The Gospel of John: Do You Love Me? Then Follow Me. 21: 1 - 25

 As we come to the last chapter of this magnificent Gospel, the beauty, the poignancy, the simplicity that has so many layers, its sheer genius, all this continues to the very last verse.

 In a way John 21 seems like an extra chapter. For John 20: 30 – 21 is a fitting end: ‘Reader, there is much more to say about Jesus, but this has been written so you may believe.’ That’s a good place to end.

 But then there’s another chapter. It’s easy to see that John 21, like an epilogue, deals with at least two questions that must have arisen in the early church. One, how did the disciple who denied Christ three times end up becoming the church’s leader? And there was a misunderstanding around the death of the author. John answers both these questions.

 However John 21 is very much more than an epilogue. It is a stunning piece of writing, painting pictures in our minds – the disciples at night catching nothing, Jesus silhouetted by the rising sun; Jesus, Peter and the charcoal fire; the breakfast on the beach; the three lead characters walking by the sea. As literary art it is fulsome.

 For content, we could say it is a bridge chapter, between the ministry of Jesus to the ministry of the church. Jesus is on one side of the bridge, and he points Peter and the disciples to cross over to the other side, to the church. Hence the camera remains on Peter, the leader of the early church. Peter decides to go fishing; Peter runs to Jesus; Peter runs to get the fish; and Peter is asked the most important question in the world by Jesus, ‘Do you love me?’ There is then a focus on the most controversial teaching of the early church: the Lordship of Jesus. Seven times in this chapter Jesus is referred to as ‘Lord’, (v. 7, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21), We don’t have such an emphasis in the other chapters. We also have the work of the church, hauling in the large catch of fish. There is the importance of unity in the church, with the detail that the net didn’t break. There is a reference to Holy Communion with breakfast fellowship in the presence of the Lord. Jesus then explains the work of the church leaders – to feed the sheep; and for such leadership there is a price to pay, even martyrdom. At the end we see that different leaders have different callings, Peter’s and that of the Beloved Disciple’s were not the same. And finally, the importance of writing. All of this is pointing to how the church is going to look.

 The chapter has three connecting sections. The miraculous catch of fish followed by breakfast 1 – 14; Jesus and Peter 15 – 19; Jesus and the Beloved Disciple 20 – 23; the last words of the author 24 – 25. For this last chapter we will go verse by verse. And if you read Luke 5: 1 – 11 the first story will become even richer.

  v. 1

 Jesus revealed himself again…Jesus revealed himself in this way. That is how this church chapter starts. It is all about Jesus revealing himself to his disciples. The writer is asking us to see this as the foundation of church life. Not lessons, not buildings, not meetings – but Jesus revealing himself.

 In this way…this is very important. How does Jesus reveal himself? The story will answer that, but we need to remember that the writer has asked us to keep this question in our minds as we read the story.

 We are told where the revelation is going to happen. It is a familiar place for both Jesus and the disciples. The lake of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberius.

 v. 2

 Here we meet seven disciples. The named ones are the Galileans, and they are some of Jesus’ very first disciples – Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, - we haven’t met him since Chapter 1 - John and James, the sons of Zebedee; and there are two others. We don’t know where they are from. You will remember that I said in my first lesson that our writer had a rule, never to mention his own name. He is always either the other disciple or the Beloved Disciple. Here we have John Zebedee mentioned which, as said, means it is unlikely he is the author. What is pretty certain is that the Beloved Disciple is one of those two others.

 V. 3

 In the last chapter Jesus had send, ‘As the Father has sent me, so I send you…’ They don’t look like they are going anywhere. They are back home, sitting. Then it gets worse. Peter says, ‘I am going fishing’. He didn’t mean fishing for men, that is what Jesus had told him in Luke 5 – and the writer knows that story, and knows his readers know that story. Peter meant fishing for fish. Peter meant he was going back to his old job. In Luke 5 Jesus said, follow me, and Peter left everything. He left his boat. Now he is going back to that boat.

 We can guess why. Yes, Jesus has been raised from the dead. But, there is no place for me. I denied him three times. I have failed. So we hear the author’s – Jesus revealed himself in this way. In what way? When we have failed.

 The others come with Peter. Just like Mary ran to Peter in the last chapter, because for her he was the leader; so now. Whatever Peter thinks about himself, for the others, he is the leader. So they go with him.

 And that night, we know the word night for this author has meaning. Nicodemus came to him – at night, Jesus told his disciples to walk in the day, because night is coming, and Judas went out and it was night, Jesus’ trial before Anna was - at night.

There is a problem here. Jesus’ closest disciples, are working – in the night. And there is no blessing. They caught nothing. Just like when Jesus called them in Luke 5.

 I am sure as the day was breaking they were all thinking about what had happened in Luke 5. How they were out all night, and caught nothing. And then….and then…that miraculous catch of fish. Could it happen again?

 v. 4 

 Just as day was breaking. Darkness and light…and in the light, there is Jesus standing on the shore. We don’t know how long he had been there for, watching. The disciples do not know it is Jesus, ‘the Lord’. The boat is a distance from the shore. They cannot see clearly. That is important.

 v. 5

 They cannot see, but they can hear Jesus’ voice when he asks, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They hear ‘Children’ Who would call them children? The last person who had called them ‘Children’ was Jesus, in Chapter 13, when he said, ‘Little children yet a little while I am with you.’ (13:33).

 It is very gentle, especially when you think how disappointed Jesus must have been. He has called these men to follow him; he taught them for three years, and now, they are fishing on the lake. It is like those three years didn’t happen. However, He is gentle, not angry, and he asks a very perceptive question.

 Do you have any fish? Okay, you are not doing what I asked you to do: how is it going? Do you have any fish? The disciples have a choice. To be honest about their failure, or to protect their reputation.

 Thankfully they are honest. Again we remember what the writer said in v. 1. Jesus revealed himself in this way. He revealed himself when the disciples were honest about their failure.

 v. 6.

 It is just like Luke 5. Jesus gives a command, they obey, and there is a miraculous catch.

 What’s important to note here is that there is nothing visual here. The miracle has not happened because the disciples have seen Jesus. No, the miracle has happened because the disciples hear Jesus, confess to Jesus, and obey Jesus. That is life for Christians in the church. We don’t see Jesus, but we can hear, and confess, and obey.

