John 21:20-24

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20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ~ Luke 21:20-24

Today's text gives some detail to the period of time between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ. Most refer to this period as "the Tribulation," but nowhere in the Bible is it called that. The Lord Jesus refers to the last half of that period as "a time of great tribulation," but nowhere is it called "the Tribulation."

In Daniel 9:24-27 we are given a prophecy that covers a four hundred and ninety year period of time. "The tribulation" is the last seven year period of time of that prophecy. Four hundred and eighty-three years of that four hundred and ninety year prophecy has been accounted for already. The final seven years is yet to begin and it will be characterized by religious deception, natural catastrophe, and the persecution of those who refuse to worship the Antichrist.

In v.20 we read, "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near." The people on earth during the seventieth seven of Daniel's prophecy in Daniel 9 will know that the end is near when Jerusalem is surrounded by enemy armies.

Then in v.21-22 we read, “21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.” Some say this prophecy was fulfilled when Titus went into Jerusalem to destroy it in 70 A.D., but the language used here in v.21-22 does not lend itself to that interpretation. 

In a parallel passage, in Matthew 24:15 we read, “When you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.” Clearly, the Lord Jesus is identifying the middle of the Seventieth Seven or "the Tribulation." Because in Daniel 9:27 we read, "He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." 

At that time, the people on the earth will know that they are at the mid-point of the Tribulation when the abomination of desolation happens. 

Then, at the end of the Tribulation, three and a half years after the abomination of desolation, according to Matthew 24:29, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars fall from the sky. Then the sign of the Son of Man appears in the sky. 

In Daniel 9:27 we read, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.” This is the Antichrist who will make a covenant or a pact with Israel. He will become, at that point, the protector of Israel who is yet to believe in the Lord Jesus. The Antichrist offers himself as the protector of Israel because Israel is opposed by the entire hostile world. He makes a covenant with Israel for a seven year period. Then, in the middle of that seven year period, he will put a stop to sacrifice that had begun with the ratifying of the covenant.

Obviously, the temple will be rebuilt. The sacrificial system of Judaism will be restored. The Jews will begin offering sacrifices again. It will be at that time, the Antichrist will offer himself as the protector of Israel. He will not labeled the Antichrist, he will be known as the man of peace, a great world leader of peace. Then, in the middle of that seven year period, he will put a stop to their sacrifices, and create what is called the abomination which makes desolate. This is what our Lord is referring to in Matthew 24:15.

In Revelation 13:15 we read, "The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed." 

The Antichrist will set up his image in the temple and the people will be forced to worship him. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 we read, “3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” This is Paul's description of the abomination of desolation. 

Now, back to our text of Luke 21:23-24 which reads, “23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” 

It’s going to be more difficult for pregnant women and women who have nursing babies. Obviously they can’t move as fast because they will be encumbered. There will be great distress upon the earth and the wrath of Satan will be executed upon all who oppose him. 

These events will begin at the midpoint of the seven year Tribulation. Jerusalem will be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles. But, only until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. The end of the times of the Gentiles is concurrent with the day of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus.

The Tribulation will be awful, therefore, we must be bold in sharing the faith with others, now. I suggest that you pray a lot before sharing the gospel with someone. Then, be faithful to tell them about your story with God, interspersing the gospel in the conversation. Make it as natural as you can, in hopes they receive the free gift of salvation from the God of the Bible who loves them dearly.

John 21:18-25

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18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. ~ John 21:18-25

In our text, we jump back into a conversation between the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Peter. You will remember that in John 13:36, just before Peter announced his determination to die for the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus told him, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward." 

Peter couldn’t follow the Lord Jesus to death then, because he thought following meant taking up the sword. Now, he can follow the Lord Jesus because he now knows that following means putting away the sword and dying to self. 

In v.18-19, the Lord Jesus is saying to Peter, “In the future, Peter, you’re going to be taken prisoner. You’re going to be bound and hauled off to a place you don’t want to go. Then, you’re going to stretch out your hands, you are going to be crucified." 

Peter is getting the idea that the coming kingdom of God is now ushered in not by the power of the sword but by the power of love. Instead of being a soldier who would take lives for the kingdom, Peter will be a shepherd who will lay down his life for the sheep. 

It is clear that John wrote his gospel after the death of Peter, as John records in v.18-19 the way Peter would die. Again, history tells us that Peter was crucified in Rome. At his own request he was crucified upside down because he did not feel he was worthy to die like the Lord Jesus.

