(REFLECTIONS ON John 21:1-25)

As we reach the last chapter of the Gospel of John, it is an ending, but also a new beginning. Jesus said to Peter after He restored him for denying Jesus, “Follow Me!” Just as Jesus called the disciples at the beginning of His ministry, “Follow Me!“, when it is all said and done, it all goes back to “Follow Me!“

However, things aren’t just repeating, they aren’t the same as before, but the Peter that began following Jesus at the beginning of His ministry has now experienced growth and maturity. The call is the same, “Follow Me!“, but the person called is in a different place.

At the beginning of today’s Scripture, Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of Jesus’ disciples decided to go fishing. In a sense, they are going back to what they know, going back where things started.

Yet, they were different, because they had experienced so much with Jesus, and Peter himself had experienced faith, signs, but also an inner tension and struggle. However, this inner turmoil was not to his detriment, but the catalyst for his growth.

And so they were going back to fish, but they weren’t the same as those fishermen called by Jesus the first time. They had their experience, their faith, their relationship with Jesus, God, and the power of the Holy Spirit (Ref. John 20:22).

As they met Jesus on the shore, where Jesus was already preparing fish and bread for them to eat, Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” Yes, they didn’t come empty handed, but with the catch from following Jesus’ command earlier to “cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat.” What Jesus provided was enough, but that the disciples could also contribute shows us the blessing of participating in Jesus’ work.

“Follow Me!” means something different now to Peter. It wasn’t just an invitation to come, see, and learn about Jesus, but it was an invitation to love Jesus by living for Him, in order to tend and shepherd Jesus’ sheep. Jesus is also calling us again today saying, “Follow Me!“, but perhaps this time it isn’t just asking us to become a Christian, but rather to love and follow Him all the way to the cross, in order to tend and shepherd His sheep.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: John 21