 V 7

 The Beloved Disciple helps Peter – again. He helped him at the Last Supper – finding out who the traitor was; he brings him into Annas’ courtyard; he runs with him to the empty grave. And now he understands that this is ‘The Lord’. Note, there is nothing about him seeing Jesus. It is an understanding.

 Peter is just like Mary in Chapter 11. Do you remember how she was upset and didn’t go out to greet Jesus? But when Martha came and said, ‘The Teacher is calling you’, she sprang up and ran to Him. Peter is the same. He has gone fishing; but when he hears it is Jesus, he wants to get to him as quickly as possible.

 V 8

 The other disciples, they have work. Pulling in the fish. There are miracles, there is work. We have both in the church.

 V. 9

 We don’t know exactly what happened when Peter met Jesus – because the Beloved Disciple, the writer, was not there. He was with the others dragging the net. When he arrives he tells us that Jesus has been preparing breakfast – some fish and bread, on a charcoal fire.

 A charcoal fire. The easiest fire to make on a beach is a wood fire; but Jesus has made a charcoal fire. On purpose. From the peace of this beach, we go to Annas’ courtyard and Peter, warming himself and denying Christ – by a charcoal fire (18:18).

 Jesus wants to deal with that terrible night. He wants to bring Peter’s failure into the light. Remember v. 1 – Jesus revealed himself – in this way. He reveals himself as we face our worst failures. Now we can imagine what happened when Peter came running up that beach. There is an embrace. There are warm words, but then his eyes went to the fire, and he saw it was a charcoal fire. And he looked again at Jesus. We don’t know what they said to each other. But that wound, that failure, that denial – it came into the light, it came into the open – on that beach. That’s the kindness of Jesus. He did not leave Peter with his inner pain.

 v. 10

 The kindness continues. Jesus already has fish cooking, but he says, go and get some of the fish that ‘you have caught’. They didn’t catch any fish. It was because of Jesus they had fish in their net. They had only pulled the net in. That is grace. And that is the church. It is Jesus who brings in the fish, we just pull them in. We cannot make anyone a Christian.

 V. 11

 Jesus doesn’t say who should go and get the fish – but it is Peter who goes. There is a spring in his step. He is ready to serve Christ again. And he works very hard to bring the fish in.

 We are told there are 153 fish. That has caused a lot of discussion. There are many ideas. One is that in ancient times people though there were 153 types of fish, so this symbolizes how all the different people groups will come into the net of the church. This cannot properly be proved. There are all sorts of mathematical ideas. And one of course is that there were many. As with the wine in chapter 2, the water in chapter 4, the bread in chapter 6, the perfume in chapter 12 – the emphasis is plenty.

 Just as important as the 153 is the other detail. The net was not torn. We remember Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for unity. That is crucial for catching fish.

 v. 12

 Peter has given some of those 153 fish to Jesus, and so he invites them for breakfast. What grace. They have gone fishing, they have caught nothing, He does not rebuke them, he only asks them a question. They are honest, a miracle happens, Peter is restored, and now an invitation to breakfast. In this Gospel Jesus is often a host. He invited Andrew and the other disciple to his home; he gives the wine at the wedding, he gives the bread to the five thousand, he organises the last supper. Meals with Jesus. Remember – it is he who invites the disciples, he is the cook and the host.

 The ‘Who are you?’ question has been sharp all through the Gospel. It was the first question to John the Baptist: who are you? But now the disciples know the answer. It is the Lord. The church does not ask who Jesus is; real Christians know who he is.

 V 13

 Jesus gives the bread and the fish. They have seen this before, in John 6, with the feeding of the five thousand. And after that there was the sermon in Capernaum where Jesus said he was ‘the bread of life’ which we had to eat. The writer is surely wanting us to think of Holy Communion – something which has been a part of the church for two thousand years.

 v. 14.

 The author ends this section where he began. He is stressing the importance of revelation. And how it happens. When we are failures, when we confess, when we listen and obey, then we are ready to go to Holy Communion.

 The next section is about Jesus and Peter. 21: 15 – 19

 We will look at 15 – 17 together.

 Breakfast has finished. Jesus turns to Peter, and says Simon, son of John. We have to stop here. Simon, son of John. The last time we heard this name was in chapter one when Jesus met Peter for the first time. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John. You shall be called Cephas (Peter)’(1:42). And now Jesus uses this name, not the new name he gave him. Why? It is perhaps because this new name, which means rock, is now difficult, given what had happened in Annas’ courtyard. But also because by using this name, Jesus is reminding Peter, that he gave him a new start. Jesus is saying – you can have another new start. I can call you Peter again.

 But first Jesus wants to know something. And he asks him the same question three times ‘Do you love me more than these?’ There is no need to think there is any difference in the two words used for love here, agapas and philo -as they can be used interchangeably.

 As is typical with our writer we are not told what the these are – most likely the fish, perhaps the other disciples. It does not matter. Peter knows, we know, that we are to love Jesus more than any other ‘these’ whatever they are.

 With the charcoal fire probably still burning, we know why Jesus asks this question three times. Three times Peter had denied Jesus near a charcoal fire; now three times he can say he loves him, again, near a charcoal fire. This conversation will deal with those denials. But there is more. Jesus asks three times because he really wants Peter to examine himself. To think carefully. Jesus is not interested in a cliché answer. He wants Peter to really work out where his heart it.

 This is the penultimate question Jesus asks in this Gospel. This is a Gospel full of questions, some say there are nearly 170. Many are asked by Jesus. His first question to Andrew and the other disciple was ‘What do you seek?’, in chapter one, and He asks questions in nearly every other chapter – will you give me a drink? Do you want to get well? Do you want to leave me? Do you believe this? Who do you want? Why are you crying. And just before this conversation, have you any fish?

 And now three times, right at the end – do you love me?

 It’s a question for Peter, it’s a question for all of us. This is what matters. Loving the Jesus we have met in this Gospel. He is not an easy or a predictable man. He is certainly not soppy or sentimental, but he is patient and kind. He is determined to do his Father’s will. He is willing to serve others and suffer. And he is ready to confront his enemies He is not frightened of religious or political rulers. He has time for the unlikely people. He is man you cannot put into a box, not least because he claims to be God. ‘Before Abraham was, I am’. This is the Jesus who asks  – do you love me?

