Final Encounters
Beside the Sea of Galilee, the risen Jesus provides a miraculous catch, restores Peter, and calls him again to follow. John's gospel closes with an invitation to believe and find life in His name.
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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.
Classroom Instructions
Lesson
Review & Preview
Suffering & Glory (John 12-21) – The Coming King, 12 – The Suffering Servant, 13 – Farewell Address, 14-17 – Passion, 18-19 – Resurrection, 20 – Epilogue, 21
John 21
Epilogue & New Beginnings ● Sea of Galilee (Mt 4:18-22) ● Disciples get into “the” boat (implication of the definite article?) ● Failure to catch fish (Lk 5:1-11) ● Early in the morning (Jn 20:1 & 21:4) ● Miraculous catch (cf. Lk 5:1-11) ● John is the first to believe ● Peter gets out of the boat (lit. “throws himself”) ● Charcoal fire (Jn 18:18) ● Three questions ● Simon, son of John (cf. Jn 1:42) [bar-Jonah in Mt 16:17] ● Reframed vision of Peter’s discipleship (vs. 18-19) ● Follow me
Significance of the 7 named disciples? ● Perhaps just a historical detail. ● The disciples mentioned here are from this region. ● Symbolic 7s in John (count lists in Revelation)
Significance of the 153 Fish? ● Perhaps it is merely a historical detail that only an eyewitness (who happens to be a fisherman) would remember. Hilarious note: “Remarkably, the disciples never catch a fish in any of the Gospels without Jesus’ help” (Köstenberger). ● Some examples of those who view it as symbolic:
− Species of fish in the world (or Sea of Galilee), [Jerome]
− Keywords of 20:30-31 in John’s gospel, [Bauckham] ▪ Believe, = 98 ▪ Christ, = 19 =153 ▪ Life, = 36
Reinstating Peter’s Relationship ● Any significance to the change of terms for love? ἀγαπάω (agapaō) / φιλέω (phileō) ● Köstenberger and others have made a case that these are to be seen simply as interchangeable synonyms, similar to how other terms function in this section (shepherd/tend, sheep/lambs, know).
Reinstating Peter’s Role
- Feed my sheep
- Follow me
- Pick up your cross—“stretch out your hands” = common reference to crucifixion
Lord, what about him? (21:21-23) ● What is that to you? You must follow me. ● Discipleship principle here for our tendencies to compare?
John wants you to believe. To give everything to the Truth that Jesus is the source of hope and the source of Truth. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Supplemental Material
Traditions about John ● Dating of John’s gospel, letters, and Revelation = c. 85-95 AD. ● Tradition suggests that John died around 100 AD (around 90 years old).
● Peter had died nearly 32 years earlier.
Reflection Questions:
- Will you turn and deny Jesus like Peter? If so, will you turn back in repentance and allow God to restore you?
Final Encounters Instructions
Lesson
Review & Preview
Suffering & Glory (John 12-21) – The Coming King, 12 – The Suffering Servant, 13 – Farewell Address, 14-17 – Passion, 18-19 – Resurrection, 20 – Epilogue, 21
John 21
Epilogue & New Beginnings ● Sea of Galilee (Mt 4:18-22) ● Disciples get into “the” boat (implication of the definite article?) ● Failure to catch fish (Lk 5:1-11) ● Early in the morning (Jn 20:1 & 21:4) ● Miraculous catch (cf. Lk 5:1-11) ● John is the first to believe ● Peter gets out of the boat (lit. “throws himself”) ● Charcoal fire (Jn 18:18) ● Three questions ● Simon, son of John (cf. Jn 1:42) [bar-Jonah in Mt 16:17] ● Reframed vision of Peter’s discipleship (vs. 18-19) ● Follow me
Significance of the 7 named disciples? ● Perhaps just a historical detail. ● The disciples mentioned here are from this region. ● Symbolic 7s in John (count lists in Revelation)
Significance of the 153 Fish? ● Perhaps it is merely a historical detail that only an eyewitness (who happens to be a fisherman) would remember. Hilarious note: “Remarkably, the disciples never catch a fish in any of the Gospels without Jesus’ help” (Köstenberger). ● Some examples of those who view it as symbolic:
− Species of fish in the world (or Sea of Galilee), [Jerome]
− Keywords of 20:30-31 in John’s gospel, [Bauckham] ▪ Believe, = 98 ▪ Christ, = 19 =153 ▪ Life, = 36
Reinstating Peter’s Relationship ● Any significance to the change of terms for love? ἀγαπάω (agapaō) / φιλέω (phileō) ● Köstenberger and others have made a case that these are to be seen simply as interchangeable synonyms, similar to how other terms function in this section (shepherd/tend, sheep/lambs, know).
Reinstating Peter’s Role
- Feed my sheep
- Follow me
- Pick up your cross—“stretch out your hands” = common reference to crucifixion
Lord, what about him? (21:21-23) ● What is that to you? You must follow me. ● Discipleship principle here for our tendencies to compare?
John wants you to believe. To give everything to the Truth that Jesus is the source of hope and the source of Truth. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Supplemental Material
Traditions about John ● Dating of John’s gospel, letters, and Revelation = c. 85-95 AD. ● Tradition suggests that John died around 100 AD (around 90 years old).
● Peter had died nearly 32 years earlier.
Reflection Questions:
- Will you turn and deny Jesus like Peter? If so, will you turn back in repentance and allow God to restore you?