John 21:1-25 – Jesus’ Final Words

      1After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. 2Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.
      4But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” 6And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
      9So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” 11Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
      12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 14This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.
      15So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
      18“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.19Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
      20Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 22Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” 23Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
      24This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
      25And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

Interesting Words
manifested

(φανερόω – Greek) – φανερόω to make manifest, to reveal, to make known, to show openly, to make plain or clear something previously hidden or not apparent, from phaneros meaning “visible” or “manifest” also from phṓs meaning “light” – John 17:6; 2Cor 4:11-12; 1John 1:2, 3:2-3;

nothing

(οὐδέν – Greek) – ouden No one, none, nothing. Used to express the absolute negation of people, things, or concepts, total absence or non-existence of something or someone in a given context – Matt 5:13; Luke 11:33, 16:13; John 5:19, 6:63, 15:5;

love

(ἀγαπάω – Greek) – agapaó love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. It refers to a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. It is often used in the New Testament to describe the love of God for humanity. It is characterized by a commitment to the well-being of others, regardless of personal cost or reciprocation. Agapaó embraces especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety. New Testament writers adopted and expanded the meaning of “agapaó” to express the unique, divine love revealed in Jesus Christ. This love transcends human emotions and is rooted in the will and character of God. – Mark 12:30; John 3:16, 13:34-35; James 1:12;

love

(φιλέω – Greek) – phileó to love, to have affection for, to be fond of, love (of friendship), cherish, kiss, from philos meaning “friend” or “loved one”, denotes a warm, tender, and personal love – Matt 10:37; Mark 14:44;

world

(κόσμος – Greek) – kosmos the world, universe; worldly affairs; the inhabitants of the world; adornment, from koméō, meaning “to take care of” or “to order”, used to denote the universe as an ordered creation, the earth, the inhabitants of the earth – Matt 5:14; John 3:16-17; 1Cor 1:27, 28;

contain

(χωρέω – Greek) – chóreó to make space, make room, to hold, to contain, to go, to advance, from chóra, meaning “space” or “region.” – Mark 2:2; John 8:37; 2Peter 3:9 (come to);

Cross References
▪︎ Luke 5:5, 9-10, 11
   (full text – Luke_5:1-11
      1Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. 4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
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▪︎ By comparison, consider Old Testament word for love…
Love (אָהַב – Hebrew) – ahab denotes the concept of love, encompassing a range of meanings from deep affection and friendship to romantic and covenantal love. It is used to describe the love between individuals, such as familial love, friendship, and marital love, as well as the love between God and His people. The term implies a sense of loyalty, commitment, and deep emotional connection (209 occurrences in OT) –
    • Deut 6:4-5;
    • Gen 22:2;
    • Exod 21:5, 6;
    • Lev 19:18, 34;
▪︎ Also consider…
Love (חָשַׁק – Hebrew) – chashaq to love, to be attached to, to delight in, to cling. Primarily conveys a sense of deep affection, attachment, or love. It often implies a strong emotional bond or desire, whether between individuals or between God and His people. The term can denote both human and divine love, emphasizing a committed and intentional choice to love or be attached to someone or something. (11 occurrences in OT) –
    • Deut 7:7;
    • Deut 10:15 (chashaq and ahab)
    • Ps 91:14;
    • Isa 38:17;

Discussion Questions
Download questions to Word document (click here). Enter your answers, then meet with some friends to discuss. You can also compare your answers to mine for a virtual discussion… to answers… John 21:1-25 – Jesus’ Final Words – Answers

1. In John 21:1 Jesus continues a process that He has been doing for 3 years and will continue forever. Describe the process and what the final outcome will be.

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2. Peter decides to go fishing (John 21:3) and those present with him decide to go along. What do you think was his intension and what did he learn from the situation?

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3. Looking back at a similar fishing trip in Luke 5:5-6, how did the disciples use that experience to apply to this new situation?

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4. What do you find noteworthy from the campfire scene? What do you think Jesus wanted to accomplish in this setting?

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5. After breakfast, Jesus encounters Peter introducing a new concept about love. He uses two different words, shown here in different colors, along with the two definitions. Note: Jesus changes things up in John 21:17. How would you explain Jesus’ new differentiation of these two words both translated “love”?

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6. What did Jesus prophesy about Peter and John? How would that affect them in the future? What was Jesus’ point? What was the point of John’s comment in John 21:23?

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7. Explain the meaning of John’s summary to his gospel in the last few verses.

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