John 21: Redemptive Grace

Psalm 40:1–4 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.

Intro

What does Eternal Life look like?

If you could see it… if you could see grace and salvation… what would you see?

The whole Gospel of John has been about 1 thing… Eternal Life in Jesus Christ.

In Him was life and the life was the light of men… (John 1:4).

And these are written that you might believe… and by believing have life in His name (John 20:31).

We’ve heard about it…

We’ve seen pictures of it… glimpses… in Jesus’ signs…

And now that we come to the end of the book, we get to see that Eternal Life in action.

John 21 is an epilogue of sorts.

After concluding the Gospel with His purpose statement in John 20:30-31… John uses this epilogue to tie up some loose ends and leave a lasting impression of the Gospel He’s spent the last 20 chapters writing about.

Remember… John began the Gospel with a prologue about the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.

The Word that became flesh and dwelt among us… (John 1:14).

The Eternal Son of God who took on human flesh and bore our sin on the cross to give us grace upon grace… to give us Eternal Life (John 1:16).

And now… with the Epilogue… John balances out his Prologue… to shows us the grace upon grace the Word… Jesus Christ… gives to all of us in the grace upon grace given to redeem and restore Peter.

Like I said… the Epilogue is here to tie up loose ends.

What about Peter… that failure of failures who denied Jesus Christ?

John ends the Gospel with Jesus’ words to him because after talking about Eternal Life for 20 chapters… John wants us to see it.

To see the grace he’s been talking about… and to see the grace Christ has for us.

The Big Idea of John chapter 21… and really the Big Idea of the whole Gospel of John is…

Eternal Life is Redemptive Grace.

Its grace for failures.

Grace for outcasts.

Grace for down and out sinners like you and me that redeems and restores.

John 21 is no after thought or add on… its the point of the Gospel.

Let’s start with John 21:1 where John closes out his Gospel and says…

John 21:1–3 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

The Sea of Tiberias is a later for the Sea of Galilee renamed in honor of Tiberias Caesar.

After His Resurrection Jesus had commanded the Disciples to meet Him again in Galilee and so these 7 disciples are there waiting on the Lord while the other 4 are still traveling or doing something else (Matthew 28:10, 16, Mark 14:28, 16:7).

Remember at this point Judas is dead so there is only 11.

Well while waiting there Peter said I’m going fishing.

Fishing?

Now there’s a lot of debate on what is exactly going on with Peter here.

Is he going back to his old way of life… back to fishing thinking he’s done being an Apostle?

Was he just bored and wanted to go with his bros on a trip doing what he loved?

In truth… its probably a mixture between the two.

I don’t think its fair to say that Peter was abandoning Christ and and his life of being a Disciple because… after all… he’s in Galilee in the first because Jesus told him to…

And when he does see Jesus he jumps out of the boat and swims to shore because he can’t get to Him fast enough.

However, on the other side… there probably was some thought in Peter’s mind of “What am I going to do after all this?”

I denied Christ 3 times.

Surely I can’t keep being a Disciple… why would Jesus want me?

I was the leader of the Apostles and I failed Him the most.

I can see Peter thinking Jesus coming to him and saying, “Peter… I forgive you but I can’t forgive that… You’re done… You can’t be a leader in ministry.”

So there might be some sense of Peter saying, “I might as well get started now… Got to build the ol’ business after all.”

Fresh Start

But this whole thing is about Christ’s Redemptive Grace for Peter… Grace for us that redeems us from all our sins and failures.

And so Peter’s Restoration and Redemption goes all the way back to the beginning to show us that Christ’s Redemptive Grace is a Fresh Start… a Second Chance… what we might call a New Creation.

That’s why it says but that night they caught nothing.

This whole story… as you’re going to see… is a call back to Peter’s first call as a Disciple so that when Jesus restores him…

He actually restores him…

He actually redeems him…

Its not grace with a catch… its grace upon grace.

Go to Luke 5:4-11… everyone in the Church at this point by the writing of John’s Gospel would be familiar with Peter’s call as a Disciple.

Luke 5:4–11 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Jesus had basically just used Peter’s boat as a platform to teach the crowds.

And after teaching Jesus said, Peter… why don’t we go fishing?

And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

So the same thing in the Gospel of John… but that night they caught nothing.

And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

NEW SLIDE

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Jesus basically told Peter… I want you to keep fishing with me.