 Peter says, ‘Yes’, he says, ‘You know’, and in the last, ‘You know all things’. Peter is right. Jesus knows our own hearts better than we do. But Jesus wants to hear that we love him – which means we will follow him and do what he wants.

 Jesus wants Peter to look after the sheep, to feed them. That is why this is a bridge chapter. Jesus is going to ascend to his father, so it is Peter who has to look after the church. Twice Jesus says, ‘Feed my sheep’. What does that mean? What is the food for the sheep? We know two things from this Gospel. In John 4 Jesus said that his food was to do the will of the Father. And in John 6 He told us that his body was the bread of life. Peter must feed the sheep by encouraging them to do the will of the Father, and by always pointing them to the broken body and shed blood of Christ – in worship, preaching and of course in Holy Communion.

 Simon the son of John has been called Peter – again. Right there, by another charcoal fire, Jesus is appointing Peter to be the leader of the first church. It is very poignant.

 And there is more.

 v.18.

 Yes, Peter, as we know in Acts, will certainly be the leader of the first church. And he will grow old. Jesus tells him this. But his death will not be pleasant. Peter is going to suffer. He is going to be taken to a place of execution. It is thought this happened in Rome around 64 A.D. during Nero’s persecution. This was before this Gospel was published. Peter’s martyrdom was something the writer knew about.

  v. 19

 We are told that this promise of suffering will bring glory to God. Later in his first letter Peter will constantly make the connection between suffering and glory. (I Peter 1: 3/11; 19/21; 2: 4,7; 21/23; 3. 18; 4:13; 5:1). With that certainty ringing in his ears, Jesus says to Peter, ‘Follow me’.

 Now the camera turns to the Beloved Disciple in 20 – 23

 20

 It seems that Jesus and Peter are walking together along the beach. And – for some reason, we don’t know why – the Beloved Disciple is following them. Whoever he was, the Beloved Disciple was the friend of Peter’s brother (1:40), and had clearly became Peter’s friend. Now, right at the end of the story, they are together on the beach.

v. 21

 Peter turns and sees the Beloved Disciple. He has understood what he has to do. Look after the church, and then bring glory to God through being executed. But, is it going to be the same for his friend, the Beloved Disciple? ‘Lord, what about this man?’

 v. 22

 Jesus refuses to answer the question directly. Instead we have one of the rare references in this Gospel to Jesus’ second coming: the Beloved Disciple might still be alive when Jesus returns. And then, ‘What is that to you? What is it to you Peter about what happens to the Beloved Disciple? He has his journey, you have yours. Don’t interfere.’ And, in case Peter hasn’t understood, we have Jesus’ last words to Peter, to the church, it’s the same command again: ‘Follow me’.

 Let’s put some of these final words of Jesus together.

 Do you love me?

Follow me

What is that to you?

Follow me

 Jesus is asking us not to let anything or anyone distract us from loving him and following him.

 v.23

 We then find out that there was a rumour in the church that the Beloved Disciple was not going to die until Jesus returned. To deal with this we are told again exactly what Jesus had said which was, ‘If it is my will…’ There is no assurance that the Beloved Disciple was not going to die.

 Now our author signs off this magnificent Gospel.

 v. 24 

This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things. The author is the Beloved Disciple. Like John the Baptist, like Jesus, and like Peter will die for Christ – he too is bearing witness. How? By writing this Gospel. What a witness.

 ‘We know his testimony is true’. There is discussion over the ‘we’. Some suggest that while the Beloved Disciple was the witness, a secretary did the writing, and so the book, and perhaps others, perhaps even the church is saying, ‘We know his testimony is true.’ Perhaps. Or perhaps the Beloved Disciple just used ‘we’ for himself. What’s important is that this Gospel is true. It is reliable. Trust-worthy. Everything we have been reading about happened.

 v. 25

 This is the last verse and it is very beautiful. Again we are told – as we were in 20:30 that the author has made a selection of what Jesus has done. The Gospel is not a tape-recording of all that has happened. No, the events are carefully chosen, and crafted.

 There is so much more the author could have told us. As with the wine in chapter two, as with the water in chapter 4, as with the bread in chapter, as with the fish here in chapter 21, there is abundance. So much so that there is not space enough in the whole world to contain all the books that would have to be written.

 The genius of our author remains right to the end – and beyond. He is saying, ‘Yes, this is a book, but we cannot put Jesus into a book. He is God. Fill the world with books and He will break out of them and call you and me to follow Him.’ But, at the same time, he is saying, the church needs written accounts like this. That too is very true.

 We have been on a journey together through the pages of this wonderful Gospel. The wonderful hero of the Gospel does not stay in Chapter 21. No, he stands at the end of Chapter 21 and ask us whether we love Him ‘more than these’ and then calls us all to follow him.

 

The Gospel of John: The Resurrection 20: 1 – 31

 The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a completely extraordinary event. However, like Jesus’ death, is also an event that this Gospel has often pointed to. Do you remember in chapter two Jesus said, 'If you destroy this temple, I will raise it up in three days. We are told that Jesus is talking about his body. Or the ‘lifting up’ - in chapter three. Jesus said that the Son of Man must be lifted up. And in chapter twelve, Jesus says,  ‘When I am lifted up’. Jesus is lifted up on the cross, and lifted up in the resurrection.

 Here in Chapter 20, the resurrection happens. Our chapter falls into four scenes.

 1. The empty tomb – 1 - 10

2. Jesus and Mary – 11 - 18

3. Jesus and the disciples, without Thomas – 19 - 23

4. Jesus and the disciples, with Thomas – 24 – 29

 And then there is a conclusion, 30 – 31

 The Empty Tomb – 20: 1 – 10

 Between the placing of Jesus’ body in the grave, till now, the first day of the week, Sunday, there is total silence. Nothing. A terrible thing happens, but there is silence. Sometimes that silent Saturday can seem very long, but Sunday is coming. Sunday for all Christians is a special day. It is our Sabbath, but it is also the day when we proclaim the hope of the resurrection.

 For Mary the day did not start with hope. It started in darkness. All of us know what it feels like to visit a grave. That is Mary. She sets out in the darkness to go to a tomb. In the Synoptics there were other women with her, and that is the case here too because Mary says ‘We’ in v. 2. But our writer wants the camera to be on Mary. She is a disciple to emulate.

