If you’re anything like me then there will be some film you’ve seen or some book you’ve read and when it was finished you were ready for more! “I can’t wait for the next book” or “I wonder what’s going to happen next.” Well, we have just heard read to us the last words in the gospel of John the evangelist, sometimes referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (21:20); and regardless of how high your spiritual excitement may currently be, I am praying that over the course of the next few minutes you will be ready for more.
John’s gospel takes up about 30 or so pages in most small print English translations of the Bible and throughout the book John is very careful not to draw too much attention to him self. His book has focused upon signs which reveal the identity of Jesus, and it draws to a close with a challenge; it’s a challenge to follow (21:22) and it’s a challenge to true commitment.
To put the end of John’s gospel into context Jesus has just restored Peter (21:15-19). Just before Jesus was crucified Peter was accused three times of being a friend or an associate or a disciple of Jesus. Presumably to avoid being arrested himself Peter denied knowing Jesus (18:15-27); but after his resurrection Jesus came alongside Peter in an incident which must encourage us when we fail and when we let God (and people) down. 3 times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him and 3 times Peter responded, “Lord you know that I love you” (21:15-17). 3 times of failure are replaced by 3 statements of love from Peter to Jesus; and Jesus commissions Peter to be a pastor and a teacher in the Church which will flourish after Jesus has ascended to the Father; but more than that – Jesus has just foretold the way in which Peter will die, crucified as a martyr. Not an end any of us would wish for, but nonetheless the end which some Christians are facing around the globe in 2007 because they follow Jesus.
For example on 18 April 2007 three men were found murdered in an office in Turkey. The men worked for a company which publishes Bibles and other Christian books. I will not go into the details of the awful things that were done to them which led to their deaths; but it has quickly become clear that the three men were murdered because they are Christians who are involved in spreading the Good News of Jesus via the printed word. Peter was to die in such a manner and it is hard for us to imagine what we would do if we knew such personal information about the future.
It is within these circumstances that Peter looks around (21:20) and sees “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. In other words Peter sees the author of this gospel and armed with information about his own future he asks of Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” (John 21:21). I don’t suppose we’ve got any inquisitive or nosey people here this morning have we; (said with more than a hint of sarcasm)!
Jesus has just charged Peter with teaching and caring for the early Church and has told him that he will die as a martyr and Peter wants to know what will become of John, the beloved disciple; John the one to whom Jesus entrusted his own mother Mary; John the one who would later write a gospel and write letters to churches which also appear in the Bible. “Lord”, asked Peter, “What about him?”
Jesus in essence says, “Peter, mind your own business. It’s nothing to do with you.” His actual words were: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” I mentioned earlier the word ‘commitment’. God wants us to be committed to Him whatever may or may not be going on in the lives of other people who may or may not be committed to him. As the write to the Hebrews says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame …”
“…and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12: 2-3).
Our primary commitment is to Jesus. He is Lord of his Church, and if people let us down, or if people seem to be more successful than us, or if people do not seem to suffer in the way that we do, or if people have different gifts and abilities we are called to fix our eyes upon Jesus. He says to me and he says to you, “You must follow me.” Our commitment is to Jesus.
Next is a commitment to truth. John ends his gospel by correcting error. Jesus’ words about him had led to some in the Church concluding wrongly that John would not die. In other words they believed that Jesus had promised to return before John died! “No”, says John, Jesus only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you.”
By the time John writes he is advancing in years. Peter by this time has already been martyred and there was amongst some people a feverish expectation that since John was now old, and since they were convinced Jesus promised to return before John died, that Jesus’ return must therefore be imminent - not that different to false prophecies about the return of Jesus by modern day cults and sects.
John is committed to truth. He is committed to Jesus and he is committed to the truth about Jesus and so must we. When we hear odd things said or thought about Jesus, we must check out what is said against the truth – the Bible, for it is the Word of God to us. So for example when Muslims quote the Koran which says that Jesus did not die on the cross we must humbly disagree; because John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and the one who wrote the gospel of John, says categorically that he did (19:33), and that he rose again from the dead (20:8-9)! Hallelujah!
We can also apply that to a whole variety of other things which are said in error about Jesus. I don’t propose to list them today but I would encourage you to turn to the Bible for the truth about Jesus, and I want us to be a Church committed to Jesus and committed to the truth about Jesus.
I also want us to be a Church which is committed to telling the story of God past, present and future.
John ends his gospel (20:25) by saying this: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” I know that on the face of it that sounds like exaggeration, but I want to assure you that it is not, for some very good reasons: John began his gospel by saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (1:1-2).
“Through him all things were made” (1:3). The Word who was with God in the beginning is a person; and later in v14 John writes that, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word is Jesus.
Jesus as the 2nd person of the Trinity has been active in the world for all time. After his death and resurrection he ascended into heaven, sending to every believer the gift of the Holy Spirit to live and work in us. So whilst the central work of Jesus Christ was his 3 year ministry and his victory over death on the cross, Jesus has been at work throughout all history and he is now at work in you and me. That’s why John can say that the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. Indeed they are still being written in our lives today. Commitment to Jesus, to the truth about Jesus, and to the story of God – past present and future. Amen.
