Do you prefer someone in the car helping you with directions as opposed to finding your own way?

Transcription

1 Week 34, John 21:20 25 Hook Group Activity: Divide your class into small groups. Challenge each of the groups to draw a map from the church to the following destinations: 1. The nearest Jack in the Box 2. DFW Airport 3. The Cotton Bowl 4. Louisiana State Capitol Building Discussion Questions: Do you have a strong sense of direction? Do you prefer someone in the car helping you with directions as opposed to finding your own way? Have you ever been very lost? How did you find your way back? In today s passage, we will discuss following Christ on the path He has for us.

2 John 21:20 25 Book Text Summary: As Peter and Jesus walk together, Peter notices that John is following behind. Peter wants to know about John and what he will do, but Jesus lets Peter know that John and his purpose are not Peter s concern. He teaches Peter in this moment and in this conversation to worry only about himself. The passage closes out with testimony to the validity of John s gospel record. John 21:20 23 (Read) Sub Application: Focus on God s call on your life; don t be distracted by how He uses others. Peter asks Jesus about the fate of John. John points back to his relationship and closeness with Christ in verse 20. He reminds the reader that he was with Jesus at the supper and had been with Him for some time. John shows that he is a credible witness for all that has transpired in Christ s ministry; to show that he was there. John doesn t do this to boost his reputation or to make much of himself. He does this in order to give validation to his record as a whole. Peter asks Jesus about John, and Jesus has an interesting response. Jesus lets Peter know that whatever it is about John that Peter s asking about is none of Peter s concern. When Peter, perhaps emboldened by his restoration to leadership, inquires about the beloved disciple s destiny, Jesus answer is, in effect, that this is none of his business. Peter must follow Jesus. 1 Jesus tells Peter to worry about Peter. Jesus then asks an interesting question:. What if I keep him alive until I return? Why should that concern you? Jesus tells Peter it s none of his concern what Jesus does with John. Even if Jesus did something as miraculous as keeping John alive, it doesn t matter. It s not about anybody else. Peter need not worry himself with anybody s business but his own. That is enough to worry about. Peter s commitment to Christ should be enough for him, especially with Peter s history of denial. Jesus is showing in these verses that no disciple is better than the other. Jesus makes it clear in verse 23 that what the disciples are saying concerning what Jesus said isn t correct. What Jesus is saying is that each disciple is called to different things. Their callings are different. For the disciples, [one] of them may be called to strategic pastoral ministry and a martyr s 1 Andreas Kostenberger, Baker Exegetical Commentary On the New Testament: John. Baker Academic: Grand Rapids, 2004, p. 601.

3 crown, and the other to a long life and strategic historical-theological witness, in written form. It is this that ties v. 24 so closely to the preceding verses. And if the beloved disciple s commission is not cast in terms as explicit as those of Peter, it is the historical record that constrains the Evangelist: at this point Peter needed a fresh commission, since that was part of his restoration, while the beloved disciple did not. 2 We know that both disciples, Peter and John, were obedient and both were commissioned. And that s what matters. Why is Peter concerned with John? Why does verse 23 let us know the disciples interpreted Jesus words incorrectly? How does Jesus respond? Why does Jesus want Peter to be concerned with himself? What is Jesus teaching Peter? If Christians are brothers and sisters, how deeply should you be involved with your brother? Can a Christian be too concerned about the call of another? John 21:24 25 (Read) Sub Application: Trust that the Scripture and what has been written is true. John closes the Gospel. The last two verses serve as a conclusion for the book. John is overwhelmed by the greatness of Jesus life and acknowledges that a written account of His life in its entirety would be insufficient to describe all that Jesus did and was. Jesus ministry was so far and so wide and so miraculous that words on a page wouldn t suffice. Jesus is bigger than a written account. He s greater than an historical record. He s much more than all that He did on earth. He is the Son of God. He is the Messiah. He is the Word. And here, in this closing of John s gospel, John focuses on Jesus and not himself. John s account can be trusted because he witnessed it all. But what he witnessed in the life of Jesus is so much more than what he recorded. In these verses, [it] is as if John has identified himself (v. 24), but is not content to focus on himself, not even on his veracity. He must close by saying his own work is only a minute part of all the honors due the Son. 3 John s account is to help us see Christ more clearly and to know His sacrifice more intimately. 2 D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1990, p Ibid., 686.

4 Know that the account is trustworthy, but also know that it is life-giving. May each of us, therefore, in studying this Gospel perceive more fully the preexistent and risen glory of God s only Son (1:14). But may each of us also recognize that that glory involved the self-giving death of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 4 What does verse 24 tell us about why we can trust John s written account? What has John told us about why he included these specific events in Jesus life and ministry? What was his purpose? 4 Gerald L. Borchert, The New American Commentary: John Broadman & Holman: Nashville, 2002, p. 343.

5 Week 34, John 21:20 25 Took Current Event: Have you ever known someone who refused to ask for directions? A study by a British car insurance company revealed that, when lost, more than one out of four men will wait at least a half an hour before asking for directions. Twelve percent of men refuse to ask a stranger at all. This hope to not appear lost is echoed in another finding: 41 percent of men reported pretending to know where they were going when they were truly lost. 5 Discussion Questions: What is your process when traveling to a location you have never visited before? In your spiritual life, how do you know if you are following the path God has for you? Lesson Conclusion: When Peter concerns himself with the destiny of John, Jesus reminds him to focus on his own calling. Finally, John concludes his gospel with a note that all of the books in the world would not be able to contain what Jesus did. Challenge: Challenge your class members to focus on the path that the Lord has for them. It is easy to become overly concerned with the lives of others and lose focus of the fact that God has uniquely designed and purposed you. 5