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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
21:1-25 Epilogue: The Roles of Peter and of the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved. Chapter 21 narrates Jesus' third and final resurrection appearance recorded in this Gospel while also comparing the respective callings of Peter and "the disciple [John] whom Jesus loved."
21:1 After this (cf. 5:1; 6:1). With the weeklong festival of Unleavened Bread now past, the disciples have left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee (see note on 20:26; cf. Luke 2:43). Regarding the reference to the Sea of Tiberias, see note on John 6:1.
21:2 The names of the sons of Zebedee are given in the Synoptics as James and John (e.g., Matt. 4:21 par.). Luke mentions that they were "partners with Simon" in fishing prior to being called by Jesus (Luke 5:10). See also note on John 1:40.
21:3 boat. See note on Matt. 4:21. Night was the preferred time of day for fishing in ancient times (e.g., Luke 5:5). Fish caught during the night could be sold fresh in the morning.
21:7 The disciple whom Jesus loved must be one of the seven mentioned in v. 2 above, which includes the sons of Zebedee, and is almost certainly John the son of Zebedee, the author of the Gospel (see Introduction: Author and Title; and note on v. 24).
21:11 Various attempts have been made to interpret the number 153 symbolically, but more likely it simply represents the number of fish counted. Fishermen routinely counted the number of fish prior to selling them fresh at the market (see note on v. 3).
21:15-17 On Simon, son of John, see 1:42. Peter has denied Jesus three times (18:15-18, 25-27); now Jesus asks him three times to reaffirm his love for him and recommissions him. Jesus' question, "do you love me more than these?" probably means, "Do you love me more than these other disciples do?" rather than, "Do you love me more than these fish [i.e., his profession]?" or "Do you love me more than you love these men?"--though all three senses are, of course, important. In these three questions and answers, Peter uses the same verb for "love" all three times (Gk. phileō), but Jesus uses a different verb for "love" in the first two questions (Gk. agapaō) and then switches to Peter's word phileō in the third question. There may be a slight difference in nuance between the verbs (Peter seems to see a difference in the related nouns in 2 Pet. 1:7), and many older commentators have argued for a difference, often seeing agapaō as representing a higher and purer form of love. However, most modern commentators are not persuaded that there is any clearly intended difference of meaning here because the two words are often used interchangeably in similar contexts and because John frequently uses different words where little discernible difference in meaning can be determined, perhaps for stylistic reasons. While there may be no difference in the meanings of the two verbs, Peter is nonetheless grieved because Jesus kept asking him if he loved him. You know everything, taken in its full sense, is an affirmation of Christ's omniscience, consistent with his deity. If he knows everything, then of course he knows Peter's heart. Feed my lambs. Jesus as the true shepherd (John 10:11, 14; see note on 10:11) appoints Peter and other apostles to be subordinate shepherds (see 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Peter will demonstrate his love for Jesus by loving God's people and feeding them with his Word.
21:18-19 Stretch out your hands was a way to convey the notion of crucifixion. Early evidence shortly after the NT mentions Peter's martyrdom without telling how it happened. There are some later accounts that say Peter was crucified upside down, refusing to die the same kind of death as his Lord, but some of these are overlaid with legendary material that many scholars consider unreliable, so this tradition is uncertain.
21:24 This is the disciple is typical of the way in which John, as the author of the Gospel, refers to himself indirectly or in the third person (cf. 17:3). Other examples include: "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (cf. 21:7; see note on 13:23), one of the Twelve (cf. 21:20), and John the son of Zebedee (see Introduction: Author and Title). Hence the author is identified as the apostle John, who refers to himself by the modest epithet "the beloved disciple." We know. Like the third person singular self-reference ("This is the disciple") earlier in the verse, and the phrase "I suppose" in v. 25, "we know" represents a self-reference on the part of the author, most likely including his readers and/or associates in the affirmation that John's testimony is true. See also note on 5:31.
