John 21:20-25. Follow me…

John 21:20-25. Follow me… That you may believe in Jesus.

Jesus last week said to Peter as he did when he called him to be a disciple, follow me. Look at, obey me, go after me and walk with me, walk the way I ask you to walk. (Even to your death).

Peter (not totally listening), turned and saw, John and asked, What about him? Jesus Lord you have said what I should do and what will happen with me. What about John?

Jesus gives a real Jesus response, - he does not tell Peter. Because it is none of his business, instead he said, what my will is, is what will happen. And why do you ask, I just told you what to do – Follow me, don’t get distracted with other people’s gifts and the life I ask them to walk. – I told you what to do. (comparison – kills and takes people off mission to follow Jesus. Leading to either in pride or despair.  I am better than everyone, I am very gifted, my mission is very important. The flip side to it.  I can’t do anything I have the wrong gifts, my mission in life following Jesus is not important. It is good to have sober judgment – (Romans 12). I want other people’s gifts, or talents.  Why? They do important things; I just do this… - Well, how did God make you? How were you remade in the image of Jesus Christ, in new birth, do we grasp that? (Why change your hair? Straighten your hair? – surgery? Personality- Why strive to be someone or something else, if we have our Identify in Christ?  Why is it that we can be so occupied with what others are? And not enjoy Jesus in who we are made to be? Well, we see our sin and failures, and often we don’t see others, we only see other people’s strengths?

 Getting older (in Christ, I think I understand better that it is not what I do that gives me standing in Gods eyes, but what Jesus did) I think that helps growing in understanding of what Jesus did, and why you are made and in Christ have the gifts you have.  The goal is obedience to Jesus, walking with him, enjoying and worshiping Him to the glory of God in the Holy Spirt. Not making others aware that you are greater than others, - if we are, we are to live that out and serve everyone, and outdo others in good works to Jesus’ glory. This = freedom in Christ abundant life in Jesus. Not pursuing all kinds of other things and goals to make us better or have better standing in God’s or other people’s eyes. That is slavery to the world and other people’s expectations and our own. (The other side is not walking with Jesus but sitting and not doing what He is asking you to do.). But working from understanding who we are in Christ, knowing who God has made us to be, we can serve and love God because He loved us first. (Proven in walking – with Jesus in who we are made to be, - not who others were made to be, or to envy others, or to despair of who we are – being satisfied in Jesus, I think also makes us understand who we are in Christ).

We are only to look to Jesus – for our optimal goal, - Paul said to look to him – but not only to him, but to him as he was following Jesus.  

In verse 23 John is now trying to clear up people’s understanding of what Jesus said, - That Jesus did not address Johns’ life, but that Jesus talked about Peter walking with Him and to focus on that and not on what was going to happened to John. And clearing up what Jesus said did not mean that John was not going to die before Jesus came back, but it did say if it was, Jesus’ will he would let that be the case.

Then he writes that it is me (John) writing and I witness about Jesus, and WE know that this is a true test testimony about Jesus’ life.

John ends with,” Jesus did many more things”, so many that he does not think that all the books in the world could contain all Jesus did. (Historically this seems true, at the time very few books – and 3 years and eternity of Jesus would be hard to fit in those books).

John wants all who read his gospel to know that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that they can have life in Him. That the signs and teaching of Jesus, that John has written about is all that anyone needs to get to know Jesus as Lord, God and Savoir, The Good Shepherd, The Word of God, The True Light, The Lamb of God that takes away sin, The Bread of Life, The Vine, The Door, The One that is the I AM, that Jesus, was sent by God, that it shows that God loved people and that people can have life in Jesus’ name, God loved the world, and sent Jesus, Jesus laid down His life for His sheep, and then He took it up again and walked out of the grave. That is what John witness’ about and it is true, John saw, heard, touched, walked with Jesus. 

My hope and prayer are that you know Jesus better now than when we started John, for new people (to faith) that you know who Jesus is and what He has done. And that you would consider giving your life to follow Him as He said to Peter. Repent and follow. You now know that Jesus died and made a way for you to come to God. You can have life in His name.

For you who have walked with Jesus for some time, I pray you love Jesus more as He was revealed in the gospel of John understanding what John writes in 1. John, that we love because God loved us first and sent Jesus to die for us.

I have said it before, you might say many times, but what we believe about God, about Jesus, the Holy Spirit will shape and form our life and our actions. (Theology is not old and dusty, it is very practically) it comes out thru our hands and feet. Living out the life we have got in Jesus’ name as we believe He is Lord, God, Savior. It is also internal, it changes us inside, and can bring a wonderful peace in Christ, understanding identity, purpose, love and joy in to our being. Because of who Jesus is. The Christ, son of God, God, that came to dwell with us God that paid for our sin and failures and the one’s done against us. – That we can have new life in Jesus Christ, a new creation, - a son/child of God. 

Amen.