Joh 20:11-21:23 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for John 20:11-13: 20:11-13 Although two ... angels appeared inside the tomb, the riddle of Jesus’ disappearance remained unsolved (see Luke 24:4 ). • why are you crying? Sorrow was not the appropriate response in this moment.

Summary for John 20:11-13: 20:11-13 ^a Although two ... angels appeared inside the tomb, the riddle of Jesus’ disappearance remained unsolved (see Luke 24:4 ^b).

• why are you crying? Sorrow was not the appropriate response in this moment.
Summary for John 20:14-15: 20:14-15 ^c Jesus, whom Mary mistook for the gardener, repeated the angel’s question and added, Who are you looking for? Jesus’ question was to provoke Mary’s thinking: At this point Mary was looking for the body of Jesus, but she was about to meet the living Christ.
20:16 ^d When Jesus called Mary by name, she recognized him immediately (see 10:3-4 ^e).
20:17 ^f Mary thought that with the resurrection, Jesus would resume normal relations with his disciples. She was trying to cling to the joy she discovered in her resurrected Lord. But his fellowship with her would come in a new form (20:22 ^g). Jesus had not yet ascended to complete his return to the Father, but the process was underway. Before his final departure, he would give the Holy Spirit (20:22 ^h; see 14:15-21 ⁱ, 26 ^j; 15:26-27 ^k; 16:5-15 ^l).
20:18 ^m Mary was the first eyewitness to see the Lord following his resurrection. She not only saw him, she heard him and touched him (see 1 Jn 1:1-4 ⁿ). This great privilege was given to a woman whose broken life had experienced healing (Luke 8:2 ^o). In Jewish culture this was astounding; a woman could not even be a witness in court. No Jew in this period would make up such a story.
20:19 ^p meeting behind locked doors: The disciples feared prosecution for following Jesus.

• Peace be with you: This was a standard Jewish greeting (see also 3 Jn 1:15 ^q), but Jesus was doing more than just greeting his disciples: he was offering the Messiah’s peace (see Isa 9:6 ^r; 52:7 ^s) and delivering the gift of his Kingdom (see John 14:27 ^t; 16:33 ^u).
20:20 ^v The reality of Jesus’ resurrection was quite clear. Jesus showed them the wounds from the nails and the spear. He did not feign death but conquered it. He was no phantom but a real man with a real body. He had been dead but was now alive. Jesus was fully human both in life (1:14 ^w) and in his resurrection.
20:21 ^x I am sending you: God had sent Jesus into the world to establish his Kingdom, and now Jesus was sending his disciples to carry on his mission. Christ’s emissaries carry the truth of Jesus’ words to the world (cp. 17:18 ^y).
20:22 ^z Jesus commissioned the disciples and then empowered them with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had not been given previously because Jesus had not yet been glorified (7:39 ^aa). The glorified Jesus, resplendent in his resurrected body, poured the Spirit on his followers. This gift fulfilled many promises that the Spirit would be sent (14:16 ^ab, 26 ^ac; 15:26 ^ad; 16:7 ^ae, 13 ^af). It foreshadows the arrival of the Spirit’s empowering presence at Pentecost (Acts 1:4-5 ^ag; 2:1-47 ^ah).
20:23 ^ai If you forgive anyone’s sins: The ongoing work of Christ’s followers parallels the work of Christ. Christ’s followers do not distribute and withdraw God’s forgiveness on a whim, but they follow Jesus’ prompting through the Spirit (15:5 ^aj), just as Jesus obeyed his Father (14:31 ^ak).
Summary for John 20:24-25: 20:24-25 ^al Thomas: See also 11:16 ^am; 14:5 ^an). Thomas was absent when Jesus revealed himself. He remained skeptical despite the testimony of his friends, who had seen the Lord. Thomas demanded a concrete experience identical to theirs.
Summary for John 20:26-27: 20:26-27 ^ao Eight days later was Sunday, one week after Jesus’ resurrection (it was customary to include the current day when counting forward). Jesus’ appearance on the following Sunday helps explain the disciples’ meeting on “the Lord’s Day” (see Rev 1:10 ^ap).

• Peace be with you: This scene was exactly like Jesus’ first appearance (John 20:19-20 ^aq). Jesus had already heard Thomas’s complaint and now answered directly.

• Believe! Jesus challenged Thomas to believe in the resurrection like the others.
20:28 ^ar “My Lord and my God!” This was not an astonished exclamation but a proclamation of heartfelt belief. It concludes John’s declaration of Jesus’ deity that has framed the whole book (see 1:1-18 ^as).
20:29 ^at Jesus points to the generations of Christians who, through the testimony of others, would believe without seeing.
Summary for John 20:30-31: 20:30-31 ^au Many scholars view these words as the conclusion of John’s Gospel, viewing ch 21 ^av as an appendix. John’s account is only a selection from Jesus’ many ... miraculous signs.
20:31 ^aw that you may continue to believe: The present tense (found in some manuscripts) indicates that John wrote to encourage believers. Other manuscripts read that you may [come to] believe, suggesting that John wrote to stimulate new faith (cp. 1:7 ^ax).