 She comes knowing that only Jesus will be in this tomb. Thank you, Joseph and Nicodemus. You stopped Jesus being put into a common grave.

 In the early dawn light, she sees that the stone has been moved. For her that means that someone has come and taken the body of Jesus. It could have been grave thieves, they were a problem; but for Mary, more likely, it was Jews who hated the fact that Jesus had a special grave. They had taken the body and put it where they thought Jesus of Nazareth belonged – the common grave for criminals.

 Mary runs to Peter – and her concern is, ‘We don’t know where…we don’t know where the body is’. She will say the same thing twice more – look at v. 13, and v. 15. She must know where Jesus’ body is. She wants to be near to Him. Here is passion. The writer wants us to notice Mary, she is the one for us to emulate. Later the camera will turn to Thomas, on purpose. The writer wants us to notice the contrast between Mary and Thomas, and to emulate Mary.

 With Peter and the Beloved Disciple we see courage. They know that Jesus’ grave is a dangerous place to go. He was executed as a rebel. If the government sees someone going to a rebel’s grave, they too are probably rebels. They could be arrested. But something inside them responds to what Mary has said. They must find out. And now they run to the tomb. All of this running creates excitement.

 When the Beloved Disciple arrives he looks inside the tomb and see the linen clothes. The Greek word for look here is Blepo, it has the idea of a glance.

 Peter goes right inside, he also sees the linen cloths and also, v. 7, the face cloth rolled up in its own place. There is such detail here. We feel we are very near. This is vivid history. Our writer was there. The Greek word for look here is theoreo which means to look carefully. To focus. To observe

 Now, the Beloved Disciple goes in and looks, And we read – ‘he sees and believes’. The word for see used here is Eiden, to perceive.

 He looked. He beheld. He perceived. The writer wants us to see that in faith there is often a journey. We start with a glance at the Christian faith, then there is more focus, we start thinking seriously about Christ. And then we perceive.

 What though did the Beloved Disciple perceive? In v. 9 we are told that neither Peter nor the Beloved Disciple understood the Scripture that Christ must be raised from the dead. The Beloved Disciple probably did not suddenly receive a full understanding of the resurrection, but he certainly saw that the empty grave was not caused by grave thieves. No grave thief would say, ‘Oh, I must roll up this head napkin neatly’. He understands that something supernatural has happened, but he is not quite sure what. He just knows that more will happen.

 v.10 is a difficult verse. The men went home. We would have expected them to stay with Mary, to think about this more. But no, they both go home. Then we have a famous New Testament, ‘But’.  ‘But Mary stayed’ v.11. There is a contrast here, and the writer is wanting us be like Mary, to stay in the last place Jesus was.

 Jesus and Mary 11 – 18

 For Peter and the Beloved Disciple there were only the linen clothes. Physical evidence. For Mary there are two angels – heavenly evidence. This is underlining the importance of staying.

 And weeping. Mary is crying outside the tomb, and still crying when she enters the tomb. Usually you don’t see much when your eyes are full of tears, but Mary sees more when she is weeping.

 The two angels are sitting, one near where Jesus’ head was, the other where his feet were. They are at either end of the flat ledge in the wall where Jesus had lain. For many this speaks of the mercy seat of the tabernacle described in Exodus 25. Here there were two cherubim, one at either end of the mercy seat. That is beautiful, for truly here is our mercy seat, the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.

 For Mary the angels underline the absence of Christ’s body This has been called, ‘the presence of the absence’. The body should be between the angels, but it is not there. This makes Mary more agitated. Perhaps another wave of tears came over her so the angels ask, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ The question seems out of place. She is grieving, that is why she is crying.

 The question is a gentle rebuke. ‘Woman – why are you weeping when he told you there would be a resurrection? Why are you weeping when now you can see the evidence for the resurrection? Not just the grave clothes, but we two angels – we are proof that something wonderful is happening. Woman – you should be laughing, not weeping. The resurrection is real.’

 Mary tells the angels why she is weeping. There is a ‘they’. There is a group of people who want to hurt Jesus, even when he is dead. So ‘they’ have taken away his body from this good grave. She is almost certainly thinking of the Jews. But she is not going to give up. So, she doesn’t seem to care that she is talking to angels, she doesn’t ask them who they are or where they have come from. She just has one concern – she doesn’t know where Jesus’ body is.

 What happens next is strange. Mary is waiting for an answer from the angels; but she turned around. Why would she turn around? There must have been the sense of a presence. Without seeing, she must have understood that someone else was now in the tomb. And that person was more important than even the angels.

 She sees Jesus, but she does not know it is Jesus. In her mind the Jesus she was going to see would be a corpse, lying down. But this man is standing. So that cannot be Jesus.

 Jesus, v.15, asks the same question as the angels, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’

And then, ‘Whom do you seek’. Jesus’ question takes us to chapter one when Andrew and the other disciple were following Jesus. There Jesus asked them, ‘What do you want’. They wanted to see where he was living. Like those two disciples, Mary is seeking where Jesus’s body is, but Jesus’ question changes. It is not what, it is whom: whom are you seeking?

 Mary’s only concern is Jesus’ corpse. So she doesn’t answer Jesus’ question, but  thinking Jesus is the gardener she asks where the body is. She wants to take the body and make sure there is a safe grave which she can look after. She is seeking a what – a dead body – and a where – the place where that body is. But Jesus doesn’t ask her about the what and where. He asks her about who.

 The ‘what’ and the ‘where’ is never enough. The ‘what’ and the ‘where’ must change to the ‘who’. For at the heart of all meaning, all understanding, is not a ‘what’ or a ‘where’ - but a ‘who’. The question is not what is God; the question is not where is God – the question must be – who is God?

 By thinking Jesus is the gardener, the writer again tilts the camera to remind us that we are in a garden. So of course there was a gardener. That takes us right back to Adam in Genesis 2. He was told to look after the garden of Eden. That was the beginning of creation. Now we are again in a garden with our new Adam, our second Adam, Jesus, raised from the dead. Man again is going to work with God to look after creation.

 In Genesis it is clear that Adam and the Lord God had fellowship. But for Mary there can be no fellowship till she sees who Jesus is. And with her eyes it’s not happening. She has seen the linen cloths, the face cloth, the angels, and now Jesus himself – but still she thinks that the only thing that matters is that she finds Jesus’ corpse.

