John 21:15–25: A sermon on Peter's restoration and what following Jesus looks like in everyday life
A sermon from the Latimer: Listen channel working through the final passage of John's Gospel.
Summary
This sermon closes a multi-year series through John's Gospel, preaching on John 21:15–25 — the passage in which Jesus restores Peter after his three denials, commissions him to feed and tend his sheep, and foretells the manner of Peter's death. The preacher argues that Jesus' threefold questioning of Peter is not a demand for proof of love but a gracious, public restoration designed for Peter's own assurance. The sermon draws out three practical principles for life as a follower of Jesus — relying on God's word, rejoicing that Jesus uses imperfect people, and reorienting one's life toward giving rather than getting — and closes with the argument that it is self-giving love, not self-promotion, that constitutes true glory in the pattern of the gospel.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Closing John's Gospel: What Does Life with Jesus Look Like?
Today we come to the end of John's Gospel — albeit, as I said last week, having done it over a couple of years. We have seen John lay out the facts of Jesus's life: his miracles and power, his teaching and authority, and ultimately his death as the Lamb of God to save us from our sins, and his resurrection to reveal his victory over death and his right to rule as King.
Now we know why John wrote his gospel. Renee read these words for us earlier from chapter 20, where John says: Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah — that is, God's promised King, the Son of God — and that by believing you may have life in his name.
It's a wonderful promise. And before I go any further, if you're here today and you don't yet know Jesus, you haven't committed to trust him with your life, then know that John's Gospel was written for you. Jesus's invitation is open to anyone at any stage from any background. John is at pains to point it out repeatedly as he works through his gospel: that anyone who comes to Jesus and puts their trust in him will have eternal life. Now that eternal life will mean change, as we are changed and brought to that new life in Jesus.
And so if we are here and we do believe, what then? What does this new life in Jesus look like? We know what lies at the heart of it because Jesus prayed it for us back in chapter 17. This is eternal life, Jesus says, to know the only true God and Jesus Christ, his Son. Eternal life is the joy and privilege of knowing the infinite, eternal God. And we know that this life doesn't just start when Jesus returns. Knowing God starts now. That eternal life starts now, as we come to know God and the glorious new life that we have in him.
But we also know what lies at the end of it, because Jesus prayed for that too — praying and knowing that all those who trust in Jesus will one day see his glory in full when he himself comes back to take us home.
But what does it look like in the meantime? We still live in this awkward waiting period where the world is still broken and we're still weak and we still fail. What should we do now as we follow Jesus?
Well, this final chapter of John starts us on the journey of answering that question. And if you were here last week, we saw in the first half of the chapter that life with Jesus still depends entirely on him. You start by needing Jesus and you continue needing Jesus, knowing that he's the provider of everything that we have, both spiritually and physically. Also, that trusting him means trusting and obeying his word, knowing that the best way we take hold of his ongoing provision is by doing what he says in the way that he says it — and not by trusting in our own knowledge or experience. And that wonderfully, even when we fail, the best thing we can do is to run to Jesus. Just like Peter did — he dived in the water. Even in failure, the best place to be is with Jesus.
Well, this week continues and builds on that same pattern, but it starts to show — with Peter again as an example — what serving Jesus looks like in this life on the path to God's glory, which awaits us on Jesus's return. We're just going to work through the verses and then close with a few reflections. If you've got your Bibles or your devices open, please have them there at John chapter 21, and we begin at verse 15.
Jesus Restores Peter: Three Questions, Three Commands
We clearly continue on from last week. The breakfast that Jesus prepared for his disciples has now been enjoyed and finished. The disciples are full and they're all sitting together, satisfied in what Jesus has provided. And Jesus chooses this time — in front of everyone — to question Simon Peter.
We're meant to feel the awkwardness of this encounter for Peter. Because Jesus's question is not just very public, it's very personal. It puts Peter in the spotlight. Jesus asks: Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? That is: do you love me more than these other disciples love me — the ones sitting around here? And answer while you're in front of them, please.