‏ John 21:1-23

Summary for John 21:1-25: 21:1-25 ^ay This final chapter adds an account about the resurrected Jesus in Galilee (21:1-14 ^az) and records the exchange between Peter and Jesus concerning Peter’s love (21:15-23 ^ba). The chapter ends by summarizing the authority and importance of John’s eyewitness report (21:24-25 ^bb).
21:2 ^bc Several of the disciples returned to fishing in the Sea of Galilee. This was not a sign that their faith had weakened—even rabbis who regularly preached kept practicing their occupations (see Acts 18:3 ^bd; 20:34 ^be; 1 Cor 4:12 ^bf).

• The sons of Zebedee were James and John (see Matt 4:21 ^bg).
21:3 ^bh Fishing was usually successful in the early hours of the morning. However, this trip was useless and they caught nothing all night.
21:4 ^bi Jesus was standing on the beach, but the men did not recognize him (cp. 20:11-16 ^bj; Luke 24:13-53 ^bk).
21:6 ^bl “Throw out your net on the right-hand side”: Casting a net into the sea at random was futile. But when they did as the stranger said, the immense catch was immediate (21:11 ^bm).
21:7 ^bn “It’s the Lord!” John recognized Jesus, probably remembering that a miracle like this had happened before (Luke 5:1-11 ^bo).

• Peter, who had stripped off his clothes while working, put on his tunic in order to meet the Lord.
21:9 ^bp Cooked fish and bread were the mainstays of the Galilean diet; Jesus provided the men with breakfast. The charcoal fire is reminiscent of the scene of Peter’s denials (18:18 ^bq).
21:11 ^br This miracle showed generous provision (as in 2:1-12 ^bs; 6:1-15 ^bt). No symbolism attaches to the number 153.
Summary for John 21:12-13: 21:12-13 ^bu None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” Jesus’ resurrected appearance was different. His offer of fish and bread removed all uncertainties (cp. 6:11 ^bv; Luke 24:30 ^bw).
21:14 ^bx This scene on the beach was the third time Jesus had appeared (see 20:11-23 ^by, 26-29 ^bz).
Summary for John 21:15-17: 21:15-17 ^ca do you love me? The three questions and affirmations mirror Peter’s three denials (18:15-18 ^cb, 25-27 ^cc). Jesus invited Peter to reaffirm everything he had denied.

• The Greek term translated love in Jesus’ first two questions (agapaō) is different from the word in his third question (phileō). In each case, Peter answered with the second word (phileō). Most Greek scholars view the two words as synonyms in this situation. The focus of Jesus’ exchange with Peter was not the quality of Peter’s love, but Peter’s commission to take care of Jesus’ flock. Peter might be meditating on these events in 1 Pet 5:2-4 ^cd. 21:15 ^ce more than these? Or more than these others do? Jesus was reminding Peter of his insistence that he would be more faithful and courageous than the others (13:37 ^cf; Matt 26:33 ^cg; Mark 14:29 ^ch). He was urging Peter to examine himself.
21:17 ^ci feed my sheep: Jesus, who knows all things (1:42 ^cj; 2:25 ^ck; 16:30 ^cl), understood that despite Peter’s terrible failing, he still had faith and commitment to Jesus. These words called Peter to nurture and protect Christ’s followers.
21:18 ^cm you will stretch out your hands: Jesus was probably predicting crucifixion, which according to tradition is how Peter died.

• others will dress you (literally bind you): Jesus alludes to captivity, bondage, and even crucifixion—victims were often tied to the cross.
21:19 ^cn The rest of Peter’s life was a ministry tending the flock of God, and his martyrdom was a kind of death that glorifies God.

• Follow me: This might require suffering and death (see 13:16 ^co; 15:18-21 ^cp).
Summary for John 21:20-22: 21:20-22 ^cq “What about him, Lord?” Peter asked Jesus about the fate of John, wondering if he, too, would experience martyrdom. Jesus’ answer was abrupt: It was not Peter’s business to know how or when John would die. Peter’s only task was to follow Jesus, which John was already doing. This episode forms the core of John’s concept of discipleship: What matters most for the disciple of Jesus is to follow him and do his will, come what may.
21:23 ^cr Jesus’ words to Peter spread, causing some to conclude that John would not die until Jesus returned in his second coming. Jesus’ rebuke to Peter (21:22 ^cs) is repeated to answer that rumor. Those among the community of believers who believed this rumor were thus instructed to abandon any speculation about John. According to tradition, John died peacefully in Ephesus at an old age, surrounded by fellow believers.