salvation, though you have not seen him, you believe in him and you love him. Blessed are those who believe, who have not seen, Blessed are those who can say with Thomas, my Lord and my God. Amen.