SERMON: “The Nature of Discipleship” (John 21:15–23)





The Nature of Discipleship”
(
John 21:15–23)

Series:               “John: Life in Christ’s Name” #109  Text:                 John 21:15–23

By:                    Shaun Marksbury                         Date:                July 6, 2025

Venue:              Living Water Baptist Church            Occasion:             AM Service

 

I.              Introduction

I remember hearing once about a chapel speaker at a Christian private school telling students that God’s heart is for missions, so they should all become missionaries.  We indeed want more missionaries and people in ministry, and should pray for workers to go into the harvest.  Yet, with how well intentioned that speaker was, those students must first hear how important it is to evaluate their own individual positions before the Lord and to commit to God’s ways. 

Perhaps that chapel speaker was assuming they were already hearing that message, but God has this higher call for us first.  In fact, not everyone will or should become missionaries, but every Christian should learn to become a true disciple of Christ.  Those who skip over this lesson to step into ministry set themselves up for failure, but God will be pleased to call true disciples for other purposes.  Just as the Lord didn’t send His disciples out immediately, nor the Apostle Paul, we too must spend some time learning the Christian life from the Master.

Our aim must be to become true disciples, and Christ will then provide opportunities for us.  If we want an example of this, we need to look no further than Peter.  He’s impulsive and sometimes makes mistakes, which is why we can often see ourselves in him.  Whether you are a baby Christian with no idea where to go next, or you’re a Christian with some local ministry or even missions field in mind, you can find an example in Peter in being a disciple of Christ.

Just as Peter needed a few final lessons in discipleship before the Lord ascends, so do we.  We’ll note three markers of discipleship that you should also find in yourselves.  True disciples love for Christ and his people (vv. 15–17), they follow Christ to the end (vv. 18–19), and they focus on Christ completely (vv. 20–23).  Let’s focus on the first of these.

II.           First, True Disciples Love for Christ and His People (vv. 15–17)

So 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.”  He 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.”  He 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.”

You might remember that, when the disciples brought the boat in from fishing, they found Jesus there next to a charcoal fire (v. 9).  He had prepared it for them, and they had a breakfast of fish and bread together on the shore of Galilee.  Yet, we noted last time that this fire perhaps foreshadowed something else.

The term in v. 9 only appears twice — once here, and once in John 18:18.  Peter stood beside that charcoal fire, warming himself with Christ’s enemies on the night Jesus was betrayed, more than a week or two before.  We don’t read about any resolution to Peter’s three denials of Christ anywhere, so it appears that John wishes to remedy that in this epilogue to his Gospel.

Now, if you’ve been in church for any length of time, you’ve probably hear about this.  The three-fold questioning from our Lord mirrors the three questions Peter received that fateful night.  Of course, Peter’s answers are much better here; he embraces rather than denies the Lord!

So, John writes here of the Lord restoring Peter.  Note that Jesus nourishes His disciple first and then restores him.  This is the double grace of our Lord.

Yet, as preachers have considered these questions, they have wondered about the text.  First, some of your Bibles may have footnotes to indicate that there are two different words for “love” in the text — agapao vs. phileo.  Those Bible teachers who have picked up a basic lexicon or taken a first-year Greek class know that there are several words for “love” in the Greek language, each carrying a nuance of meaning.  So, preachers have harped on these subtle differences, making the conversation here one about semantics.  In other words, Jesus wants Peter to have a higher agapao kind of love for Him, while Peter says he has a phileo kind of love for Him.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case (and I must address this because of the pervasiveness of the view).  First, it would seem like, the Peter who jumped out of the fishing boat to swim to the Lord in v. 7 doesn’t seem to be the same one who would say, “You’re asking me if I love you this much, but I don’t have that quite big of a love for you.”  Second, throughout the Gospel of John, John uses synonyms in an apparent attempt to avoid repeating the same words, and John doesn’t always use the word agapao to mean a higher love (cf. John 12:43).  Third, while these words might have a slightly different technical meaning, by the time of the New Testament, this had become a standard verb for love.[1]  Fourth, v. 17 says that Jesus asked Peter for the third time, but the first two times He used agapao and the third time He used phileo, suggesting that John is using these words as synonyms.  Finally, Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter for using the word phileo instead of agapao, instead seemingly accepting it because He moves on to command Peter in light of Peter’s affirmations.  Our conclusion must be that John is just using these terms synonymously.