According to v.20-21, the Apostle Peter falls into the trap of comparison. It was Theodore Roosevelt who once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Whether it is comparing our accomplishments, status or looks to others, we do poorly to enter the comparison game. When we enter the comparison game, we reject the will of God for our lives for that given moment. No matter the type of comparison, it can cause resentment towards others and ourselves and God; it always deprives us of our joy and adds no value or fulfillment to our lives.

According to v.22-23, the Lord Jesus reminds us that doing God's will for our lives is the focus we should have. The Lord Jesus tells Peter, If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? Then the Lord Jesus says John’s fate is not Peter’s concern. The Lord Jesus knew that if Peter begins comparing his path to that of other disciples, his focus will be off from what the Lord Jesus has called him to do. Jesus again tells Peter, You must follow me.

The Lord Jesus is always refining our love for Him. As in the case of Peter, very often He uses our failures and misunderstandings to accomplish this. So, the Lord Jesus tells us to stop comparing ourselves or lives to others because, in so doing, we are being distracted by what someone else is doing rather than what God is doing and how we fit into what He is doing around us.

John 21:24-25 brings us to the end of our study of John. These closing words were obviously written partly by John and partly by those who were associated with him, probably believers in the town of Ephesus. It is John who writes, "This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true." This was his last word, his own eyewitness account of what the Lord Jesus had said and done. 

Subtly, the Apostle John is underscoring what Christianity is really all about: a personal relationship with God. God’s greatest creation is not the flung stars or the gorged canyons, it’s His eternal plan to reach His rebellious children. Behind his pursuit of us is the same brilliance behind the rotating seasons and the orbiting planets. Heaven and earth knows no greater passion than God’s personal passion for us and our relationship with Him.

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John 21:15-17

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15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.  ~ John 21:15-17

Today's text parallels the scene of Peter's three-time denial of the Lord Jesus. There are several details that are involved in today's story that are common to both accounts: both took place beside a charcoal fire. Both refer to Peter as "Simon Peter."  Both involve a three-fold statement: three times Peter denied his Lord, and three times he is asked to affirm his love. 

In this exchange between the Lord Jesus and Peter about love, there are two words used for love: "agape," or unconditional love, and "phileo," which is brotherly love. Phileo is the word Peter uses on all three occasions, whereas agape is used of the Lord Jesus the first two times, then phileó the third.

In the middle of v.15, the Lord Jesus asks, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" Before, Peter had denied knowing the Lord Jesus. Now, in answer to this question, Simon Peter says he loved Jesus more than the other disciples. At the end of v.15, Peter responds. "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." I find it very instructive that Peter makes no mention of the other disciples this time. After his failure, Peter is now not involved in the comparison game which is the robber of joy. 

In addition, Peter has learned to read the Lord's mind better. In the Garden of Gethsemane he felt that his love for Jesus required that he attack the enemies of the Lord Jesus, but here he learns that he is responsible to feed the sheep of the Lord Jesus. 

This is the primary work of a shepherd. The Lord Jesus says to Peter, "Feed my lambs;" "Take care of my sheep"; "Feed my sheep," meaning, "Do not wait for them to grow up. Teach them from the Word what life is all about. Watch over them. Anticipate the coming dangers, warn and guard them."

The primary way this is done is by opening the sheets minds to the thoughts of God. Mankind does not naturally think the thoughts of God. We do not look at life the way God sees it, but we blindly follow after the illusions of our natural inclination (the flesh). 

We all love Peter because he is just like us. He has all the failures that we are so familiar within our own lives. He overestimates himself and underestimates temptation. He thinks he’s more than he is, he thinks he loves the Lord more than he does. He thinks he can face any trial triumphantly. By the time he gets to this point, even though he has seen the risen Lord Jesus, he is really a broken man.

This is how the Lord Jesus forges His love into the life of the believer. His love is powerful. It is so powerful it draws out the best in us. It is what makes us sacrifice everything for the benefit of others. 

In John 15:13, the Lord Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” When we move love into the spiritual dimension, it causes us to serve the Lord in extreme ways. But His life changing love must first be forged deeply into our souls for this to happen. We must, like Peter, be the ones who go out and weep deeply. 

In our text, the Lord Jesus asks Peter one question, “Do you love Me?," three times. The first time the Lord Jesus actually asked, "Peter, do you agape me, do you love me unconditionally?" To this question, Peter responds honestly, "Lord, you know I phileó you, you know I love you like a brother." Peter does not say, Lord I agape you for he knows that he has failed miserably in that arena. The second time the Lord Jesus asks Peter this question, it is asked and answered in the same way as the first.

