A Faithful Witness John 21:20 - 25

A Faithful Witness Background This incident happened in the period between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension After a miraculous catch of fish and having shared breakfast with the disciples, Jesus is speaking to Peter Jesus has just spoken of how Peter would bring glory to God through his death

A Faithful Witness Peter’s Question Rather than spending time talking about what Jesus has said about his future, Peter looks elsewhere John is nearby, following them, and Peter is curious about what Jesus might say about his future Jesus points Peter back to his own life and mission – “You follow me”

The danger of mishearing A Faithful Witness The danger of mishearing Jesus has not said that John would still be alive when He returned in glory but that was the rumour that had spread The rumour would give comfort to people – Jesus must be returning soon if John, who is old by now, would still be alive After John’s death the saying could destroy people’s faith as Jesus had not yet returned John was anxious that the truth of what Jesus actually said was recorded

A Faithful Witness The faithful witness John testifies that what he has written is true It is possible that others wrote this testimony either when he was still alive or after his death Either way, we believe that the gospel is the inspired, infallible word of God John had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry and was present at many of the key events (e.g. Transfiguration, Last Supper, Crucifixion, at the empty tomb)

A Faithful Witness The final witness The final verse may be hyperbole but it points to the fact that what Jesus did is far beyond what John has recorded Human descriptions are inadequate to describe Jesus Jesus has won more victories than anyone can number His power is inexhaustible His grace toward us is limitless

A Faithful Witness Conclusion God has a plan for all of us Whilst we should care for our brethren we should focus on following the path that God has set before us. This may especially apply to leaders – see Song of Solomon 1:6 Beware of speculation, especially concerning Jesus’ return Rejoice that Jesus’ power, grace and love are limitless