THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life

Part LII: Trusting In Christ For His Post-Resurrection Work To Refocus Believers On God's True Will

(John 21:19-25)

 

I.                 Introduction

A.    John's Gospel presents Jesus as the Son of God Who was full of grace and truth, and the events surrounding His death, burial and resurrection reveal His grace and truth in His claim to be the Son of God and Messiah.

B.     His post-resurrection work to refocus distracted believers on God's true will in grace and truth is revealed in John 21:19-25, so we view that passage for our insight and edification (as follows):

II.              Trusting In Christ For His Post-Resurrection Work To Refocus Believers On God's True Will.

A.    Christ directly refocused Peter on God's true will in truth and grace, John 21:19-22:

1.      After Jesus told Peter he would die by crucifixion for his faith, Christ repeated His initial discipleship call to Peter to "Follow Me," John 21:18-19 with Matt. 4:18-20.  This call involved two functions, (a) that Peter FOLLOW versus function independent of Christ, and (b) to follow JESUS versus any other party!

2.      However, John 21:20-21 shows that Peter was distracted from that call relative to both functions:

                             a.         Peter was distracted from following Jesus unto functioning independent of Christ when he realized he would be traumatically crucified for his faith, what Jesus had not said would occur to any other disciple. 

                            b.         Peter was also distracted from following Christ by thinking of John who had enjoyed a special rapport with the Lord seen in his leaning on Jesus' breast at the Last Supper, John 21:20.  Possibly bothered by the Lord's assignment that he die a traumatic death in comparison to what John might not have to face due to a special rapport John had with the Lord, Peter asked about Christ's will for John's future, John 21:21.

3.      Jesus replied that if He wanted John to stay alive until He returned, of what concern was that to Peter, thus effectively refocusing Peter on His "Follow Me" command in John 21:19b.  This refocus left Peter no room to function or think beside dwelling on God's will for his life, and it worked to save him from making unedifying, errant conclusions about God, himself or other believers!

B.     Christ via John worked to refocus other disciples on God's true will in truth and grace, John 21:23-25:

1.      Christ used John to refocus other first generation disciples on God's true will, John 21:23:

                             a.         Though John's Gospel ends his account of Jesus in John 21:22, John continued to write, addressing a misrepresentation of Jesus' words to Peter that began to circulate among the other disciples, the view that John would not die, John 21:23a.  The other disciples had failed to apply Jesus' words to Peter, for they compared his destiny with their errantly presumed destiny for John, presuming that John would not die.

                            b.         Christ via John (John 17:20) corrected this error: John himself explained that Jesus had not said that he, John, would not die, but only, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" (John 21:23b)  Significantly, John cites Jesus as using the subjunctive conjunction ean rendered "if" here coupled with the indicative form of the verb rendered "I will" (thelo) that implies a (third class condition, or a) "probable future condition," that is, not a sure fact, but a probable future one, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 412, 413; Dana & Mantey, A Man. Gram. of the Grk. N. T., 1957, p. 286-290.  The disciples had turned Jesus' claim that John probably might not die into a prophecy that John would indeed not die, a misrepresentation!

2.      Christ used John to refocus later generations of disciples on God's true will, John 21:24-25:

                             a.         In closing, John wrote that just as he corrected this misrepresentation by the apostles, his Gospel was a fully credible counter to all the misrepresentations of the truth circulating in his era, Jn. 21:24; 1 John 4:1.

                            b.         John added that Jesus did many other things that, if were they all to be written down and explained, the world itself could not contain them, John 21:25.

                             c.         Thus, for all generations of believers, John was used of Christ to direct them to focus on the truthfulness of his Gospel's words about Jesus versus being distracted to their harm by all claims to the contrary.

 

Lesson: Directly with Peter and indirectly through John with the rest of the disciples and all later generations of Christians, Jesus worked to refocus believers away from errant, unedifying distractions unto God's true will.

 

Application: (1) May we trust in Jesus as the true Messiah and Son of God for eternal life, John 20:31.  (2) May we focus on following Him in truth as revealed in Scripture versus being distracted by other ideas or persons to the contrary.  (3) May we FOLLOW what God's Word ACTUALLY STATES, neither adding to it nor detracting from it, lest we fall prey to errant conclusions that foster failure to continue following Christ, cf. John 21:23!