But, the third time the Lord Jesus asks Peter this question, He asked, "Peter, do you phileó me, do you love me like a brother?" This hurt Peter deeply because the Lord Jesus questioned what Peter knew to be true. Peter loved the Lord Jesus like a brother. And, it is one thing for the Lord Jesus to question Peter's agape love but it is another for Him to question Peter's Phileó love.

You've heard the old saying, "sometimes you must be cruel to be kind." I think that saying is appropriate here. Sometimes God has to either hurt us or allow us to be hurt in order for us to get the deeper lessons that we must experience in life in order to be useful at ministering to people. This, I believe, is our highest calling. Loving people.

Often the love we need most is the love we want least. This love feels so harsh, so blunt, so unpleasant in the moment, that we often don’t even recognize it as love. In Hebrews 12:5-6, we read, “5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” 

The word "discipline" can also be translated "trained." When God is disciplining or training us in His ways, we think that we have done something wrong, and although that may be the case, God disciplines us or trains us in His ways because we do not naturally walk in His ways. Sometimes the Lord’s love for us feels like the opposite of love, but that’s only because we can’t see everything He sees. Behind the real pain He allows, is an even more real love. A love that He gives us for Him and for those whom we influence for Him.

Finally, history teaches us that the Apostle Peter died upside down on a Roman cross. This is evidence that we can get to the place where we can be the forwarders of agape.

John 21:7-14

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7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. ~ John 21:7-14

Today, we find ourselves back at the Sea of Galilee where the disciples of the Lord Jesus have gone back to their old jobs, fishing. This was the place of most comfort for these guys. And, with all they had been through, they needed the comfort.

After another experience of fishing all night and catching nothing, an unknown man on the shore, who was the Lord Jesus, tells the disciples to cast their net on the other side of the boat. As soon as the disciples throw their nets into the water, they catch many, many fish.

In v.7, while Peter was unusually silent, John said, “It is the Lord.” At this, Peter threw on some clothes, dove in the water, and swam to his Savior. When Peter arrived on shore, the Lord Jesus was there with a prepared meal of fish and bread. 

After the disciples come ashore, the Lord Jesus tells them, according to v.10, to get their fish. But the Lord Jesus had His own fish. That's odd. So, why did He tell the disciples to bring their fish? I believe, He was subtly saying like He has said so many times to me down through the years. He was saying, "get your fish, I don't need 'em, but I want 'em." He has told me this so many times ... "Son, I do not need you to do anything for me, I want you." WOW!

So Peter goes back to the boat to retrieve the net to shore. John tells us the exact number of fish in the net: one hundred and fifty three large fish. 

On all of the other occasions when the Lord Jesus performed a miracle like this, the miracles were performed for the benefit of the crowds. Not so, here. The Lord performed this miracle for the sake of the bewildered disciples who needed this alone time with Him. 

Before any of us can care about the needs of the crowds, we must first experience time alone with the Lord Jesus for ourselves. Ironically, many of us find it easy to believe that Jesus cares about the poor, but we find it hard to believe that He cares about us. 

We must experience the miracle for ourselves first. This must happen in order to effectively share the gospel with others. Everyday we all are met by a crowd of problems. Some give in to anger. Some cynicism. Others have families that are falling apart. Others struggle with much loneliness and pain. 

The Lord Jesus never calls His disciples to fix the problems found around us. He doesn't call us to. But He does call us to believe He can. How will we ever believe there is a miracle for others if we do not really believe there is a miracle for us? 

The real miracle here is not the one hundred and fifty three fish. The real miracle is that we can know God, personally and intimately. John’s Gospel begins with the extraordinary claim that from the beginning the Lord Jesus is the Word of God. All things come into being through Him, and without Him not one thing has come into being. 

John's gospel begins with this great cosmic description of the person and work of Christ, It ends at a small campfire where He is caring for a few confused disciples. That’s the miracle of the gospel. This is the Savior who cares for us. He knows we have hopes for what He could do, that He has not done. He knows that we are confused about His work, and maybe about ours. 

The Lord Jesus knows that some nights we’re exhausted because after all of our hard work, we have very little to show for it. Even our fall back plans aren’t working. This is our opportunity to see that we are not alone, not abandoned, and not on our own. This means that amazing things are still possible. 

We must see this, because that crowd of spiritually hungry people we will meet tomorrow need to believe that at least we believe. John, the writer of this gospel was the only disciple at the foot of the cross when He was crucified. John was there, but all the rest ran away.

Why? Because John was the only one who reclined against the heart of the Lord Jesus. John was the one who was more consumed with Jesus' love for him rather than his love for the Lord Jesus. Most often we are more motivated by our love for the Lord Jesus than we are by His love for us.