So, with that noted, that means that you can trust that your English translations are giving you a fair picture of the conversation, and you don’t need to know Greek to understand it!  Let’s consider these verses in that light.  Jesus first asks Peter whether he loves Him more than “these.”  This first question of love isn’t about whether it is the highest and holiest love, but rather, whether it’s a greater love by comparison. 

This is where another debate comes into the text.  Jesus may be referring to the fish themselves, now laid out before the disciples.  However, this reading presumes that there was something wrong with Peter and the others returning to fishing.  We noted last time that the text doesn’t indicate this. 

Rather, Jesus may be referring to Peter’s boast in Matthew 26:33 and Mark 14:29.  This was when Peter said that he would remain even if the rest fall.  Note that Peter’s response is more humble; he doesn’t say, “Yes, Lord; I love You more than these.”  Rather, he says, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”  Peter is more focused on loving Jesus now, rather than loving an exalted position above the others.

Still, he shouldn’t see this in opposition to loving the others.  Jesus says, “Tend My lambs.”  This is the language of shepherding.  One commentary notes, “Some Roman Catholics assume that this asserts Peter’s primacy, but this is foreign to the passage (cf. 1 Peter 5:2).”[2]  This isn’t an instruction only for Peter, for this is what God has called all elders/pastors to do; Acts 20:28 says, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”  This is a task for all the Lord’s ministers, ensuring, for instance, that God’s people specifically have the food of the Word of God every week. 

The term for shepherding is specifically in the next verse (v. 16).  To shepherd the sheep is to follow in the footsteps of the Messiah, who was called to shepherd the people of Israel (Matthew 2:6).  Yet, it also indicates that Peter, as a disciple, should continue to care about the well-being of the other disciples.  We are all to seek to care for one another.  At the very least, we should be in church as believers where we can be fed, if we claim to be true disciples of Christ.

In v. 17, we see the exchange repeated again.  This brings us back to the question of why Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves Him.  Again, it appears that Jesus is reminding Peter of his three-fold denial of the Lord — which is why Peter is so troubled by Jesus asking him the third time.[3] 

True disciples understand their position before the Lord.  If we claim to love Him but deny Him in our actions and deeds, then we must question whether we are truly His.  This may trouble us, but the gracious Lord who feed Peter and didn’t berate Him stands ready to receive you, too. 

True disciples seek to return to the Lord when they stray.  They are eager to love Him, an evidence of His grace being active in us.  This grace is for those who are not perfect, like Peter.  If you haven’t been keeping His commands, you aren’t abiding in His love, but you can repent and turn.  Again, seek Him and He will forgive!

His disciples love Him and love those who are also following Him, however imperfectly.  And they seek to follow Him wherever the road leads.  That brings us to the next point:

III.        Second, True Disciples Follow Christ to the End (vv. 18–19)

“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.”  Now 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!”

Jesus has forgiven Peter his denial and restored him to service.  This shows us most importantly that we must deal with matters before God first.  Where ever the Lord may lead us, we must stay close to the love of Jesus.

This may bring us to uncomfortable places.  Jesus explains to Peter that he has youth and ability for service right now.  Peter has just demonstrated the ability to gird himself and move freely in v. 7 when he put on his outer garment and jumped in the water!  Too often we neglect to appreciate the blessings we have, but they are there by God’s grace, and we should use them for His glory!

Of course, Jesus isn’t just commissioning Peter to service.  He’s giving a cryptic prophecy.[4]  The term “stretch out” seems to be a subtle nod to crucifixion,[5] and a tradition in church history says Peter died crucified upside down.  By the way, it’s this tradition that gives us the picture of the upside-down cross, a symbol of humility, which atheists ignorantly use as a sign of rebellion against God.

