This really was a fun passage to prepare for yesterdays message.  So many things are happening in this passage.  First, cialis it almost appears to to be a story John just had to add to his book.  If you look at the end of chapter 20, salve you will see it reads like a conclusion (20:30-31); and then if 21:1 John starts this section with the statement, sickness “it happened this way.”  That is a great line to start a story worth listening to.

My first question in approaching this chapter was asking myself, why did John add this chapter – what was he trying to communicate.  There could be a couple of reasons.  It is believed that when John was writing this gospel he may was advanced in age and may have been the only disciple left alive.  Rumors may have been circulating from different accounts of this story that John would live until Jesus returned and John could have included this text to correctly record what Jesus had said (vs 22).

A second reason John may have included this chapter was bridge a gap between Peter’s denial of Jesus and Peter preaching to thousands in Acts 2.  I really do think this passage is a launching point for Peter into the role he will play in the early church.  The first section (21:1-14) closely follows Jesus’ original challenge to Peter to “follow me” found in Luke 5:1-11.  Leading me to think that the climax of this passage my be v19 when Jesus again says to Peter, “Follow me.”

Maybe my favorite part of this passage is what happens after verse 19.  Now that Peter and Jesus have had this intense conversation and Jesus has once again asked Peter to follow him – you might expect the passage to end and Jesus walks off with Peter walking just behind him.  Wrong!  Peter is worried about John.  I love how real and messy this passage reads.  Peter is getting it but still not fully getting it – Jesus seems to be saying to Peter – fix your eyes on me (Heb 12:2 – not yet written) and Peter responds “yes” and what about …

I can so relate to this.  I want to be fully focused on God.  I want to lay all of my cares, concerns, joys – my life – at his feet.  And then reality hits.  Yesterday was a good example.  Not only did I preach this but spent much of last week working through this passage and how this could look in my life but in the afternoon yesterday Zach was not feeling well.  He had some pretty significant health issues last fall and the symptoms have sort of subsided to being manageable but are again becoming more difficult for him to manage.  As I went through the evening last night – I could tell I was wrestling and struggling to be focused on Christ.  Really, I would like Zach healthy regardless of what God might have in this situation.  Can I trust that God is still in Zach’s health and working to accomplish something in or through Zach …

Like Peter, I stop and say – Jesus I want to follow you.  Then in my next breathe I want to say, what about ….

Jesus answer to Peter was simple.  “Follow me!”

The writer in Hebrews really caught Jesus message in this passage – “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”