By the way, a careful study of the specific times the Lord Jesus blessed others as recorded in all four of the gospels reveals something very interesting. When we add up these specific times, the number totals one hundred and fifty three. The message: God's calling in our lives is to be a blessing to all those who are hurting around us.

John 21:1-6

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1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. John 21:1-6

The scene has shifted from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee. Seven disciples are together. There's that number for fullness again. They are: Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John, and two unnamed disciples. Peter announces his intention to go fishing, the others join him. They fish throughout the night, the best time for fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Although conditions seemed favorable for catching fish, they caught nothing.

All that Peter had been through over the past weeks had taken it's toll on him. He was overwhelmed. And, whenever Peter faces too much, he always does the same thing, he goes fishing. Fishing was Peter’s fall back plan. It is what he was doing before he met the Lord Jesus. And he always figured he could return to it if the Savior thing didn’t work out. 

Like Peter we want to follow the Lord Jesus. But if He doesn’t fulfill our expectations, we figure we can always fall back on our plan for our lives. We know this old life pretty well and at least it is something we understand. This is the subtle message in this passage. Am I gonna be defined by Him or by me?

In this moment, the disciples were being defined by themselves. And, every time in the gospels we find the disciples fishing, they are doing so because they’re frustrated with the Lord Jesus. And, they never catch any fish.

That night of failure was not without its lessons. We can do worse than fail. We can succeed and be proud of our success. We can succeed and forget the One who gave us the success. We can succeed and be self-made men. But, the problem with self-made men is that we tend to worship our creator.

Just as day was breaking, according to v.4, the Lord Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples did not know that it was Him. The early light of dawn made it difficult for the disciples to see Him from the waters. 

As soon as the disciples threw their nets into the water, they caught so many fish they couldn’t pull up the net. That wasn’t because they had been fishing on the wrong side of the boat, it was due to the fact that they had lost contact with the Lord Jesus. But now, they could hear and obey Him.

Every time in John’s Gospel that the disciples saw Jesus perform a miracle, He was either doing something for a crowd of hungry sick people or He was commissioning them to do something for the crowd. 

When this stranger bid them drop their net on the right side of the boat and it was immediately filled with fish, their minds must have leaped back to another occasion when upon His command they let down their nets and they caught so many fish the nets broke. 

The main lesson in our text is obeying His commands, following His lead. We live the Christian life by walking in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit overcomes our temptations to sin by awaking our hearts to the wisdom of God. By the Spirit, we trust the promises, which when we obey, enables us to overcome the lure of the flesh. And, the more we walk in His word, the more we are able to see the stupidity of defining ourselves. This is what it means to have personal relationship with the Lord, and this is how we follow His lead.

Hebrews 4:11 urges us to be diligent to enter God's "rest" so that we don't fall into the same sort of disobedience the Israelites showed in the wilderness. This "rest" means being defined by God's word, will, and culture. When we do not believe God's definition of things, the word of God will not profit us, because it is not met with faith. The word does not profit us, because we do not believe and obey it.

This is why the writer of Hebrews urges us to "Be diligent to enter that rest." Again, His "rest" is being defined by God's word, His definition of how life should be lived. The writer of Hebrews urges us to be diligent or to be highly aware to be defined by God. This means that we must be diligent to hear His word, to believe it, to trust it, to embrace it, and allow it to define us.

In Hebrews 4:12, we read, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." This verse reminds us of the means by which we enter into this "rest" which is the word of God.

In Psalm 119:11, we read, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." With a welcome mat before our hearts for the word of God, we must make it our top priority to allow the word of God to define us daily.

A former cannibal was reading his Bible. An anthropologist approached him and asked, "What are you doing?" The now, born again native, replied, "I'm reading my Bible." The anthropologist challenged, "Don't you know that modern, civilized man has rejected that book? It's nothing but a bunch of fables. It's a waste of time reading it." The cannibal replied, "Sir, if it weren't for this book, I'd be eating you right now."

John 20:30-31

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30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. ~ John 20:30-31

In our text today, we are given the means by which God accomplished the overall theme of the Gospel of John which is man's emptiness and God's fullness. 

In John 20:30-31, John provides the purpose statement for the whole book. The first is that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The second is that we, in believing, may have life in His name. 

Throughout John's Gospel the Apostle John is saying there is no other name by which we can be saved. There is no other way to God. There is no other one to reconcile us to God, only the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” 

In v.30 of today's text, we read, "Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book." The total number of miracles that the Lord Jesus performed is truly unknown. But, what is recorded totals about forty. Of the forty, seven of the miracles are strategically used by John in this gospel. This, by no means, sums up all the miracles the Lord Jesus did. 