 Until she hears her name. He says her name. And she sees -  with her ears. Jesus says, ‘Mary’. One word and her whole world changes. The good shepherd who knows his sheep by name, has spoken her name. That’s enough for her. She bursts out with ‘Rabboni’, which the writer translates into Greek as being Teacher. In fact this word in Aramaic can also refer to meaning God. However teacher is very fitting, for a teacher is the one who communicates who God is, the one who brings light to every man, the one who makes God known (1:18)

 Now we imagine Mary wanting to give Jesus a hug, but he says ‘Don’t cling to me because I haven’t ascended to the Father.’ It’s a mistake to think this means she couldn’t touch his resurrected body. We know it was fine for people to touch Jesus’ resurrected body because Jesus asks Thomas to do exactly that later on in this chapter. So what does Jesus mean? Many people think that Jesus is saying to Mary, ‘Don’t think that you can keep things as they were, don’t cling, don’t become dependent on me as I am now, because I am on my way to the Father. The ascension has to happen. The lifting up has not finished. You cannot have the resurrection without the ascension.’ That makes a lot of sense.

 Mary was wanting to ‘take him away’ (v.15). For her, it was all about Jesus – his corpse – and Mary. She was going to care for the grave. But that is not Jesus’ view at all. Yes, He has seen her devotion, her tears, and she is the first disciple he has shown himself to, but now what? It is for Mary to be a witness. We are right back to John 1:19, ‘This is the testimony of John’. Jesus tells Mary,  ‘Go. Go and tell’ Tell who? We expect to read ‘the disciples’, but He says, ‘Go and tell my brothers’. This is the first time we have heard Jesus say this. He is telling Mary, them, us – we are family. And this emphasis continues. In v. 17 Jesus says, ‘My Father and your father, my God and your God.’ The resurrection has happened. Now the ascension must happen, and Jesus wants his family to know this.

 Mary is the first apostle. She goes and she says exactly what Jesus tells her to. She is obedient.

 Before moving to the next scene this part of the story again shouts out that the empty tomb is historical. Enemies of Christianity, especially in the secular West, they say these stories have been made up. It’s fiction. This account asks them a question which they cannot answer. If anyone at that time wanted to make up a story to persuade other people that a man had been risen from the dead surely, they would have made the first witness a man of importance, like Nicodemus or Josephus. Who making up this story would ever have chosen a woman from whom seven demons had been cast out? Nobody. There is only one reason why Mary is the first apostle. Because she was. This account is true. It is history.

 Jesus with the disciples, but without Thomas 20: 19 – 23

 Early in the morning Jesus appeared to Mary. Now in the evening there is a meeting. Some think that only ten were there – the twelve, minus Judas and Thomas. Others think there would have been more, for when the writer says disciples this doesn’t have to just mean the apostles. I find it hard to think that Mary, as the first witness, would not have been there. And in Luke 24 we read that Clopas and his friend, after Jesus left them, went back to Jerusalem. More than just those ten were there.

 These Jerusalem disciples have gathered together in the evening, when it was dark. And there is fear of the Jews, that’s why the doors are locked. The Jews had killed Jesus, they could kill them. It was a dangerous situation.

 And into this darkness and fear, Jesus comes and stands among them. His first words are ‘Peace be with you’. Do you remember what he promised in his farewell teaching? He promised them peace. And now, after the cross and resurrection this is the first thing he gives, his peace. Not once, but twice. In v. 19, and in v. 21. Why twice? We have to see what is between these two times that he says ‘Peace’. He shows them his hands and his side.

 The first peace is his presence. That is beautiful. The second peace is after he shows his wounds. That brings a deeper peace, and great joy, for we read the disciples were glad. The wounds bring a deeper peace because this proves this is the Jesus they knew. Yes, he is different now, but also the same. This is not a dream or a fantasy – this is reality. The Jesus who was crucified, is the Jesus standing with them now. And later they – and we – will understand why these wounds bring a deeper peace. It is because they speak of His love for us. This is how much we are loved.

 Peace, joy – and being sent. As the Father has sent Jesus, so now they are sent. It would be a terrible mistake to squeeze this into just evangelism. The sending is about evangelism but so much more. It is – as Jesus was sent. This means that we are sent to –

 To be steeped in the Scriptures, as Jesus was; to live with other disciples; to teach; to bring healing and exorcism for others; to be concerned about individuals; to serve, even washing feet; to pray; to suffer and die for others. We are not to just go and like a machine share a packaged message we call ‘The Gospel’. We are to go – as Jesus went.

 After the sending, Jesus breathes on them and says ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. This is not a second Pentecost. There is one day of Pentecost, and the writer knew all about that day. He is not saying this day happened on that first Sunday. What then is this? To be sent as Jesus was sent, how, how could these disciples do that?

The disciples probably looked pretty nervous. We can’t go as you went. Jesus’ response was to breath on them. That takes us again back to Genesis, where God breathed into Adam and he became a living being (Genesis 2:7). It also takes us to Ezekiel and the famous story of the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37). And, of course, it takes us to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus where we learn that the Holy Spirit is like wind. Jesus breathes on them and says – I am sure with a big smile – ‘Welcome Holy Spirit’. This is why you can go like I went.

 Jesus is saying – the Holy Spirit is on his way. As said, this is not Pentecost. This is what some people call symbolic prophecy, or an acted-out parable. So, the breathing is symbolic. It is just like when the Greeks came to Jesus in John 12 and seeing these Gentiles Jesus says, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’. But nothing happened that hour. The suffering happened days later. But the arrival of the Greeks meant it would definitely happen. So here Jesus is saying – the coming of the Holy Spirit, this will definitely happen, and maybe at that time the disciples there sensed something special, no doubt they were encouraged by the gentle breath of Jesus in their hearts. For all of us there is a special Pentecost experience, exceptional, unique, a one off; but there is also the daily gentle breathing of Jesus in our hearts.

 The result of this sending and receiving of the Holy Spirit impacts others. As Jesus said about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in his final teaching, there will be a confrontation with sin. And, as this Gospel has made clear, the greatest sin is not to believe in Jesus. Seeing these disciples, others will have to make a choice. To believe or to reject. If they believe, and if the disciples see that this is genuine, then God – not the disciples – will forgive their sins.

