What is That to You? (John 21:15-25)
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jeremy_1_07-02-2026_083213: [00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of Rebuilding Faith.
These are 10-minute Bible messages for people with questions and doubts. Before we begin today, I want to let you know that we are starting a book study that begins tomorrow, if you're watching this in real time. We're going through the book Theo of Golden, and this is a novel, so the first novel we've done in our online community.
It is a beautiful story of how to be present, how to see everything happening around you. For the people who have already read it, I've heard how many of them have found this inspirational and just very touching book, and I loved it the first time I read it. I'm excited to dive into it a second time with our community.
We're gonna do weekly conversations for 12 weeks. If that is something that is interesting to you, you wanna do some summer reading with us or just talk to other people who may be more like-minded, I wanna encourage you check out the online community link in the show notes. We are finalizing our [00:01:00] series through the Gospel of John.
We are wrapping it up. 77 weeks we have been going through this book, and today we're finally at the last section. So, without further ado, let's dive into John 21, beginning in verse 15. " After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord,' Peter replied, 'you know I love you.'
'Then feed my lambs,' Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' 'Yes, Lord,' Peter said, 'you know I love you.' 'Then take care of my sheep,' Jesus said. A third time he asked him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, 'Lord, you know everything.
You know that I love you.' And Jesus said, 'Then feed my sheep.'" Now, first I want to begin with a note. To those of you who have maybe [00:02:00] grown up in the church or spent a lot of time in the church, you've heard a preacher preach on this story before. You've probably heard them talk about the differences of the word love and how love is, is used differently in Greek there.
Here's the problem with that explanation. It is a text written in Greek summarizing a conversation that happened in Aramaic Which means it's a clever thing to put in a sermon, but not all that helpful when we're actually figuring out what was said to, Peter here because this is a translation of a conversation that would've happened in a different language.
So it's interesting to see what Greek words that John used, but what we realize is these words for love are often used interchangeably throughout the New Testament. So I hate to burst your bubble, but if you have loved that or thought I was going there, I'm not. The point is that Peter denied Jesus three [00:03:00] times.
We explored that story in an episode called The Charcoal Fire in John chapter 18. Now Jesus is restoring him three times, which is a beautiful image of God's restoration. And on a side note, I wonder if this is how eternity works. Does God meet us to restore each of the ways we've screwed up, each of the ways we've messed up, and rebuild us and restore us?
And that would be a beautiful way to d- to not feel shame, to not feel guilt, to feel like, hey, things have been made right. And for some of you, that might take a while. I mean, maybe the longer, you know, you've messed up, the more you've messed up, the longer conversation you're gonna have with Jesus. I don't know.
But I think it's amazing how there's not a shame element here, but there is a rebuilding element. There's a a restoration element happening here with Jesus [00:04:00] and Peter. And in verse 18, " I tell you the truth," Jesus says, "when you were young, you were able to do as you liked. You dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go.
But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and others will dress you and take you where you don't want to go." Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. And then Jesus told him, "Follow me." Imagine Jesus telling you this. It would certainly shape the way you lived from that day forward.
And this is what we find with Peter, that this moment is a defining moment for him in his life. He's later gonna write in the book that we know as, 2 Peter 1. In verse 13 he says, " And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live, for our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life.
So I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am [00:05:00] gone." Peter's like, "Look, I wanna make sure you are aware of this. I wanna make sure I'm spending my time wisely 'cause I know that this is what's coming for me." And this is all part of the restoration. Peter's given this assignment.
He's given the stakes of the assignment. "Hey, this is what it's going to end in," and he accepts it. He moves forward, and he does that. Verse 20. Peter turned around and he saw behind them the disciple that Jesus loved, the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, "Lord, who will betray you?"
Peter asked Jesus, "What about him, Lord?" Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me." So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn't die. But that isn't what Jesus said at all. He only said, "If I want him to remain alive till I return, what is that to you?"
The disciple is the one who testifies to these events and [00:06:00] has recorded them here, and we know that his account of these things is accurate. Now, this section is straight-up hilarious. I mentioned last week that the book essentially ends in chapter 20. You have a really nice closing to the Gospel of John in chapter 20, which makes me believe that maybe some of this in chapter 20 was written by John later, that he went and added it in.
Because evidently, as John writes this book and starts disseminating this, he becomes a bit of a celebrity. And there's this rumor that he's not gonna die, That Jesus has granted him immortality. And here he's fixing it. He's setting the record straight. Like, "Look, this is not what Jesus actually said."
He's trying to clear that up. And here, Jesus tells Peter to mind his own business, essentially. What is that to you is a phenomenal question. This question would create more space for all of us [00:07:00] in our journeys with God if we allowed for people to have their own journey, whether that means deconstruction or reconstruction, or taking a break, or just trying to figure out what is that to you, I suspect would be a helpful way for more of us to include others in the journey of the church.
Then finally, we get to verse 25. Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written. I love ending on this. We have something similar at the end of chapter 20, but I love this idea that, look, this is just a snapshot.
This is just a glimpse of the things that Jesus did. If we tried to write it all down, all the amazing things, the whole world would not be able to contain that. It's a beautiful [00:08:00] sentiment to close this book, and I want this to be your reminder that the Bible is not the word of God Right? We began this i-in week one of our series, but we've seen it throughout.
The Bible is not the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God, and the Bible points us to Jesus. And we started there, we've talked about that, and we're gonna end on that note as well. When you read the Bible, let it be your guide to point you to something else. The Bible is not the end in itself. It is a tool to show us the person of Jesus.
That is where we find life, and that is who we follow. And so I want to thank you for joining me these last 77 weeks through the Gospel of John. And in case you didn't know, I have other things that I do as well, other weekly things that I do. I write a weekly blog post every [00:09:00] Tuesday where I look at things that I'm exploring in the world or thinking about, and I share them in written form.
If you sign up to have those emailed to you, I'll even send you my Deconstruction Field Guide, which is a 10-page PDF resource I created to help people navigate a next step, no matter what that looks like for you. Like, "Hey, I'm trying to process through this. What's a next step look like?" That guide is a way to help you, and so I will send that to you if you sign up your email, for my blog posts.
I also have a podcast called Cabernet and Pray, where we drink good wine, and we explore the deeper story of Christianity. And so I'd love to continue the conversation with you in some way, whatever that looks like. Thank you for being a part of our study through the Gospel of John