In John 21:25 we read, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” The world couldn’t even contain all the displays of the miraculous the Lord Jesus demonstrated. 

In v.31 of our text, we read, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." The purpose of His many miracles is: eternal life is only available through Him. These miracles were presented so that we might believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. 

The first miracle came in John 2 where the Lord Jesus changed the water into wine at Cana. Up until this point in His life, at least 30 years, He had never performed a miracle. Here is the first miracle, and He turns water into wine. 

In John 2:11 we read, “What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” The Lord Jesus did a public miracle, manifesting His glory, so that His disciples would believe in Him. This is John's goal throughout his account of this Gospel. 

The ongoing performing of these miracles reveals something of the nature of belief: it is meant to grow daily. And, if we are not believing, we will suffer the destruction the flesh yearns to deliver into our lives on a daily basis.

In John 4:47, John records the second miracle. This is the healing of a nobleman’s son who was sick to the point of death. Before healing the boy, the Lord Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”

The third miracle is found in John 5, the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. For thirty-eight years, this man had been paralyzed. He had long wanted to get into the pool when it was stirred up, but there was no one to help him get in the water. The Lord Jesus comes along, heals him instantaneously and told him to stand up, pick up his bed and walk after not taking a step for thirty-eight years. 

In John 6, we are given the fourth miracle where the Lord Jesus creates enough food to feed up to fifteen thousand people. A little boy provides two fish and five loaves of bread, and the Lord Jesus gives them all they can possibly eat. Then, there was twelve baskets left over, one for each of the disciples. 

Then subsequent to that, in John 6, the Lord Jesus walks on water and stills a storm on the sea of Galilee. In the first five miracles, the Lord Jesus demonstrates power over nature, power to create, power over illness, power over deformity, power over nature.

The sixth miracle is found in John 9. The Lord Jesus heals a man who was blind from his birth. And then the next miracle is read in John 11, which is raising Lazarus from the dead, and he has been dead for days, his body is in a state of decay, and yet Jesus raises him from the dead. Power over death, power over blindness, power over nature, power over deformity, power over illness, power to create. This is evidence that He is God, the Son.

The final miracle comes in John 20, the resurrection. In John 2:18-22, we read, “The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews respond with,  “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.’”

John 20 records the greatest miracle ever to convince us to believe. It is the seventh miracle, bring to completion the message that completes us. The Lord Jesus had the power Himself to rise from the dead to conquer death. These are the miracles that John details as evidences that this is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God.

John 20:24-29

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24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ~ John 20:24-29

Thomas had to go through a week of pain before he was positioned to believe that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead. As believers in Christ, we will, until our dying day, have within us the believer and the unbeliever which will be engaged in a civil war. This war is helpful in our discovery of the truth. This explains Thomas' struggle. Doubt is the shadow cast by faith. Doubt is the desire of our hearts crying out for more certainty. The problem is: it is the nature of faith to be uncertain to some extent.

Thomas is more than a doubter, however. He had determined not to believe. In v.25 he says, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." He is saying, "The evidence has to be what I decide it has to be, or I will not believe." Thomas is a pessimist, his glass is half-empty. Later, when Jesus does appear, he rebukes Thomas for being faithless. By deliberate choice, Thomas rejects the evidence the other disciples had given. The others had told him they had seen and even touched the Lord Jesus. Thomas rejects this and refuses to believe until he personally examines the evidence.

A week later, with the doors locked, the Lord Jesus shows up again. The Greek word used by John to describe the locked door means barred or padlocked. They were padlocked inside for fear of the temple guards finding their whereabouts. Had they not been imprisoned by their doubt and fear, we would not have this story.

At the end of v.26, the Lord Jesus didn’t say, “Shame on you for your doubt.” No, He said, “Peace be with you.” These words were the perfect words, because I am sure the disciples were stunned to have the Lord Jesus standing before them. This time, Thomas was here.

There is a difference between honest and dishonest doubters. The honest want to know the truth, whereas, the dishonest do not want to know the truth. Thomas had lived in his disbelief for a week. It was strategic, for in those days Thomas was forced to entertain the correct questions.

The Lord Jesus graciously placates Thomas' demands. He invites him to touch the nail prints in His hands and in His side. In response, Thomas makes the conclusion of a lifetime. He confesses immediately, "My Lord and my God." He not only believes Jesus overcame death and is alive, he believes the Lord Jesus is God.