 The second part of v. 23 has two interpretations. Most think this is the natural consequence for those who reject Christ and the message of the disciples. Those people will stay in their sins. The assumption of translators is that the verse is talking about withholding forgiveness of sins, but those words ‘forgiveness of sins’ are not there in the Greek. It is a very fair assumption, but this is what the Greek says

 Ever of any you may be holding, they are held.

 So this can also mean that if the disciples hold those people fast, then they will be kept. It is talking about how the disciples can keep people in their faith.

 Perhaps, as is typical with this author, he wants us to understand both meanings, because both are in line with other teaching in the Bible.

 In this scene we see the first church meeting. We should note its characteristics.

 Disciples gather together on Sunday. The doors are locked. There is a separation from the danger of the world. Jesus comes and there is the peace of fellowship, with Him and each other. The presence of other Christians definitely brings peace. Jesus shows his wounds. This is God’s love. This must happen – in the worship, in the preaching, in Holy Communion. Our hearts are fed by the grace of the wounds of Christ. We are sent out, full of the Holy Spirit.

 The above is a good check list for our own church meetings, to make sure our church meetings are in line with this first meeting. Somebody wasn’t at that meeting, we must turn to him now.

 Jesus and Thomas, with the other disciples 20: 24 – 29

 We met Thomas in Chapter 11. He came across as a little depressed, the pessimistic type. The disciples were not happy to go to Bethany because it was dangerous. When they see that Jesus isn’t going to change his mind, Thomas says, ‘Okay, let’s go to Bethany– and we will die with Jesus.’

 In John 14, Thomas is negative. Jesus asks if they know the way he is going and Thomas says, ‘Look Jesus, we don’t even know where you’re going, so how can we know the way?’ He sounds a little upset.

 We again see this negative streak when the other disciples tell him they have seen the Lord. It is not pleasant. He has been working with these people for three years and in v.25 he says, you are either lying; or you have gone a little mad. And he says he will never believe – unless he literally touches Christ’s wounds. There is pride here. He is saying, ‘I know better than you.’

 Because Thomas did not go to that first meeting, his character weakness got worse. Same for us when we don’t go to church. For a week there is silence for Thomas. There is no private meeting with Jesus. Nothing – until he goes to the next meeting.

Notice how similar the meeting is to the one the previous week. They come together, the door is locked, Jesus comes and he says, ‘Peace’ to them. And then, just like in the first meeting, he shows his wounds – but especially to Thomas.

 Thomas has been negative, critical, refusing to believe his friends and refusing to believe what Jesus had said in his final teaching. His situation is dangerous. But Jesus comes and is willing to not just show Thomas his wounds, but he is ready for Thomas to touch them. He wants Thomas to believe. This is kindness.

 But where does it happen? It happens in the weekly meeting. The message to us all is very obvious. Don’t miss church. If you miss church, your character will get worse; if you go to church, that is where you will experience fellowship with others and with Christ, this is where your heart will be fed.

 We will never know whether Thomas touched the wounds of Christ or not. I don’t think so. I think he stared at Christ. I think he wept. I think he fell sobbing at Christ’s feet – and then, after such failure, we have the greatest confession of faith in the Gospel. Till now nobody has called Christ God. Thomas does. He says, ‘My Lord and my God.’

 This is full Christian belief. Jesus affirms this belief, but then gives a blessing to the millions like us who will believe even though we have not seen him. This is the second blessing Jesus gives in this Gospel. The first is for when we wash each other’s’ feet…if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them (13:17). Here is the second. Put them together and we have – trust Jesus, serve others and you will be blessed. That’s not difficult to remember.

 So our four scenes end. This feels like the end of the whole Gospel. Jesus with his disciples, the Holy Spirit definitely to come, and the greatest confession a man or a woman can make. And so a conclusion in verses 30 – 32. The writer tells us that there were many more miracles or signs that Jesus did which his disciples saw, but he hasn’t written them down because there are too many.

 But why these signs? So we may read, and believe that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God – and so have life. And, as is typical with our author, the word believe here can have two meanings. A lot has been written about this. This can either mean believe for the first time, to come to faith. So, this is written so you may become a Christian. Or it can mean, this is written that you keep on believing, you keep on as a Christian.

 Let’s go for both. This Gospel has helped millions come to faith. And this Gospel has helped millions keep the faith.

The Gospel could have ended here, but there is one more chapter, an absolute gem. 

See here - https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-gospel-of-john-do-you-love-me-then.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gospel of John: The death and burial of Jesus Christ 19:16 – 42

 Today we go into the heart of darkness, and the heart of light. The death and burial of Jesus Christ, John 19: 16 – 42.

 From the time John the Baptist cried out, ‘Behold the Lamb of God’, through to when Mary anoints Jesus’ body for burial, so the writer, in every chapter, tells us that Jesus must die.

 And now the most famous death in human history – happens.

 The first scene is poignant (v.17). Jesus ‘went out bearing his own cross’. The sin bearer, going alone to where God has sent him. There is no mention in this Gospel of Jesus collapsing and needing Simon of Cyrene to help him, as in the Synoptics. No doubt this happened later, but our writer prefers to keep the camera on Jesus going out alone to ‘The Place of A Skull’. The shape of the hill, known as Golgotha, and Calvary in Latin, says it all: this is about death. There was a tradition that Adam’s skull was buried there, and so, the second Adam goes with his cross to atone for the first Adam’s sin.

 In v. 18 we read, ‘There they crucified him’. There is no lingering over the violence and brutality of crucifixion, but instead we are asked to look at Jesus between two others. He is at the centre with the sinners. This is his throne, these are his subjects.

 We then have four verses about the notice that Pilate had put up over Jesus’ head (19-22) For the Romans this was important. They wanted people seeing the crucifixions to know what the crime was that deserved such a terrible punishment. Jesus’s crime is sedition, that he is the king of the Jews. So this is written in three languages – Aramaic, the language of the Jews; Latin, the language of the Romans, and Greek, everyone’s language. And so three times we read that Jesus on the cross is ‘The King of The Jews’. As in the last lesson, we are back to irony and identity.

 There is irony that Pilate was very weak about a matter of great importance – the innocence or guilt of Jesus; but stubborn when it came to this matter of what to write on this notice: ‘What I have written, I have written.’ There is also spiteful revenge. The Jews had humiliated Pilate, he now wants to humiliate them with this notice. And of course, identity: Jesus is King. And again irony, the king’s throne is a cross.

