One might presume that the great sorrow and despair of the crucifixion, which was wiped away in the resurrection of Jesus settled all matters, so let’s get on with preaching the Gospel, the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Well, “not so fast” seems to be the reply we are given in the final chapter of John. There were real matters of confidence and worthiness that had to be addressed. Consider Peter’s shock, when he realized he had actually done what Jesus said he would do in denying even knowing him. How is it that Peter could simply leave that behind with “onward Christian soldiers” as his battle cry? While the hymn may inspire some of us to preach the Gospel (probably not), but such a thing was far from Peter’s mind and heart.
How was it that no one went with Jesus to offer even the most meager effort of support, when he was arrested? How could any of them, after fleeing and abandoning him during his arrest believe they could act differently now? So, this is where we are in John’s narrative, and real questions of faith needed to be discussed and a restoration of hope needs to occur. While it is true that they’ve all settled in with the fact that Jesus had indeed arisen from the dead, where do they go from there? They had believed they’d overthrow worldly governments in a great Messianic war, but preaching? how does that answer the Messianic hope they once had, and how have they been equipped to make it all work?
John had left us in Jerusalem at the end of the Passover festival in John 20 with Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene, then the disciples in the upper room, first without Thomas, then a second time with Thomas present. Here, in the twenty-first and final chapter of his narrative, John shows us what Luke tells us in Acts 1:1-3. One of those occasions, in fact, Jesus’ third visit to his disciples (John 21:1) occurred on a beach of the Sea of Tiberius, also known as the Sea of Galilee. So, we have come from Jerusalem to Galilee, where many of Jesus’ disciples lived, and we discover something that is beginning to occur, which we might not have expected after reading the Synoptics.
John mentions seven disciples, five of whom are Jesus’ Apostles: Peter, Nathaniel (James the Less), Thomas, the two sons of Zebedee (James and John) and two unidentified disciples (John 21:2-3), one of whom, however, is the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’ (for he was not one of the Twelve).[1]
Some believe Peter and his brethren are merely taking a break, while waiting for Jesus’ afore mentioned meeting to occur. They presume it was for gain or to simply pass the time. However, there are scholars who believe Peter has decided to return to his former vocation and make his living by catching and selling fish. It was something he loved doing, after all (cp. John 21:15). Not only so, but several other disciples decided to partner with him in that prospect (John 21:2-3). This is the interpretation that seems correct to me.
The Synoptics take us immediately from the resurrection to the great commission, and we are left with the assumption that all went like a well-oiled machine, once the disciples understood Jesus was alive and risen from the dead. In other words, they were ready: “Okay! Let’s get on with the work that needs to be done!” John, however, doesn’t allow for that. He presents for our consideration the fact that many, if not all, of Jesus’ disciples had decided they simply couldn’t continue, especially in this new approach to Messianic Kingdom. They had abandoned Jesus, even denied knowing him, during his most needful moment. They weren’t prophets, nor the sons of prophets. They were fishermen, tax collectors, zealots and land owners. What did they know of preaching? Why should they believe that they wouldn’t behave as they had done on the very day Jesus was crucified? This is the question John presents to us, that the Synoptics avoid. It is also the question that Jesus addresses in his conversation with Peter. Peter was chosen, because he was a leader, and at least six other disciples were willing to join with him. Moreover, all four Gospel narratives indicate that Peter was the greatest offender of the disciples except for Judas, so to deal with Peter, was to deal with all. How would Jesus handle the apparent mutiny among his closest disciples?
_________________________________________________
[1] The fact that the disciple whom Jesus loved, vis-à-vis the author of the Gospel of John, is not John the Apostle, as is presumed by most Christians, is verified in several ways, one of which would be: if the betrayer was one of the Twelve, as is mentioned by Jesus in the text, why would Peter ask ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’ to ask Jesus the identity of the betrayer? If the betrayer was one of the Twelve, why would Peter ask one of the Twelve to ask Jesus the identity of the betrayer? See also my previous study: “Barnabas, Whom Jesus Loved!”
Smoodock's Blog 