Immediately, the Lord Jesus looks beyond the people in that room down through all the centuries and says, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." While most want to see first then believe, God's way requires us to believe first then see. Unbelief puts self where God should be. Faith puts God in His proper spot in our lives.

We believe unto eternal life. We believe in the Lord Jesus, having not seen Him. We believe because of His spoken word. We believe the Bible, because the Spirit of God has given us not only faith in Christ, but faith in His word. We weren’t argued into believing the Bible, we were led by the Holy Spirit into believing. We do not need to see the risen Lord Jesus to love Him.

The story in our text today wasn’t just for Thomas' benefit, it was for all who will ever read the Bible. We have a risen Christ whom we experience in our lives on a regular basis, who has transformed us so that our lives are different. Our changed lives are only explained by a supernatural experience called the new birth.

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John 20:19-23

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19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” ~ John 20:19-23

On the evening, according to v.19, in the dark of night of Easter Sunday, the disciples are locked away in the Upper room for fear of the Jews. The darkness seems to be enveloping these unsure followers of the Lord Jesus. Five different individuals or groups witnessed the resurrection of the Lord: Mary Magdalene, Peter, the other women, two men traveling on the road to Emmaus, Cleopas and his wife. The evidence is mounting with His appearances. 

This principle is so essential for the development of our faith: Every waking day, it is darkest right before it becomes light. The darker the night, the brighter the light. This darkness brought the disciples together and brought the Lord Jesus to be physically present among them.

In v.19-20, we read, "19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord." 

Even though the doors were locked, the Lord Jesus appeared in the room with the disciples. Then He said, "Peace be with you." With these most important words, the Lord Jesus shows them the wounds in His hands and His side, the products of His crucifixion. The glorified body of the Lord Jesus still bore the marks of the greatest display of love. Those scars will be the only man made things in heaven.

Now, the Lord Jesus has a physical body fit for another dimension. As a result, the disciples go from the deepest despair to the highest joy. And, to make it even clearer, He eats a piece of fish in their presence to make it more clear that He was risen from the dead and is alive. 

In v.21, the Lord Jesus reiterates what He said in v.19, saying, "Peace be with you!" We will never know the peace of God until we have peace with God. This is why the Lord Jesus reiterates this statement to His disciples. He, through His cross and resurrection has procured peace with God for all who believe.

Then, in v.21, the Lord Jesus says to His disciples, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." The gospel is for people who are desperately interested in forgiveness. The Lord Jesus came into the world not to change anybody’s social status or to make us feel better about our lot in life. He came to preach forgiveness of sin. This was His calling and is now our calling in this world, to share the Gospel with those who desire it.

In v.22, the Lord Jesus breathed on the disciples and they received the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus had earlier predicted that these men, who up to this point only had the Spirit dwelling with them, now would have Him come to live within them. This was explained by the Lord Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3.

Thus life, new life, came into man. Here, new life, the Spirit's life, comes into these disciples. They had been kept by Jesus' power up to now, and from this time on they are to be kept by the power of the Spirit residing within them. All of this happens to us, as well, when we believe in the Lord Jesus. This is what is highlighted throughout the rest of the Gospel according to John. 

In v.23, we read a difficult statement: "If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." This does not mean that we are given authority to say to someone, "You are forgiven," and to another, "You are not." Some have interpreted it that way, saying that priests are empowered to forgive or not forgive sins. 

What the Lord Jesus is saying is this: when people believe on the Lord Jesus, we are empowered to declare the forgiveness of sin. If anyone who is conscious of their sin, failure, and acknowledges their need before Jesus, and receives Him, we have the authority to say to them, "Your sins are forgiven." 

On the other hand, if someone refuses to believe, or merely pretends to believe, and his life shows no sign of any change, we are authorized to say to him, "You have not yet been forgiven of your sins." 


Some claim that Peter was the first pope. In that case, if anybody had the power to forgive or retain sin, it would have been him. But in Acts10 we find Peter in the house of Cornelius, the Roman centurion, saying to him, "To Him [to Jesus] all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name," (Acts 10:43). As indicated in the book of Acts, these men did exactly what Jesus told them to do.

John 20:11-18

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11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. ~ John 20:11-18

Our text focuses on Mary Magdalene, standing outside the tomb of the Lord Jesus, still convinced that her Lord was dead and His body had been stolen. Mary is weeping and standing. Then, looking into the tomb, she sees two "angels" sitting inside. 

In v.11, Mary had to stoop in order to see that the Lord Jesus body was not in the tomb. She had to stoop in order to see reality. This reminds me of a story of a man who was looking for a water fountain in a newly built government building. He sees the water fountain and approaches it. When he gets to the water fountain, he looks for a button or a peddle to push. At that point a maintenance worker came with a sign that he fixed to the wall behind the water fountain. The sign read, "Stoop and drink." Such is the nature of what is truly real, we have to humble ourselves to get it.

