An After-Breakfast Conversation
Од страна на Joe David
(A commentary on John 21:15-25)
In the first part of this chapter, seven of the Lord's disciples had come home to Galilee. They had gone fishing, seen Jesus on the shore, followed his instructions to fish on the right side of the boat, dragged a net loaded with 153 fish to shore, and... as the second half of the chapter begins, they have just finished breaking their fast with Him. Now they are relaxing.
Jesus says to Peter,"Do you love me?" and Peter, perhaps a little startled at the question, thinking that the answer is obvious, answers "yes", and Jesus responds, "Feed my lambs". Twice more this sequence is repeated, but with some changes. Then, after this unusual conversation, the Lord tells them all a little parable about being young and later being old. Then the Lord tells Peter to follow him, and Peter, apparently jealous, asks what John is supposed to do. The Lord mildly rebukes Peter’s jealousy by saying, "If this man tarry until I come what is that to you?", but then He tells John also to follow him.
Finally, the gospel of John, and indeed the collection of all four gospels, closes with an explanation by John that he is the writer of this gospel.
So now, let’s look more closely at the conversation, the parable, and the outbreak of jealousy.
Only two of the seven disciples, Peter and John, are mentioned in this part of the story. Peter represents faith, or truth, but truth about spiritual things that we really believe are from God. John represents good, or love to the neighbor. The former resides in the understanding part of the mind and the latter in the will part of the mind.
In telling Peter to feed His sheep, the Lord is saying that to follow Him means to preach the truths that all the disciples now know about the Lord, His coming, and about how a life should be led, in order to be a follower of the Lord in a new church. In the conversation the Lord is direct and probing. "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" I think Peter is being asked whether he loves the Lord, Jesus, more than he loves his fellow Galilean friends, though it’s ambiguous, it could mean "do you love me more than these other six do?’ When Peter answers the first time he says "Lord thou knowest that I love thee."
With this first of the three probing questions, the Lord answers "Feed my lambs," while after that the response is "Feed my sheep." Sheep and lambs both represent people who are in a love of doing good, but while sheep means those who love to do good for the sake of the neighbor, lambs mean those who do good for the sake of the Lord. The first is spiritual good, and the second is higher, and is called celestial good. But people who wish to do good at first don’t know what is good; they need to learn that from the Word and be taught. This is why Peter is told to "feed them", which is to say that truth must indicate how good is to be done. In order to do things that are good, the will's wanting to, and the understanding's knowing how to go about it, must be conjoined. For a successful Christian life, or on a larger scale, a Christian church, 'Peter' and 'John' must work in harmony.
Then comes the parable. "When you were young you got yourself ready and did what you wanted on your own. But when you become old, you have to reach out for help and another shall carry you where you don’t want to go."
This doesn’t seem to fit in here, but of course it does, and in two ways. The first way is given in the Biblical text; it is about the Lord’s death, that all the prophecies were leading Him to His crucifixion, as is mentioned. The second way is a lesson for all of us. When we are young, confident, and strong, we feel that we can do what we want and don’t need any help. Temptations to do evil we ourselves can deal with. But when we grow wiser we realize that all our strength comes from the lord, and if we continue to depend only on ourselves, the temptations from the hells will be too strong and we will be led into doing what the hells want for us, not what we want. We must learn at the start to follow the Lord and depend on Him. This he says at the end of the parable, where it seems not to fit until we understand the parable. "And when He had spoken this He saith unto (them), follow Me." That’s what we need to do also.
Peter is happy to do this preaching of the truth and maybe feels that he has been singled out, but he also realizes that John also loves the Lord and is loved in return. So he asks "And what is this man supposed to do?" It seems that the needed harmony is not yet present, and that Peter is jealous of the bond, and probably hopes to be assured that he is number one... but that doesn’t happen. Peter is simply told that it doesn’t matter; he needs to do the job he has been given.
I’m reminded of the story of Jacob and Esau, in Genesis 25, where Esau is the firstborn and will inherit the birthright and blessing from Isaac, as his due. Jacob by craft devised by his mother deceives Isaac and steals what is Esau’s. Then he runs off to Padan-Aram and stays there with his uncle and becomes rich. It is only on his return journey that he wrestles with the angel and has his name changed to Israel, that he again meets Esau. The change of name means that now that Jacob is rich with truth from the Word, now with the friendly meeting with Esau, also rich, that the two twins can in parable, be merged into one personage, called Israel, meaning the joining of good and truth in the mind.
Esau means something similar to John, they both represent goodness or true charity. Jacob means something similar to Peter, they both represent truth learned from the Word. Any seeming enmity between them as to which is more important can make them both useless, and in a person who is becoming angelic (as everyone should be aiming for), there is no enmity. Truth enables good, and good inspires truth in order to get something done. Although we can think and speak of them separately, they are (perfectly in the Lord and less so in angels) conjoined into a oneness so as to be seen as married. The marriage of the Lord's Divine good and Divine truth is the origin of all creation. Yes, all creation.
This marriage of good and truth, and the need for both to work in our lives, in balance and harmony, is a core New Christian concept.
In the Gospels, there is just one more story that takes place after this one. In it, the rest of the disciples join the seven mentioned here to hear the Lord’s last commands.
Luke 2
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Now it happened in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
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This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
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All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city.
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Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;
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to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant.
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It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth.
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She brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.
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There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.
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Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
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The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
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For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
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This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough."
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Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,
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"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men."
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It happened, when the angels went away from them into the sky, that the shepherds said one to another, "Let's go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
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They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough.
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When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.
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All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.
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But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
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The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.
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When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
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When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord
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(as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),
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and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
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Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
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It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
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He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,
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then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
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"Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;
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for my eyes have seen your salvation,
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which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
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a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel."
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Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him,
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and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.
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Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
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There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,
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and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn't depart from the temple, worshipping with fastings and petitions night and day.
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Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
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When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
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The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
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His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.
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When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast,
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and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother didn't know it,
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but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey, and they looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances.
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When they didn't find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him.
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It happened after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions.
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All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
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When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I were anxiously looking for you."
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He said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"
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They didn't understand the saying which he spoke to them.
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And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
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And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