Well, this wouldn't be the first time that Peter has publicly compared his faithfulness and love for Jesus. When Jesus first announced that all of the disciples would flee when Jesus was arrested, Peter boasted in front of them all: Even if everyone else falls away on account of you, I never will. And I'm sure Peter spoke with sincerity, but we know that he sincerely failed in that promise. Not only did he eventually flee with the rest of them, he first publicly rejected the fact that he was a follower of Jesus at all — not once, but three times.
And now Jesus asks him directly, in front of everyone else: do you love me more than these?
To his credit, Peter's lost a little interest in boasting. He simply says: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. To which Jesus simply replies: Feed my lambs.
But Jesus isn't finished. Three times Jesus probes Peter and asks him to affirm his love before then commanding Peter. And John records for us Peter's hurt at Jesus's repeated question. You can even hear it in his voice in his final reply. He says: Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And each time, Jesus doesn't respond with an affirmation of his own — simply a command and a call for Peter to look after Jesus's flock. Three times: Do you love me? Three times: Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.
A few things to notice. That this is a restoring of Peter's place with Jesus is pretty clear. First, it's done publicly, so that the other disciples know of Jesus's ongoing love and commitment to using Peter as the rock on which he will build his church. But I wonder if it's even more for Peter himself.
It should be obvious to the reader of John's Gospel that the thrice-repeated question from Jesus echoes the three rejections of Jesus from Peter. Three affirmations of Peter's love to counter his three earlier denials. But we should note: it's not Jesus who needs those affirmations — it's Peter. In Peter's final reply, he's correct when he says that Jesus knows. Jesus, who has repeatedly shown that he knows what goes on in people's hearts, does know Peter. And he does know that Peter loves him. So Jesus isn't double-checking because he's not sure. Jesus asks these questions for Peter's benefit — and therefore also for Peter's assurance that he does love Jesus, even though he knows he's weak and he's failed.
And do we often need a similar assurance? We do love Jesus, even though we fail. In fact — and this is just a side note — how often do we even think in terms of our love for Jesus? I think that's a helpful reminder in itself. The gospel isn't just about performance or just doing the right stuff. It centres on and flows out of love: God's love for us, our love poured back into Jesus and reflected in him. How often do we think about our love for Jesus?
On top of this, we should take Jesus's command to Peter not as some sort of demand for proof of his love, but as a gracious, confident, restorative invitation for Peter to rejoin Jesus in his glorious purpose of feeding and shepherding his flock.
Now, the differences in Jesus's commands — lambs and sheep, feeding and tending — might be taken to show the all-encompassing nature of Peter's role: that he is to care for Jesus's flock in every way, from beginning to end, just as Jesus has. But the main point we should take is Jesus's complete and utter threefold restoration of Peter back into his role in shepherding Jesus's sheep under Jesus. And it's important to know that they're still Jesus's sheep. Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. They're Jesus's sheep, but he includes Peter in that ongoing shepherding mission. It's a wonderful grace.
The Cost of Following: Peter's Death Foretold
But as we know, because Jesus himself has already told us — what is it that a good shepherd does? The good shepherd lays his life down for his sheep. And while Peter doesn't die for the sins of the sheep in the same way Jesus did, as Jesus continues, he makes clear that Peter's fate is to lay down his life.
Verse 18, if you're following along. Jesus says: 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. Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he said to him: Follow me.
Tradition in the early church has it that Peter was crucified in Rome some thirty years after these events for following Jesus. And further, that he refused to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord, counting himself unworthy, and asked to be crucified upside down.
Thirty years he fed the sheep of Jesus. He looked after the lambs of his great shepherd. Thirty years he knew that he would die a death he didn't want. But just like his Lord, he walked willingly towards it — until, arms outstretched, he followed his Lord even unto death. Because he loved his Lord. But also because he knew where following Jesus led, even through death: to a risen body, which Peter knows because it's standing right in front of him. To a risen body, restored not just in part, but in a full and eternal relationship with his Lord forever.