I want you to be one of my Apostles and I want to make you a fisher of men (Mark 1:17).

Now going back to John 21…

John 21:4–6 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?”

Children as in their new identity in Christ… Children of God (John 1:12-13).

They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.”

This is another sign in the Gospel of John.

Remember that for John… Jesus’ signs are spiritually significant.

The point to something greater than themselves.

So when the Disciples cast the net out and catch so many fish that they were not able to haul it in… spiritually as fishers of men… Jesus was showing them what they were about to do with all nations.

And there might even some significance in John’s mind that in the first calling of the Disciples the nets began to break… but now post-resurrection from the victory of Christ the “Gospel Net” will never break and Christ will save all of His elect.

Verse 7…

John 21:7-8 That disciple whom Jesus loved… [so John]… therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.” The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

NEW SLIDE

John 21:9-11 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.

That charcoal fire is not a coincidence.

It was the same kind of fire from John 18 where Peter denied Jesus the second and third time (John 18:18, 25-27).

So just as John wants us to have Peter’s first call in the back of our mind reading all this he wants us to remember Peter’s denial.

And I’m sure Peter as he walked up to Jesus took notice of it.

When you have something you deeply regret… something painful in your life… everything reminds you of it.

So I’m sure when Peter saw the Lord and the charcoal fire all those regrets and guilt came flooding back.

But Jesus wanted Peter to remember because Jesus knew what He was about to do.

So…

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.

153?

Gematria

People try to make a lot of that number 153 looking for some spiritual significance.

The most convincing probably being an allusion to Ezekiel’s Temple in Ezekiel 47 about the Church where the river of life flows out of it and grows deeper and deeper making the saltwater fresh and dead fish alive.

Where in that vision Ezekiel sees Fishermen standing by the sea catching very many kinds of fish… pointing obviously to fishers of men and making disciples of all nations (Ezekiel 47:9-10).

Where you take the words En Gedi and En Glaim where the fishermen are fishing and apply numbers to the letters like John does in Revelation with the Number of the Beast whose name is 666 where A is 1… B is 2… C is 3…

And you get 153 for En Glaim and 17 for En Gedi which if you go 1+2+3 all the way up to 17 you get 153…

So 153 could be a number for John that symbolically represents all nations going back to Ezekiel 47.

But if John did that, he hid it very well.

There’s really not a hint of it in this passage and you would have to know Hebrew and all this other stuff to get to that.

Eye Witness

So it could be just as simple as there was a 153.

Its another proof that its an Eye Witness account framing the whole Gospel as an Eye witness Testimony.

Fish Story

And also if you’ve ever been around fishermen… who doesn’t love a good fish story?

We caught a ton of fish!

How many?

153! It was incredible.

And notice that John… like any true fisherman… even makes the point to say large fish…

He wants you to know they weren’t no minnows… they were as big as his arm.

Then verse 12…

John 21:12–14 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Now the reason why none of the Disciples dared to ask Him who are you is probably because as John says this is only the third time they’ve seen Him.

John says they knew it was the Lord, but there was still probably something unbelievable about the resurrection.

I mean they saw Him die and… there He was.

Its probably the idea of “I know that its true… I just still can’t believe it.

Bread and Fish

And then Jesus gives them bread and fish.

This is yet another call back to Jesus feeding the 5000.

There He took 5 loaves and two fish and fed a great multitude in a desolate a subtle nod to how Jesus will always provide for us and care for us…

And just like the feeding of the 5000, His provision is 12 basketfuls left over… Grace upon Grace.

All the Grace… Love… Care… and Provision we could ever need.

John 21:15-17 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Here it was.

The moment Peter was finally waiting for.

The moment he was probably dreading and hoping would never come.

It was time to answer for his denying the Lord.

For all his failure.

But what Peter didn’t know was that Jesus only had grace.

More than These

Jesus said Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?

More than these probably has a few options… Jesus’ question is a little bit ambiguous here.

Fish?

It could mean Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these fish… more than that boat or this net.

In other words, do you love me more than your own life?

Do you really want to go back to that?

Do you really want to go back to just catching fish or do you want to keep on following me?

Disciples?

Or… it could mean Do you love me more than these other disciples.

Now that’s a weird question.

Could you imagine me and you saying, “I think I love Jesus more than you?”

But remember… this is against the background of Peter’s failure… of Peter denying Jesus 3 times.

And when Jesus told Peter he was going to deny Him three times peter said “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you” (John 13:37).