 The notice is in three languages, so the Jews from the Diaspora gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover would be able to read it. That is Pilate’s reason for writing the notice out in three languages. Ironically then this unscrupulous politician proclaims to us all that Jesus of Nazareth is not just king of the Jews, he is king of every living being.

 We now come to what happens when Jesus is on the cross, The first event is about the soldiers and Jesus’ clothes (23 – 24). Crucifixion is not just about physical pain and death. It is very much about humiliation, the ripping away of all human dignity. So, the victim is stripped naked and then nailed to the cross.

 It was normal for the soldiers to take the clothes for themselves. What is different here is that one piece of the clothing was seamless. Rather than tear it up, the soldiers decided to throw lots for it – and this was exactly according to the prediction in Psalm 22: 18. ‘They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots’. The writer again reminding us about who is controlling events: the God who inspired the Old Testament.

 Some have suggested that the seamless tunic is a reference to the robe the High Priest wore. This is not certain. But, as we saw during the trial, the writer was wanting us to ask – who is the real high priest here? And on the cross, Jesus was a priest, bringing man to God through his own suffering.

 At the end of v. 24 we read, ‘So the soldiers did these things’ They gambled for Jesus’ tunic. It is a picture of rough, hardened men doing their job.

 Then we have a very different picture (25 – 27). We have four people who love Jesus. The writer wants us to see this contrast as the reality. Either we are like the soldiers, not caring for who Jesus is, just wanting to profit from his suffering; or we are like these four, wanting to be near him.

 The first is Jesus’ mother, whom we first met in Chapter Two. The second is another Mary. She is his mother’s sister and the wife of Clopas. In Mark this woman is called Salome, and in Matthew she is called the mother of John and James, the sons of Zebedee. So, John Zebedee was Jesus’ cousin. The third is yet another Mary, Mary Magdalene. There is no introduction given about her at all. Just her name. Again this shows that the writer expects his readers to have read the Synoptics where there is more about Mary Magdalene. And the fourth is the Beloved Disciple, the writer of this Gospel. He has followed Christ to Annas’ house, now he is here by the cross.

 We can understand why the Roman soldiers allowed three women to get near the cross. They posed no threat. But why did they allow a man to come near? There are stories of friends trying to pull down the person being killed on the cross. Perhaps the soldiers thought he was not a threat, or, more likely, they saw that the Beloved Disciple was a very important figure in Jerusalem – known to the High Priest as we learned in Chapter 18 – and so they allow him to be there.

 Jesus sees his mother, and is concerned for her. What a terrible scene for any mother. So from the cross, he seeks to comfort her: ‘Yes, I, your son, I am going, but here is your son. The Beloved Disciple becomes Mary’s son and she becomes his mother. They become family, and he takes her to his home.

 What of Jesus’ brothers? They were not believers. That will happen later, after the Resurrection. Jesus wants his mother to be looked after by one of his followers, not by his brothers who did not believe in Him.

 So at one level this is about Jesus showing love to his mother. But there is another level. We have a cross in the middle of two others, and there is a garden nearby (v. 41) and we have a man and a woman in front of that cross. Many see here a new Adam and Eve, in front of another tree of life.

 From the cross Jesus is ordering the start of a new people, a new family – this is your mother, this is your son, this is your sister, this is your brother, and we already know from the teaching Jesus gave what the rule of that family is to be, it is to be the rule of sacrificial love. Mary to love the Beloved Disciple as Jesus loves them now – from the cross, the Beloved Disciple to love Mary as Jesus loves her now – from the cross. The start of the church is at the foot of the cross, and it continues in a home, v. 27.

 Our next section is Jesus’ death and the piercing of his side. (28 – 37).

In the three verses that the writer uses for Jesus’ death, the writer wants to emphasize the authority of Jesus. It is Jesus who knows when he is going to die – not the soldiers, nor Pilate as we will learn later. And it is Jesus who bows his head and He gives up his Spirit.

 And again the writer wants us to understand the importance of Scripture being fulfilled. The ‘I thirst’, is again a reference to Psalm 22 – this time v. 15.  

 When Jesus says ‘I thirst’ the soldiers give him sour wine. This was not to help Jesus, this was to make his pain worse. Some say there is a reference to the Passover here. For in the Exodus story every Israeli had to put the blood of that lamb over his door. This was done using a hyssop branch. That is what the soldiers use here.

 There is much painful irony here – and much kindness

 Jesus is the one who gives the water of life so we may never thirst; remember John 4. But here, the giver is the one who suffers the most terrible thirst. We drink the water of life because He became thirsty. And

Jesus is the one who gives the best wine, remember John 2. But here he is given the very worst, sour wine. This is tragic irony, but also we are astounded at the generosity of Jesus. He gives all, we take all.

 After taking the sour wine, Jesus says, ‘It is finished’. What beautiful words. It is accomplished. The work of salvation of every human being has been achieved. Jesus has completed the work his Father gave him to do, he has drunk the cup to the bottom.

 In the Greek it does not say that Jesus gave up His spirit, but the Spirit. Some believe this is a reference to the Holy Spirit. This is suitable because throughout the Gospel there has been a connection between the death of Jesus and the giving of the Spirit. So John the Baptist says ‘Behold the Lamb of God’, referring to Jesus’ death, but he also says, I saw the Spirit remain on him’. With Nicodemus Jesus must be lifted up – his death – and Nicodemus, all of us must be born again of the Spirit. Perhaps the clearest reference is in Chapter 7: 37 – 39 when Jesus says that all who will believe in Him will have rivers of living water in their hearts, and then the writer explains that this will happen – after his death. And throughout the Farewell Discourse Jesus keeps on saying, it’s better that I go away, it’s better that I die, because then the Paraclete will come. So the Greek makes sense. Jesus gave up – the Spirit. As he died, so the Spirit is given.

 John is the only Gospel to tell us about Jesus’ side being pierced. It is very important. Jesus was crucified on the Friday, the next day – which started on Friday evening – was a high Sabbath, because of the Passover. When someone was crucified it could take a day or two for them to die, and then the corpses would stay on the cross to be eaten by vultures. This helped the Romans , for the longer the victims were on the cross, the longer the warning to others was there. So this was the normal practice. However,  the Jews don’t want the grisly sight of three bodies on three crosses to cast a shadow over their Passover. They want Jesus and those two thieves taken down and buried – that would be in a common grave for criminals. So they come to Pilate to ask him to give orders for the legs of the three to be broken. This would mean the weight of their bodies would collapse their lungs, they wouldn’t be able to breathe, and they would die. Pilate gave his permission and so the soldiers come to break the legs of the victims.