Jesus called this way back in chapter 11, saying: I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even though he dies. And whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
Peter knew that. And he's seen it so much more clearly now. And now restored by Jesus, he willingly — I think joyously — obeys his call to follow his Lord, even to death.
And Jesus wants Peter to know the cost before he follows. Do you notice that? And we need to know that as well. Because in this life, there is always a cost to following Jesus. There's no fine print in the gospel. Even though, as we continue, it's clear it's not the same for everyone. Not everyone is called to the same fate as Peter.
Don't Compare Your Walk with Others'
So as you continue in verse 20, Peter — now presumably walking with Jesus away from the disciples after breakfast — looks back and sees the disciple whom Jesus loved also following. We know that's John, who is writing this gospel. And Peter asks Jesus, verse 21: Lord, what about him?
And if I may paraphrase Jesus's answer, Jesus effectively says: Peter, don't worry about what I'll do with John. You just worry about your own walk. You follow me, and let me decide what I do with my other disciples.
Now, it's interesting to me that Peter has no problem with giving his own life for Jesus, but he is a bit nosy about what's going on with John — wondering if John will have to suffer the same things that Peter will. It's very easy, isn't it, to compare ourselves with others, especially in a world which is so digitally visible. You can see everything, so we compare. And even as Christians — in fact, even in a sort of Christian way — we might find it easy to ponder what Jesus has provided for that Christian over there or this Christian over here, wondering why we weren't given the same things, whether that's money or possessions or gifts or talents. Or sometimes we might wonder why we seem to be doing it tough and suffering while others seemingly aren't. We look at others and wonder: why them, or why me, whatever the case may be. Why aren't we all treated the same by Jesus?
And I think that's a natural question. The first thing I want to say on that is: we shouldn't be deceived by appearances. You can't always tell what a person is facing simply because on the outside they seem to have it all together. We should never judge a book by its cover. However, like Peter, we're not called to worry about what the Lord does in and through others. We have to focus on our own walk with Jesus.
Jesus says in verse 22: If I want John to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.
Now in verse 23, John uses this to clarify another point which had obviously become a rumour by the time he's writing, and John wants to refute it. The rumour is that John would remain alive until Jesus returns. John clarifies that this isn't exactly what Jesus said, and he repeats the words of Jesus very precisely. That's another helpful reminder to us to be very careful that we don't take Jesus's words and distort them to mean what we want them to mean, but to take them as they were spoken and as they were intended.
The Close of John's Gospel
Then moving on to verses 24 and 25. These two verses round out and close the gospel of John. These two verses only may have actually been written by another person — it's not entirely certain — perhaps by someone who copies and then circulates this gospel around to the other churches. It's why you get that "we" — the plural — in verse 24. Whoever is writing wants everyone to know that they stand by the truth of John's testimony. And they close with a statement to that effect.
Then, by echoing John's earlier words from the end of chapter 20, they close in verse 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.
And we know that to be true. We're still writing books about it. But more than that, we know that to be true because this book was written about the infinite and eternal Word of God — the Word made flesh. Jesus, the Son of God, who is himself God, who lived, died, and rose, and is seated at the right hand of his Father who sent him. There is no end to his majesty. There is no limit to his rule. And one day he will return in all his glory to take home those who have put their trust in him, to the glory of God the Father.
Friends, there is no end to the books you could write of his glory. And this is the message of the whole gospel of John. And John's entire call for us is to put the entirety of our trust in Jesus — both for our eternal life and for every part of that life that we live out.
Three Reflections: Rely, Rejoice, Reorient
It shapes us in every way, but there are a few things we can particularly take from this passage on a life lived following Jesus and what that looks like. If you like such things: three R's — rely, rejoice, reorient.
Firstly, a life lived following Jesus relies on and hungers for his word.