In Matthew Peter even said “Even though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away…”

In other words, I love you more than any of them.

“Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” (Matthew 26:33-35).

And so Jesus comes saying to Peter, “Do you really love me like that?… Do you still love me after everything that’s happened?”

Do you still think you love me more than all the other Disciples?

Love?

Now some people make a point to say that Jesus uses one word for love and Peter uses another word as if Jesus is saying, “Do you love me this much?” and Peter is saying, “Not that much but this.”

Now I think that’s overblown.

John has a habit of using different words to talk about the same thing like the Father’s love for the Son (John 3:35; 5:20).

And also if they were talking about two different kinds of love Peter wouldn’t be saying, “Yes Lord you know that I love you.

He’d be saying, “No… I love you but not like that.”

Instead, Jesus is saying, “Peter do you love me? Will you still die for me? Will you still follow me no matter the cost?”

To which Peter’s response would be, “Yes Lord; you know that I love you… you know that even after everything that’s happened… even after I’ve denied you… you know that I love you even though I didn’t show it.

Even though I failed.”

Who hasn’t been there?

Despite his failure… despite his weakness… he still loved the Lord.

Simon Bar Jonah

And there’s some hint at the redemption coming for Peter because when Jesus says Simon, Son of John…

That’s a callback to yet another decisive moment in Peter’s life when Peter confessed Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and Jesus said “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!… Simon Son of John… For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:16-17).

In Redeeming Him Jesus is Restoring Him to leadership.

John 21:15…

John 21:15–17 He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him 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, “Tend 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

There is a threefold restoration to answer Peter’s threefold denial of Christ.

Its a full redemption… a complete restoration.

Its not forgiveness with a catch…

Its not grace with conditions…

Its grace upon grace.

It is full… free… unmerited grace, forgiveness and kindness from our Lord.

Its Grace for failures… failures like Peter and failures like you and me.

All of us have failed the Lord.

All of us have fallen short.

When Peter denied the Lord he went out and wept bitterly and every single one of us has faced those bitter tears (Luke 22:62).

Not strong enough…

Not good enough…

Not faithful enough…

Not devoted enough…

A total failure.

But Christ gives grace to weak and weary sinners.

Christ redeems and restores Peter.

He recommissions Him saying three times Feed my lambs… each one erasing one of Peter’s denials.

Feed My Lambs

What Christ is talking about is caring for His Church.

Christ said He was the Good Shepherd and His sheep are His people.

And here Jesus is recommissioning Peter… despite his failure… to shepherd the flock.

If you wanted to get particular… you could maybe see some subtle differences in Jesus’ threefold commission.

Feed my lambs would be feed new converts… disciple the young in the faith.

Tend my sheep would be lead shepherd my people… guide them in the way they should go.

And then Feed my sheep would be keep feeding them.

Meaning a Pastor’s job from beginning the end is to feed Christ’s sheep the Word (2 Timothy 4:2).

To preach and teach the Word and lead Christ’s people to abide in the Word of Christ (John 8:31).

Redemptive Grace

Now here’s what I want you to see… Eternal Life is Redemptive Grace.

Peter was restored.

Christ didn’t up to him and say Peter… you’re out… You’re done.

You’re too far gone… you’ve sinned to much.

No as great as Peter’s sin was… Christ’s grace was greater!

It doesn’t matter how big of a pit you’ve dug.

The Good Shepherd can dig you out.

What Peter shows us is a picture of the grace of Christ.

Its a picture of Psalm 103:1-5…

Psalm 103:1–5 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Redemption and Restoration.

Your worst moment… your biggest regret… your greatest sin… or greatest failure… even that failure or that weakness you might be struggling with right now…

None of that defines you.

Christ’s grace defines you.

Christ can redeem your life from whatever pit of sin… or weakness… or failure… you find yourself in.

You’re not lost…

You’re not too far gone!

Forget not all His benefits… who forgives all your iniquity… who heals all your diseases… who redeems your life from the pit… who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.

There is no pit… there is no sin… there is no failure that Christ cannot redeem you from.

Cycle of Yelling

You might be with a cycle of yelling with your kids.

Every day you wake up saying today is going to be better…

And every night you go to bed thinking I’m a bad mom or a I’m a bad dad.

I did again… I’ll swore I wouldn’t and I did.

I’ll never be patient… I’ll never change.

I hate what I’m doing to my kids.