In v.13, the angels ask Mary, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Mary responds out of her uncertainty. Her faith is shaken. She and the others had left everything to follow the Lord Jesus and now it seems to be for naught. Such is the nature of faith, it does not grow apart from being made uncertain.

In v.14-15 the context is framed up with more uncertainty for Mary. In v.14 she is spinning around and in v.15 she is asked the same two questions the angels had previously asked by a person she thinks is the gardener. Perhaps the swollen and ripped up body of the Lord Jesus did not allow Mary to recognize the Lord Jesus for He had not yet ascended to His Father. And, He had not received His glorified body.

In v.16, the Lord Jesus speaks one word and Mary's eyes are opened. He simply uttered her name, "Miriam," as He reverted to their native Aramaic. Mary instantly recognized His voice. Responding in Aramaic, Mary flung herself at his feet and cried, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher"). She grabbed Him by His feet and began to weep tears of joy.

This is the first eyewitness to the risen Christ, first appearance of Jesus. The women, and Peter and John, Mary Magdalene included, have seen the empty tomb; but this is the first appearance of Jesus. And remarkably He appears to this lady named Mary from the town of Magdala. We know she was a follower of our Lord. We also know that the Lord Jesus had delivered her from demon possession. 

According to v.17, we read, "Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Had the Lord ascended to His Father, Mary would have recognized Him more readily. The Lord often leaves us in our uncertainty so that will be trained to look for Him with our hearts. This is faith.

In v.18, Mary rushes back to the disciples to tell them that she saw the resurrected Lord Jesus. The resurrection is the event by which God validates the sacrifice of Christ. All those sacrifices in the Old Testament could never take away sin; but this one sacrifice of the Lord Jesus removes sin our forever. And God's approval is seen through the resurrection of His Son.

The biblical accounts of the crucifixion stress that many people watched it from a distance. They wanted to see what would happen but they didn’t want to get too close. That’s how most of us handle death, by keeping it at arm’s length. 

But, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we do not end with death. We are buoyed by His resurrection which means that our existence will not end in any form of death. No, life, real life awaits us. Watchman Nee once said, "The greatest negative in the universe is the Cross, for with it God wiped out everything that was not of Himself: the greatest positive in the universe is the resurrection, for through it God brought into being all."

John 20:1-10

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1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. ~ John 20:1-10

In John 20 we are given John’s eyewitness account of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Early on Sunday the women came to His tomb with more spices, only to find out that His body was not there. Yet again, the Lord Jesus controls every detail of His dying, burial, and resurrection in order to fulfill prophecy. 

Among many other Old Testament passages, in Psalm 16, we are given the prophecy about His resurrection.  In Psalm 16:9-11, we read, "9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Along with the death and the burial of the Lord Jesus, His resurrection was fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

In John 20:1, we read, "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” Mary came back to complete what was a very hurried burial. But when she got there, the stone was rolled away and His body was no longer in there.

The Roman soldiers made the tomb secure, and along with a guard, they set a seal on the stone. But an earthquake occurred, and an angel came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The stone was not rolled away so that the Lord Jesus could get out, it was rolled away so that the disciples could see into the tomb.

After recognizing the Lord Jesus was no longer in the tomb, according to v.2, Mary ran and came to Simon Peter and to John to tell them that someone had taken His body away. She assumes He was still dead, not raised from the dead and someone had stolen His body.

We read in v.3-5, "So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in." Peter and John ran to the tomb and John notes that he arrived first. John looked into the tomb, seeing "the strips of linen lying there but did not go in." 

According to v.6-8, "6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed."  

If robbers had taken His body, they would have not unwrapped His body. But what Peter and John saw were the linen wrappings wrapped and lying exactly as they were when they were on His body. And, then there was the napkin that had wrapped the head lying exactly as it was while on His head, indicating that what had happened was Jesus had just come out of them. He had resurrected. 

And, as a result, the followers of the Lord Jesus believed. It is not easy to believe in a resurrection, especially when you don’t expect it. Especially when you have been told that somebody stole the body. But there was clear evidence in the left behind linens that these two disciples believed that He rose from the dead.

And, according to v.9-10, “(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.” They believed purely on the basis of what they saw.

Later, it all became clear, when the Holy Spirit came and the Lord Jesus appeared before them bodily, that He had overcome the product of sin: death. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 10, “If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved.” Saved from our sin and death. This changes everything.