Before we even get to Peter's task and how it applies to us, we should recognise why Peter's task is necessary. Not everyone is called to shepherd Jesus's flock in the same way that Peter was, but although we aren't all shepherds, we are all sheep — even Peter himself. Sheep who have gone astray and so often wander. Sheep who need feeding and tending.
Now it's clear from John's Gospel that while certainly not the only means, the primary means of sheep being fed is by hearing and obeying the words of Jesus. This continues what we've been looking at last week. Jesus says in chapter 10 — Renee mentioned this for us earlier again — My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. Jesus's words are the key. And Peter's central call is to feed the sheep by preaching the words of Jesus, which if you then read his letters, Peter takes — and we know — to also include the whole Bible as God's word about Jesus. Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
So what do we need to do as the sheep? We need to eat up his word. Eat it up as the spiritual food that it is, regularly and constantly, if we're going to be fed by our shepherd in his word. We must be hungry for his word, understanding that it is by his word that we live and move and have our being.
Now that means we should continue to read the Bible for ourselves — daily when we can, in little chunks or big chunks. It doesn't matter. The more the merrier. The fuller you'll be, the more you can get in. You meditate on it alone, or sometimes you can gather with others. And certainly by sitting under his word each week as we come under it on a Sunday. Not because it's a rule, but because without it we will spiritually starve.
A life lived following Jesus relies on and hungers for his word.
Secondly, a life lived following Jesus rejoices that he can and does use all of those who love him to fulfil his purposes.
It's the wonderful grace of our Lord that he draws us in and uses us for his great plan of salvation. Although we are not all Peters, Peter's example particularly shows that Jesus can and does use anyone to carry on his work and care for his people — particularly that he uses imperfect people.
Think about Peter. Peter's always the first to put his foot in it. He's always the one who slips up. He's definitely not the smartest disciple — John always figures things out before he does. He's probably not the most organised. He may not even be the hardest worker. It's his brother Andrew, if you go through the Gospels, who people go to when they want to get things sorted. And yet it's Peter who Jesus chooses as the rock on which to build his church. Why? Because in Peter's weakness, God's power and grace are displayed to their utmost. God doesn't choose people because they're amazing, but because he is.
And friends, if you're sitting there thinking that you don't have the gifts or the talents or the strength or the wisdom to serve God and glorify him, think again. All Jesus asked of Peter was: Peter, do you love me? And then he put him to work. Do you love Jesus? Well, Jesus can work with that. And Jesus uses all of those who love him to fulfil his purposes and to bring glory to his Father.
We should not only take great comfort in that and rejoice in it — it should spur us on to express our love for him all the more. We don't all shepherd as Peter does in the same way, but we can all care for Jesus's flock in lots of different ways. A simple smile and a warm welcome when you see people on a Sunday or during the week — it's amazing what a smile and a warm greeting does. You don't know what that person's been through during the week. A text or a meal when people are feeling down, or they're lonely, or they're struggling. A little care goes a long way. Serving at church even when you don't feel equipped or gifted to do so. Praying for those around you — it doesn't have to be the seen things, the visible things, which are always helpful. God works powerfully through prayer — one might argue most powerfully through prayer. And sometimes the only thing we might be able to do is pray. But that's a wonderful thing to do, and Jesus will use that powerfully.
And there are countless other things, friends. But I hope you can see that all of these things Jesus can and will use wonderfully for his purposes. A life lived following Jesus rejoices that he can use us to fulfil his purposes. So get stuck in.
Thirdly and finally, a life lived following Jesus reorients itself to a life given for God's glory.
Let me explain that. I wonder if we lose the greatness and goodness of this point, especially if you understand what John Piper points out so often: that we are most satisfied in God when he is most glorified in us, and vice versa. God's glory is also the best thing for us as we enjoy that glory. And the particular aspect of that glory which I want to draw your attention to is that glory comes not through what we get in this life, but what we give.
Let me repeat that. Glory comes not through what we get in this life, but what we give.