Pornography

You might be locked in pornography or sinful thoughts.

I pray… and I pray… but I’ll just never be free.

I’m going to be a slave to this forever.

Dead Marriage

Maybe you have a dead marriage.

We’re always fighting.

We’re constantly bickering.

I know what the Bible says but I look at them sometimes and I just can’t stand them.

I know I shouldn’t but I wish there was a way out.

The Pit

Maybe its anxiety or depression.

Or a discontentment or covetousness of what other people have wishing your life was different.

Maybe its anger or bitterness.

Whatever it is that makes it feel like I’m in a prison and I’ll never be free… I’ll never be different… I’ll never change.

That’s the Pit!

Like Peter… Failing again and again and again.

But what Peter shows us is that no matter what mess we might make of our life… no matter how far off the path we might have gone… Christ can fix it!

We are never too far gone.

He can save us from our sin and fix whatever mess we might have made of our life… whatever mess we might be making now.

His grace is a redemptive grace.

A grace upon grace… never running out.

He redeems… my life… from the pit.

Full redemption… Full Restoration… youth renewed like the eagles.

If anyone was ever proof of that its Peter.

Christ does not say “What a failure… What a loser… You’ll never change… when are you going to get your act together… How long am I going to have to deal with you?”

No He comes to you and says, “Come to me… Cast all your burdens on me… take all your failures and all your weaknesses and give them to me… and I will give you rest.”

I Am the Good Shepherd who gives grace to weak and weary sinners (John 10:11).

Who can redeem you from the pit no matter how far down you’ve dug.

As Isaiah said…

Isaiah 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, [near and dear to His heart when they cannot carry themselves] and gently lead those that are with young.

Eternal Life is Redemptive Grace that redeems our life from the Pit.

Its grace upon grace… all the grace necessary for all of our sin.

That’s what John wants us to see in his Gospel… what this Eternal Life means for all of us… Redemptive Grace.

Then we go to verse 18…

John 21:18–19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

The very death Peter tried to avoid, he was going to die.

And Jesus’ promise was this time he would not fail.

He would be faithful to the end… and his death would glorify God.

It amazes that Peter ministered for about thirty years with this death looming over His head.

Jesus said Follow me… again going back to that first call of the gospel.

And with this death looming over His head Peter literally died to himself everyday counting God’s glory and his love for Christ the most important thing of his whole life.

Picture of Discipleship

Just like Peter gave us a picture of grace… Peter gives us a picture of discipleship.

Of dying to self.

Denying ourself.

Taking up our cross and following Jesus.

All or nothing… no matter the cost… even our own life.

That gets fleshed out a little more in verses 20-23.

John 21:20–23 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

He’s talking about John.

Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

John is basically clearing up a rumor that Christ would return before he died.

And John said that’s not what he said.

He said if it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?

He was probably sick of his front yard looking like groundhog day every day with a bunch of people hoping he was about to die so that Christ would return.

But in regards to Peter, Christ’s point was, “Its not your business. Don’t worry about anyone else… Don’t worry about anything else… You follow me.”

Strive, Peter… to be as faithful as you can… as devoted as you can.

Run your race.

Follow me with all your life.

Fix your eyes… your focus… your life on me.

Remember John’s purpose is that you might believe and by believing have life in his name.

And so with the close of his gospel John doesn’t want us to just see what grace looks like… but what faith looks like.

What it means to follow Jesus.

And it means you follow Jesus with all of your life… you die to yourself… offer your life as a living sacrifice… and live all of your life for Him.

The only cost for Eternal Life is your whole life.

Its a free gift that costs you everything.

As Jesus said Matthew 16:24–25 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Lose everything.

Leave everything behind.

But here’s the promise…

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

And what will they find?

Eternal Life and Redemptive Grace.

And then we come to the very end of the book.

John 21:24–25 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

You can bank your eternal soul on John’s Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Conclusion

Eternal Life is Redemptive Grace for all who believe.

Today Christ can redeem you from the pit.

Whether that Pit is the wrath of God and you come to Christ for the first time today saying Lord will you please save me?

Will you give me that grace?

Will you save me from the Pit?

Or its some Pit of your own sin and making.

Some prison you’re afraid you’ll never be free from.

No one is too far gone.

There is full redemption and full restoration in Jesus Christ.

From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace (John 1:16).

Jesus said All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never… no never… not ever cast out (John 6:37).

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28).

Why?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Let’s Pray

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