As one commentary explains about Peter,

Peter spent the last three decades of his life serving the Lord and anticipating his martyrdom.  Yet he faced that prospect with confidence, comforted by the knowledge that he would not deny the Lord again, but instead would glorify Him in his death (cf. 1 Peter 4:14–16).  According to tradition, Peter was crucified, but requested to be crucified upside down, because he felt unworthy to be crucified like his Lord (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History III.1).[6]

The Lord has all of our paths planned.  We don’t know if we will all become missionaries, perhaps facing persecution on some foreign field.  We may even be called to be pastors, hated by some right here at home.  Some Christians can face trouble without any official title, and the Lord tells us to expect tribulation in this world.  However, true disciples can also expect the Lord of grace will get us through, so that, even if He calls us to die peacefully in our beds, we can know we will have lived a life to His glory.

Incidentally, this is one of the evidences that John wrote this Gospel much later.  This information wouldn’t have been relevant or even understood until after Peter had been martyred.  So, John writes to the church, revealing that the loss of Peter was expected.  The loss of another disciple was expected, bringing us to the final point:

IV.        Third, True Disciples Focus on Christ Completely (vv. 20–23)

Peter, 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?”  So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”  Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?  You follow Me!”  Therefore 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?”

John continues his humble self-references, never naming himself in this Gospel.  There may be a lesson in that he always sees himself in reference to Jesus — the One disciples should love loves His disciples.  As for John’s position at the Last Supper, remember that they typically dined in a reclined position; John leaned back at one point during the meal so the back of his head was against Jesus’s body (John 13:25).  John sees this as a precious position of honor, especially in his advanced years when he will soon see the Lord again.

John is focused on the Lord, but this distracts Peter for a moment.  Some might think that there was a rivalry between Peter and John, but that isn’t indicated in the text.  It’s been suggested that maybe there was animosity between Peter’s disciples and John’s, but again, that’s not here.  Rather, it’s more likely that Peter, who just received a prophecy about his end, is simply curious how John will die.

This is a reminder to all Christians to remain focused upon their own following of the Lord.  While there is no evidence of animosity between Peter and John, there are Christians who hold grudges against others, a fact which causes them to stumble as they follow Jesus.  Even if there is no disagreement between believers, some Christians still become jealous or covetous of what the Lord has done for other believers.  We must not allow sinful dispositions to grip our hearts and confess them when we find it there.  Rather, we must focus upon our faithful following of the Lord.

If John is addressing anything going on in his own day, it’s a false rumor that he will live until the return of Jesus.  This was apparently circulating at this time.  Oddly enough, the Mormons believe that John is still alive somewhere in the world.  They seem to miss that this is a call for Peter (and the rest of us, by extension, to focus solely upon the Lord.

This is a subtle reminder that Christ will return eventually after His ascension.  While John wasn’t the one who remained until that time, there will be disciples present at that moment.  The church will remain, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!

V.           Conclusion

Our problem is that we too often act like the disciples at their worst.  Some of us may want to boast about great things.  Others may want to move forward without prayer and the blessing of the Lord.  We must allow the Lord to temper us.

Let’s not skip over the basics.  We all need to cultivate a love for the Lord and His people.  That doesn’t mean we allow ourselves to be distracted by what others are doing, and what the Lord is doing in their lives.  Instead, we should focus on following the Lord, trusting that He will get us through to the end.

Perhaps you’re young and don’t have any desire to enter ministry.  Maybe you’re older, and you wonder what God might have you do right now.  Maybe you’ve had a desire for ministry since you were young.  Whatever the case, strive to be a true disciple of Christ right now — repenting if you need to, and leaning on the Lord of grace and mercy all your days.



[1] “Carson is absolutely correct when he says that the two verbs agapan and philein ‘are used interchangeably in this Gospel’ and that from the fourth century b.c. forward in Greek literature agapan became ‘one of the standard verbs for “to love.” ’ He then refers to Demas loving this present age (2 Tim 4:10), a reference not in John but the point is the same as in John 12:43 and elsewhere.”  Gerald L. Borchert, John 12–21, The New American Commentary, (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002), 25B:335.

[2] Edwin A. Blum, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, 1985, 2, 345.

[3] John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar, Faithlife Study Bible, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Jn 21:17.

[4] Ted Cabal, Chad Owen Brand, E. Ray Clendenen, Paul Copan, J. P. Moreland, and Doug Powell, The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1617.

[5] Ronald L. Trail, An Exegetical Summary of John 10–21, Exegetical Summaries, (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2018), 484.

[6] John F. MacArthur Jr., John 12–21, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2008), 404.


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