Jesus's call on Peter's life was, out of a love for Jesus, to give his life to feeding Jesus's flock, to serving others as Jesus himself served others. Ultimately — and again, as it was for Jesus — this meant the actual giving of his life. And John specifically notes for us that it is this death by which Peter glorifies God.
And this path, this pattern flowing from love through a selfless giving of oneself, is always the path to glory in the Bible. It is humility which leads to exaltation, every time. And we need to get this right in our heads, because it's the exact opposite of what we in the world naturally assume most of the time. We think that the path to success and glory lies in self-improvement, self-promotion, self-exaltation, or self-realisation — or whatever that means.
Now, glory is actually kind of hard to define. But we only know it when we see it in practice. We know God's glory supremely in seeing it in Jesus. And the Bible is clear that it's what we give, not what we get, that brings ultimate glory.
And we see this pattern even in God. What is God's most glorious act? It's undeniably Jesus on the cross. It's a point Jesus makes clear when he prays: Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you. He's speaking of his death. And notice the pattern which crops up in the Gospels: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Jesus, who loved his Father and his flock, gave himself over to be arrested, and gave his life as a ransom for many, and who at the last gave up his spirit to save a people who couldn't save themselves. John is very particular with his language. That is the glory of God at work — the God who gives out of his glory.
And when Peter gives his life out of his love for Jesus, that is what glorifies God, because it is glorious to God. And as we act out of a love for Jesus and to the glory of God, what we do is then glorified by God as we are swept under his glory. It's an amazing picture.
And one of the best things about this is that it upends all our assumptions about what is truly glorious. It helps us understand that it's the normal parts of our lives, the everyday parts of our lives, which can often bring the most glory to God — and which God will glorify the most, because it reflects his own character.
And so I put it to you that greater than the worker who's just received their fifteenth promotion and becomes CEO of a Fortune 500 company is the mother who's just changed her fifteenth nappy for the day, or just got up for the umpteenth time in the night to care for a crying child. Not because she enjoys doing it. Not because she gets something out of it. But because she loves her child. And even as she struggles, and out of a love for Jesus, knowing that he loved every one of his children just the same and calls the little children to him — that's glorious. That self-giving action is glorious.
Maybe it's the father who limits their time at work — maybe losing out on getting that promotion or better pay — so he can give more time to his family. That's glorious. Maybe it's the person who's on their own but who still gives of themselves to care for the good of others around them. That's glorious. The younger person who cares for the elderly rather than caring what their peers think of them. That's glorious. The decision that says: not what's the best career I can get, what will give me the most stuff, or what will satisfy me the most now — but how can I arrange my life to best serve God's purposes into eternity? What will help his people the most and bring God the most glory?
Now, these aren't glamorous or glorious tasks from a human perspective. But when you get down to it, even Peter's task of feeding the sheep is pretty ordinary. And his death wasn't very glamorous — until we understand that it's wrapped up in Jesus's glorious purposes of gathering and looking after his people as we await his return. Then it becomes glorious.
And this glory isn't received now. These things may never be seen by anyone in this life. But friends, your heavenly Father sees them. And he never forgets. And he will lift you up in due time.
The life we live in following Jesus is lived out of a love for him, and it is given for the glory of God. And that is the best thing in the world for us. Of eternal value. It makes even the mundane magnificent.
This is the glory of the gospel of Jesus, which John wants us to see. Jesus, who gave his life for us to save us from death, and who rose from the dead to give us new life in him. This is why we should rely on and hunger for his word, which feeds us and brings us and reminds us of the new life we have in Jesus. Why we can rejoice that we can then serve Jesus as we gather up into his ongoing mission to share his glory with the world — born out of a love for him. And then to reorient our lives to the glory of God, because his glory is for our good. As we are drawn up into that glory — the glory of knowing God — which we will one day see perfectly, fully, and finally when his Son returns to take us home.
That is the glory of the gospel of Jesus.