The Come Back Kid

The Problem of Personal Failure

John 21:1–22 KJV 1900

1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. 15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

Discuss

A New Joy – Verses 1-14

Jesus had appeared twice to the disciples after his resurrection.

Why might the disciples have decided to go fishing at this point in time?

What emotions might Peter have been feeling on this fishing trip?

Of the disciples present, how many of them were professional fishermen?

Were they successful in this fishing trip?

Was there anything wrong with them being out fishing?

While they were fishing, they heard a voice call out to them from the shore.

Why didn’t they recognize the voice as Jesus?

Would it have been normal for a stranger to tell them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat with a promise of finding fish? 

What might the disciples have thought about these instructions?

What happened when they obeyed?

Why did this miracle cause John to recognize Jesus?

When Peter heard it was the Lord, what did he do?

What emotion was he feeling now?

How far did Peter have to swim to get to Jesus?

How long might it have taken?

While they were all returning to shore, what had Jesus prepared for them?

What lesson could Jesus have been communicating to them with this provision?

Why did Jesus let the disciples fish all night unsuccessfully before intervening?

In what ways does God also do this with us?

What might Jesus’ whole purpose have been in performing this miracle of fish?

Describe how this part of the story would have restored Peter’s joy.

In what ways has God stepped in to restore joy in your failure?

How does relying on Jesus help us overcome personal failure?

A New Hope – Verses 15-17

After breakfast Jesus and Peter went for a walk to talk.

How many times did Jesus ask him if he loved Him?

Why do you think he asked this many times? (hint: how many times did Peter deny Jesus?)

The first question Jesus asked, “Do you love me more than these other men do?”

Why would Jesus ask him to compare himself to the others?

Did Peter compare himself in his answer?

When we have hurt someone, how does it feel to look them in the face?

Could Peter truly understand the depth of Jesus’ forgiveness without understanding the depth of his own sin?

The Truth will set you free, but it will hurt first. Until we face the truth about ourselves, we can never be free. ~ Pastor Jay Jones

Each time Jesus asked the question, he told Peter to care for his flock.

What does this tell us about the priority of order between loving him and serving him?

What does this tell us about Jesus’ willingness to use us for His glory?

In what ways did the invitation to serve help in restoring Peter’s hope?

Has personal failure ever caused you to lose hope of being useful to Jesus?

Please share. What did Jesus do to help restore that hope in you?

A New Boldness – Verses 18-22

What did Jesus mean with his statement to Peter about being led where he didn’t want to go?

What did Jesus mean here when he said, “Follow me”?

Follow in what way?

We all must die at some time… is it better to die serving God, or playing it safe?

Explain.

In what way does knowing your success is certain increase your boldness in pursuing it?

Why did Peter ask Jesus what John’s fate would be?

How would Jesus’ response to Peter have made him feel?

What would it cause him to do?

In what ways is Jesus’ answer to Peter similar to what he expects of us?

What good could come from comparing ourselves to others?

What bad?

What was the very last instruction Jesus gave to Peter?

To a man who had previously failed Jesus three times, what impact would that statement have on Peter?

What does this instruction say about Jesus’ confidence in Peter?

What does the same instruction say about his confidence in us?

Next Week’s Scriptures

The Crippled Beggar: Jesus speaks to the problem of misguided faith – John 5:1-15