Day 13: John 14-21
Late last week I met with three other ladies who are also reading through the New Testament in 30 days. It was so encouraging to chat with them. We are all within a few days of where we should be, even in spite of vacations, interruptions, children, grand-children and busy households. But what I loved most about talking to them was being reminded that we are a community and somehow there is a lot of encouragement in knowing that we are doing this together.
So here we are at the end of John. This book is very different and very insightful in ways the other gospels are not, but I think that if John and I took a personality test we would be in opposite corners. Of course, this provides a good challenge to me, but I recognize that he and I do not necessarily speak the same language.
My insights from this reading are mostly related to the last chapter. The more I think about it, it seems to be a fitting crown to end the gospels.
Here are a few of my random thoughts:
- I love how Peter says, "I'm going fishing." Maybe he even said, "I'm goin' fishin'." To me, he seems to be saying I need some comfort, I need some solitude, I need to do something I know, I need to do something I'm good at. I need the sea spray in my beard and the wind tangling my hair.
- I love how Jesus comes full circle with them. He first called Peter, James and John from fishing (Matthew 4) and here he meets them again at the edge of the lake. The same scene in Luke 5 shows Jesus telling Peter "let down the nets for a catch" and Peter questions Jesus saying, "we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything." Here in John 21 it appears that the the fishermen do as Jesus says without questioning. And later in the chapter Jesus lets Peter affirm his love for him three times, perhaps in acknowledgment of his three denials.
- I love how John recognizes Jesus because of the quantity of fish (21:6-7). Is this similar to Mary recognizing Jesus when he says to her, "Mary" (John 20:16)?
- I love Peter's undignified leap into the water.
- I love the details: the charcoal fire, the 153 fish, the net that was not torn, that there was bread and fish before they even reached shore.
- I love how verse 14 says "This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead." It made me think that this was also the third time that he had multiplied bread and fishes. Many things seem to be coming to completion, to perfection, in this scene.
- And I love the last sentence of the chapter, the last passage of the book, the final words of the gospels...
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
What's on your mind as we finish the four gospels?
So here we are at the end of John. This book is very different and very insightful in ways the other gospels are not, but I think that if John and I took a personality test we would be in opposite corners. Of course, this provides a good challenge to me, but I recognize that he and I do not necessarily speak the same language.
My insights from this reading are mostly related to the last chapter. The more I think about it, it seems to be a fitting crown to end the gospels.
Here are a few of my random thoughts:
- I love how Peter says, "I'm going fishing." Maybe he even said, "I'm goin' fishin'." To me, he seems to be saying I need some comfort, I need some solitude, I need to do something I know, I need to do something I'm good at. I need the sea spray in my beard and the wind tangling my hair.
- I love how Jesus comes full circle with them. He first called Peter, James and John from fishing (Matthew 4) and here he meets them again at the edge of the lake. The same scene in Luke 5 shows Jesus telling Peter "let down the nets for a catch" and Peter questions Jesus saying, "we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything." Here in John 21 it appears that the the fishermen do as Jesus says without questioning. And later in the chapter Jesus lets Peter affirm his love for him three times, perhaps in acknowledgment of his three denials.
- I love how John recognizes Jesus because of the quantity of fish (21:6-7). Is this similar to Mary recognizing Jesus when he says to her, "Mary" (John 20:16)?
- I love Peter's undignified leap into the water.
- I love the details: the charcoal fire, the 153 fish, the net that was not torn, that there was bread and fish before they even reached shore.
- I love how verse 14 says "This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead." It made me think that this was also the third time that he had multiplied bread and fishes. Many things seem to be coming to completion, to perfection, in this scene.
- And I love the last sentence of the chapter, the last passage of the book, the final words of the gospels...
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
What's on your mind as we finish the four gospels?
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