Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                   Chapter Twenty One

                                                                                                                                              Verses 15-17

Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, one for every time Peter had denied Him. This grieved Peter, but he confessed three times that He loved his Lord. Jesus commanded Peter to "Feed my sheep," by which He meant that Peter should become the first pastor of His Church. Matthew 16:17-18. Peter became the first pastor of the first church in Jerusalem, but when God called him to be a missionary to feed His other sheep, James, one of the brothers of Jesus, became the pastor of the Jerusalem church. Acts 2:14; Acts 8:14; Acts 15:13. Peter eventually went to Rome to complete the ministry of Paul who had been kept in prison there. Paul and Peter were both martyred in Rome, but Peter did not become the Pope of the church in Rome.

                                                                                                                                               Verses 18-19

Jesus prophesied to Peter that he would be martyred for the glory of God, but He did not tell him exactly how he would be martyred. Tradition holds that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome.

Jesus then commanded His disciples to "Follow me." Jesus led them on a walk somewhere, but where they where going was not made clear. Perhaps, this walk had a symbolic meaning that all believers in His future Church should continuously follow Jesus wherever He should lead them.

                                                                                                                                                 Verses 20-23

As they were walking, Peter turned around and looked at John. Peter asked Jesus what He had for John to do. In effect, Jesus told Peter that His will for John would be different than His will for Peter. Jesus' instruction here has significance for His future Church. The Holy Spirit gives a personal mission to every believer in every local church. The Holy Spirit may require one believer to be baptized in water only, and He may require another to preach the gospel. The local church should work together as a team to minister the gospel to lost sinners, but those whom the Holy Spirit gives the more important jobs should never look down on those believers who have the lower jobs. God loves them all the same, and God considers them all to be equal. I Corinthians 12:1-31.

Jesus also told Peter that His will was that John "tarry til I come." Jesus did not mean that John would stay alive in the flesh until Jesus comes to Rapture His Church. John himself attested to the fact that Jesus did not say that John would not die. Jesus meant that John would be the last Apostle on the earth, and Jesus would come to John and give him His Revelation of Himself and His prophecies about the future of His Church and of the future of the entire human race. In other words, Jesus told Peter that He would come back to John to finish His written Word and His prophecies in the Apostolic Age. As a very old man, John probably died as an exiled martyr on the Isle of Patmos.