Through His resurrection, “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Accordingly, we will one day be in heaven for eternity, separated from all that is the product of mankind's rebellion against God. My old man died at the cross of the Lord Jesus, and my new man was made alive through His resurrection.

The Christian hope depends entirely on the teaching that the Lord Jesus died a physical death, vacated an actual grave, and ascended into heaven.  “I am making everything new!,” God announces in Revelation 21:5. The old will be gone. God will lay hold of every living thing, every diseased body and every afflicted mind, and make all new.

John 20:7 tells us that the napkin that was placed over the face of the Lord Jesus was not just thrown aside. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of the stony coffin. That is significant!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the master and servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished. If the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m done.”

But if the master got up from the table, folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, “I’m not finished yet.” The folded napkin meant, “I’m coming back!” This is the conclusion behind the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: "He will one day, perhaps soon, come to receive unto Himself His own.

John 19:38-42

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38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. ~ John 19:38-42

According to John 19:38, after the Lord Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathea, frightened by the threats of the Jewish religious leaders, requested to be allowed to take the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from His cross and bury Him. 

Five percent of the Sanhedrin, two of forty, came to faith in the Lord Jesus due to the fact that Nicodemus also believed. We should never be surprised that many more will not believe as compared to those who will believe. We must keep this in mind and not be discouraged while sharing the Gospel with others.

According to v.39, Joseph was accompanied by Nicodemus, the same Nicodemus who came to have a conversation with the Lord Jesus back in John 3. Like Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus was rich, devout in his faith, and righteous. In addition, he was a member of the forty member Sanhedrin. It is obvious, that now, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus have become followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We are told in v.39, Nicodemus brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about seventy-five pounds which was the amount that would be used to anoint the body of a king or some great, wealthy individual.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus counted the cost by taking the dead body of the Lord Jesus down from the cross. According to Numbers 19:11, it was unlawful for anyone, much less members of the Sanhedrin, to touch a dead body. In doing so, these two men forfeited their positions as Pharisees, all the while losing a huge income. This is what happens in a life which is being defined by God.

These two religious leaders who were afraid to confess Jesus as Lord while He was alive, openly acknowledged that they were now following Him. With boldness, Nicodemus, at great expense to himself, gathers the burial spices. With Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus washed the body of the Lord Jesus and wrapped it in a cloth, interspersed with the spices. They did this so as to prepare the Lord Jesus' dead body for burial. According to Isaiah 53:9, these two are used of the LORD to provide the Lord Jesus a grave with the wicked  and the rich in his death. This was yet another fulfillment of prophecy.

As they wrapped the dead body of the Lord Jesus, they sprinkled in the fragrant mixture of myrrh and aloes to minimize the stench of the decaying body. They did not embalm in those days. The Jews did not put any kind of a fluid inside the body in those days. They did not drain the blood. The body of the Lord Jesus was wrapped, and as it was being wrapped, this mixture was applied. Then His head was wrapped separately from His body. 

In v.41, we read, “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.” The Lord Jesus was buried in a borrowed rich man's tomb. This was due to the hurried nature of getting Him into the tomb before the sun went down and it was the Sabbath. This explains v.42, which reads, “Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” As in our lives, every little detail was orchestrated to accomplish God’s purposes. 

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He did not believe in God until he was in his forties. Personal and national suffering was used of God to draw Lincoln into a personal relationship with Him. In 1862, Lincoln's 11-year-old son, Willie, died. Lincoln turned to a New York preacher, Phineas Gurley, for help. After several long talks with Gurley, Lincoln entered into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. Lincoln confided that he was driven many times to his knees by the overwhelming conviction that he had nowhere else to go.

Similarly, the horrors of the dead and wounded soldiers bothered Lincoln daily. There were fifty hospitals for the wounded in Washington, D.C. The rotunda of the Capitol held 2,000 cots for wounded soldiers. Typically, fifty soldiers a day died in these temporary hospitals. All of this drove Lincoln deeper into the providence of God. 

Sin began in the Garden of Eden where mankind entered into an experience he had never been in before: death. In Romans 5:12, Paul writes, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." Death came into mankind's experience in the Garden of Eden. But here in this garden in Jerusalem was a new tomb where no one had ever lain, and in that new tomb, death was conquered. 

Finally, the tomb the Lord Jesus was buried in was near His cross. No one had ever lain in this tomb. This underscores a great principle for us to live by: When we have been to a cross, when in God's wisdom something has broken our pride and undermined our self-sufficiency, when we find ourselves bankrupt, the place of resurrection is just around the corner. 

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