 But Jesus is already dead.

 There was no need for anything else to happen. His body just had to be taken down and buried. The soldiers had no other duty. So it seems to be completely a matter of chance that one soldier decides to pierce Jesus’ side with a spear.

 The writer then brings the camera very close and says look, now look at what happened. Blood and water came out. Medically this is very likely, you can read about that. But it is not the science the writer wants us to take in. He wants us to understand the significance of blood and water coming from the broken body of Jesus Christ. This is not just another detail. This is something he wants us to take in, to believe, for this is at the heart of our Christian faith. That is why he says – ‘I was there, I saw this with my own eyes. This is not a made-up story. This happened.’ (v.35)

 Why is this so important?

 One reason is that, again, the writer is underlining how Scripture is being fulfilled. This soldier, who had no reason to pierce Jesus’ side, he was fulfilling two Scriptures. One is Psalm 34:20 that no bone of Jesus would be broken, and the other is Zechariah 12:10, that we would look on him whom they have pierced.

 We should be in no doubt, the death of Jesus of Nazareth happened because this was the will of God – in every detail.

 And surely we should see that this is the new temple. Jesus told us this back in Chapter 2: ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it’ (2:19). We were told in Chapter 4 that the different temples the Samaritans and the Jews were using were not important (4:21). In Chapter 5 we saw that the temple could not bring healing to the crippled man, and in Chapter 7 Jesus is in the temple when he talks about rivers of water. He was saying, the water does not come from this temple. It comes from the temple of my body.

 Two things happened in the temple; and one thing outside. In the temple the wrath of God is satisfied by the blood of the sacrifice. That then means, secondly, there can be fellowship with God.

 When the writer says – ‘I saw the blood’, that is what he is saying. In this temple, the blood deals with the wrath of God, in this temple there can be fellowship between man and God.

 And then on the outside, water is meant to flow. This is what we read in Ezekiel 47. There we have a vision of a river of life flowing from the temple. There was no river flowing from the temple in Jerusalem full of life for others, there was just nationalism there.

 But here, at the cross of Jesus, the writer says – ‘I saw the water, I saw the water flowing from the broken body of Jesus Christ.’

 The cross of Jesus Christ – the place of cleansing for our sins, and the place the Holy Spirit gives us new life.

 So we come to the burial in v. 38 – 42. The account starts – as it does in the Synoptics – with Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, seeking permission from Pilate to deal with the body. This was courageous of Joseph. It was also kind. Without Joseph’s appeal to Pilate,  Jesus’s body would have been buried in a common mass grave for criminals  Shame would have followed him to the grave. Joseph does not want that to happen. He wants Jesus to be buried with dignity.

 And why did Pilate agree for this to happen? Because he knew that Jesus was not a criminal. He knew he deserved a decent burial. And – as with the notice on the cross, he knew this would upset the Jews. They wanted Jesus of Nazareth to be buried with all the other criminals.

 While this account is similar to what we have in the Synoptics, as is so usual with John, we are told more. We are told that Joseph was a ‘secret follower’ of Jesus; we are told that Nicodemus – whom we last heard from in Chapter 7 is with Joseph of Arimathea; we are told that Nicodemus brought a lot of spices with him; and we are told that this new grave – was in a garden.

 Each detail is important, and enriches the story. Let’s look at them – Joseph and Nicodemus, the spices, and the garden. For the burial of Jesus, the writer brings not just Joseph into the story, but Joseph and Nicodemus. Both of them were members of the Sanhedrin. You will remember that Jesus called Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews. They were important people. That is why Joseph could visit Pilate when most surely his office was closed.

 What is the significance of these two important men coming to bury Jesus? There are two things here. The writer called Josephus a ‘secret follower’ then he reminds us that Nicodemus first came to Jesus at night – also in secret. But both of them – even while in the Sanhedrin – had been drawn to Jesus. The significance? The writer is saying anyone can follow Jesus, anywhere. Never make the mistake that just because someone is working in a particular situation they cannot follow Jesus. Church history is full of people like Nicodemus and Josephus.

 And then secondly, while they were secret believers for a season, perhaps that was wise, eventually, at the end of the story, they must come out of the night, and they must show their devotion to Jesus. Being a secret believer is always a temporary situation.

 Now let’s consider the spices which we don’t hear about in the Synoptics. Nicodemus brings a lot with him: 45 kilos. These were to keep the body from decaying. Perhaps so much was needed because of the Sabbath, but many suggest that here the royal identity of Jesus is being underlined, because an extravagant amount of spices was used for a king.

 Throughout the arrest, the trials, the crucifixion the author has always wanted to show that Jesus is the suffering King. Now surely he is doing the same – two rulers of the people come to bury him with spices in a tomb nobody has used. This is the burial of a king.

 We come to the last detail John tells us that the Synoptics don’t. The garden. This is one of those hidden doors. We push and there is quite a lot behind this word. Man is created and put in a garden. Man is then tempted to disobey God and disaster happens - in that garden. Man is expelled from Paradise, and there are angels to make sure he cannot come back.

 Then there is another garden, the garden of Gethsemane and here a man decides to do God’s will, not his and so we have another tree of life. Paul calls the cross, a tree.

 So now we are told that this grave is in a garden. This means that the garden story has not finished. We sense that something is going to happen. And something will happen in that garden in the next chapter.

 Chapter 19 is not an easy chapter, but it ends in a garden and this brings hope for gardens are places where new life bursts forward.

 As always, what a blessing that we have John’s account of Jesus’ burial. It enriches us.

 What to say in a conclusion? Maybe this. Let’s return to the cross. Jesus said, ‘It is finished’. That in Greek is one word. It is the word you write on a bill when it has been paid. The price for our salvation has been paid. It is finished. The blood has been shed, it cleanses us from all sin. And the water of life – right now is flowing from the broken body of Jesus Christ.

And of course there is more. See here - 

https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-gospel-of-john-resurrection-john-20.html