In this article, I will discuss the importance on the major developments about the disciples after the resurrection of Christ as recorded in John 21.
When Jesus resurrected,
He initially gave instructions for the disciples to meet Him in Galilee
(Matthew 28:5-10). After appearing to groups of disciples at least on two
occasions, He eventually appeared to about seven men including Peter and John at
the shore of the sea of Tiberius (John 21). John 21 is a key chapter that
cannot be overlooked since the encounter recorded here formed the foundation
for the establishment of the church of God. The appearance of Jesus and His
encounter with the disciples erased all the doubts about His resurrection which
is the core belief of the Christian faith. Christ is risen and He lives
forevermore!
Most of the disciples were fishermen, so it is just natural that they would go back to fishing since their master had been crucified. It is not clear if they had given up completely on the mission of been “fishers of men” or they were just passing away the time until they meet with Jesus as promised. The first major development in John 21 is the night of fishing during which no fish was caught. When they returned at dawn, they encountered Jesus at the shore who said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” When they answered no, He told them to try again, this time casting the net over the right side of the boat and they would find something. They obeyed and caught a great number of fish far more than their net could hold. In Luke 5:5-11, Jesus used a miraculous provision of fish to draw Peter away from his boat to become a "fisher of men". This was, therefore, a familiar situation for the disciples. However, they initially they did not recognize that it was Jesus standing on the shore, but when their nets were instantly filled, Peter and John fully realized who was on the shore, and Peter dived overboard to swim to the beach (John 21:4–8). The main lesson that Jesus wanted to illustrate here was that we can do nothing without Him, but if we cooperate with Him, He can do wonders through us. The disciples were called and trained to be fishers of men, but they cannot do it by their own strength. It is through Jesus that they would be able to draw more men from the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light. As Christians, if we obey the Lord and cast our nets at His command, we would make a great catch as He has promised. We have been commissioned to make disciples of all nations.
The second major development was the interaction between Jesus and Peter. In Mark 14:29, Peter declared that “Even if all fall away, I will not.” He boasted of His loyalty even when the other disciples failed, but Jesus responded with a dire prediction (John 13:36–38) that Peter would deny him three times. This was fulfilled in the hours before Christ was crucified (John 18:25–27). In John 21:15, Jesus seems to remind Peter of his earlier boast, asking if his love for Him was greater than the love held by the other disciples. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved him in other to give him the chance to repent for the three times denial of him during His crucifixion. After restoring this relationship, Jesus then tells Peter to take care of His sheep. He tells Peter that he would be led “where you do not want to go.” He then asked Peter to “Follow me.” This is an indirect reference to Peter’s crucifixion as a martyr for his faith according to church tradition (John 21:18–19). This prophecy also confirms that Peter's faith will never again fail. He will be loyal to Christ, even to the point of death, just as he once bragged (John 13:37). This is the first time that Jesus appoints and confirms Peter as the initial leader of His flock, which is the church. The significance of this encounter is that Jesus continually showers His mercy on us and forgives us of our sins. He always gives us a second chance to show our love for Him. This encounter also specifies the unpleasant part of ministry, being led where one does not want to go - following as the Spirit directs. It calls for total self-denial and reliance on the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came upon Peter on the Day of Pentecost, he became very bold and did the work of God without any fear. He proclaimed Christ with all boldness.
In the next encounter, Peter asked Jesus about the status of John, saying “What about him?” Jesus replied, “What if I want him to remain until I come: what concern is it of yours? You follow me.” Jesus was signifying to Peter that he should focus on the assignment given to him and not to be worried about others. As Christians, we should focus all our attention on Jesus and Him alone and avoid been side-tracked by the affairs of men. Every Christian has been assigned a specific role to play and we must be diligent to do the assigned work. We are endowed with different gifts and talents that we must use to build the church of God individually. We are called separately, but we must work collectively to build the church of God. At times, we may wish we had other people’s talents or gifts, assigned another person’s role, or even get jealous of someone’s perceived stronger connection to God than our own or feel, without realizing that we have been given unique duties to perform in God’s kingdom. In response to all this, Jesus said, it is none of our business or concern. We must fulfill our own role to the best of our ability to build up the kingdom of God.
Indeed, the Book of John, Chapter 21, establishes our Christian faith to be true, and Peter, as the rock on which the church was founded with Christ as the chief cornerstone.
