John 21 Commentary
Had Peter realized that each question carried its own instruction, he was not going to worry about the number of times Jesus asked him the same question.
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Verse 15.
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” Verse 16.
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” Verse 17.
The Body of Christ is Jesus’ flock – lambs and sheep. The term ‘lamb’ underlines the importance of caring for young Christians. They need special attention hence the special mention.
The Master takes the trouble of preparing a meal for His seven disciples. He cooks and serves the meal. He hasn’t asked Peter to do what He hasn’t demonstrated.
We can love the part where Jesus prepares the meal from His miracle catch. There is a hint that Jesus’ servants don’t have to worry too much about resources to feed the flock. Jesus will provide. Of course, this applies to both the physical food as well as the ‘spiritual’ food.
The shepherds that labor but with zero success can trust the LORD for a miracle catch to feed the lambs and the sheep. Yes, they need to cast the net only after the LORD has instructed, otherwise the catch remains at zero. The ‘feeding’ starts with a miracle catch which in turn starts with an instruction from the LORD. Church leaders must take note of the process.
There is no ‘them’ in the kingdom. Peter is reminded that maturity means someone begins to call the shots as you follow the Master obediently. The shepherds who mature in their role appreciate the need to be ‘dressed’ and told where to go.
What about John? Peter shouldn’t bother. The LORD is exclusively in charge of the dispensary! The dispatch department is exclusively under His control. Regardless, the LORD hints that John would author the Book of Revelation under a special visitation from the Risen Jesus several years after this event. In fact, tradition has it that John was the only Apostle to die of natural causes. He lived to the age of ninety-four and died in about A.D. 100. [AMP Bible notes]
They should be ‘fishers’ of men, but what are they doing at sea? Jesus doesn’t rebuke them. In fact, He provides a miracle catch for them. He uses it as a teaching aid. Let them use the catch to feed the lambs of the Master. They are now slaves of the Master. The Book of Acts is up next. It gives us details of how this team of disciples carried out their new role – how the commissioned officers performed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel of John ends here.
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