John 21:1-19

This passage appears in the revised common lectionary, year C, the 3rd Sunday of Easter, most recently May 4, 2025.

Summary:
The passage describes beautifully the Christian's experience before God:  We are drawn out of our every day life, called into an encounter with the Risen Lord.  Jesus forgives us, restores us fellowship and sends us out to care for others.  In short, we are drawn into praise the living Lord and then called back into the world, in service.

2025 Reflection:  For many churches, Easter brings in a lot of fish!  But the fish aren't as exciting for Peter as Jesus himself.  Focus on the presence Jesus, not the number of fish!

Key words:
συροντες  (συρω, meaning "drag", 21:8) and
ειλκυσεν (ελκω, meaning "draw" or "drag", 21:6 and 11)
Both of these words indicate that the disciples had to work to bring in their haul.  Serving Jesus and working in ministry are hard work!  (See note below on ειλκυσεν)

παιδια (meaning "child", 21.5) Paidia means "child" not "friend" as the NIV has it.  Jesus refers to the disciples as children.

ιχθυς (meaning "fish,"; 21:6, 8 and 11)  Just a friendly reminder that the fish became an early Christian symbol, as the letters formed an Anagram:  Jesus (I) Christ (X) God's (Th) Son (U) Savior (S).

εβαλεν (βαλλω) (meaning "cast" or "throw"; 21.7)  The word for "cast" nets is "βαλλω" which is used for both the nets and for Peter "casting" himself into the see.   Interestingly in 18:10 and 18:11, when Peter draw (ειλκυσεν) his sword and then was told to put it away (βαλε).  This is a great reminder about how this passage reveals the transformation at work in Peter.  He was casting away swords he had drawn; now he is drawing the fish-filled nets he has cast.

ανθρακαι(ν) (meaning "coal", 21.9)  Jesus is cooking over "anthrakia" which means "coals" (ie anthracite coal).  When Peter earlier denied Jesus, it was over a coal fire (the only two times this word appears in Scripture).  How often does God do this, where God takes the very place, location, thing, relationship, addiction, sin, fear and transform this into an instrument of God's healing.

εσχιθη (σχιζω, meaning "tear", 21.11)  The net is not torn (schiz-oo). Interesting that John concludes with the net not being schismed; in Mark's Gospel, the Passion ends with the curtain being torn! Different metaphors, for sure, but something about the nature of Jesus in both is nicely caught with this subtle difference.  The church will grow and grow, into a full harvest, but it will not schism.  Sadly the church has schismed, a reminder that we are already called to mend the nets of Christianity.

Distinctions:
John tends to use similar words in close proximity.  English translators struggle with how to capture this nuance.  For example, there are three interactions between Jesus and Peter.  The big point is that just as Peter denied Jesus three times, he professes his love three times.  However, linguistically, these three interactions are distinct.

φιλεω vs αγαπαω ("love")  What to say on the various words for that Peter and Jesus use?  Some feel this is a big deal (Peter responds to the question of do you love "agape" me by saying that he loves "philo" Jesus.  I don't think that John makes much of the distinction; he uses them interchangeably. If anything, the ambiguity of "philo" and "agape" points toward the intimate (and therefore mutable and vulnerable) and transcendent (unconditional and permeant) love of Jesus toward and with his disciples.

προβατα vs αρνιον ("sheep").  The flock includes "lambs" and "sheep", new/young and old/mature!

ποιμενα vs βοσκε ("tend") Feed/tend vs shepherd.  Feed and tending VS shepherding.  We are called to feed people (teaching ministry) and shepherd them (pastoral ministry).  Both of these verbs are in the present tense, suggesting this is an on-going action!

Fun with Greek
present tense:  Most of the verbs in sections 1-12 are in the aorist tense.  Except for the proclamation:  "He is the Lord" as well as the sentence "Jesus is coming, taking the bread and giving it them" suggesting this is an on-going task of the disciples.

γυμνός (meaning "naked", 21.7)  The word comes into English as "gymnos" - like gymnast!!  The netBible offers a long apology for why Peter might have not been fully naked.  But the point is that somehow, he didn't believe himself worthy or ready for the Lord in his current condition.  He wants to be with Jesus, yet somehow feels shame.

μη (21.5) Jesus asks a "meh" question which expects a "no" answer. (ou questions expect a yes answer. How can one remember this? Alphabet. m-n; o-y)

153:  There are so many theories about this number.  Some of them involve grammatica, where letters have numbers and therefore words have a number value.  MANY theories have been put forward about what this number may mean:  The whole variety of fish in the world and therefore the breadth of the Gospel "catch"; the number 153 is a triangle number, the sum of the numbers 1-17...  Anchor Bible commentary surprisingly goes into various ways people have looked at this.

Luke 24:1-12

Here are links for Greek commentary on the resurrection accounts in all four Gospel

Matthew 28:1-10

Mark 16:1-8

Luke 24:1-12

John 20:1-18

Summary:
The church normally reserves discussion about doubt for Easter II and the person of Thomas.  But as I read Luke this year, the disciples spiritual blindness and doubt really struck me.  Luke does a masterful scene of portraying the difficulty of that morning and the struggle for the early disciples to believe.  Rather than cast doubt on the resurrection this amplifies its true meaning:  Christ is raised amid the chaos of real life, with darkness, doubt and even despair, not in a fairy tale world where everybody gets it.  Christ is raised and to be praised then, even as we struggle to figure it all out.

Key words:
βαθεως ("very early, or more literally, deep"; 24.1) The dawn is not simply described as early but as "bathos" or deep. It is a deep dawn.

ευρον ("find", from ευρισκω; 24:2 and 3) For lent 2019 my congregation did a (lectionary based) preaching series on Lost and Found.  Finally we come to the end of Luke's Gospel, expecting to find Jesus.  The disciples too come to the tomb ready to find Jesus.  They instead they found the stone rolled away; more significantly, they did not find Jesus.  A possible preaching trajectory:  We do not find Jesus, we can only find evidence of the resurrection.  In short, we can linger in the tombs, linger in history, linger in apologetics, linger in "historicity" but none of this will ever show us Jesus.  The living Jesus must find us.  This finding us likely includes times of wonder, disbelief and pondering of what it all means.  In short, the disciples are all lost because they cannot fathom the height and depth of the resurrection.  Perhaps we do well, for a moment, to consider how mind-bending this is (see the work of NT Wright for the utter "shock" of the resurrection.)

τον ζωντα ("the living"; really "the living one"; 24.5)  Oddly enough, the translators are too literal here with the phrase "why are you searching for the living among the dead." The phrase "the living" is exactly what it says in Greek, word for word, but the grammar of the sentence dictates the translation:  "the one who is living" or "the living one."  Point A)  "The living among the dead" is more poetic.  When it comes to preaching, go for it!  Point B) It amplifies the confusion of the disciples.

ηπιστουν (disbelieving, from απιστεω; 24.11)  It is not only Thomas who doubts, but the whole crew!  In fact, the whole of Luke's Gospel is filled with disciples struggling to believe.  You can make this about gender -- they didn't believe the women! -- but you can make this about the resurrection.  No one was ready for this!

θαυμαζω ("wonder"; "amaze"; 24.12) The word here is "thaumaz-oo" means "amaze" or "wonder" in Greek. You can even see the word "amaze" in it (even though M-W.com does not give this as the etymology. Whatever.)  The vast majority of the time Luke uses this verb, it means wonder, as in amaze. For example, when Zachariah writes, "His name is John (1:63)" or when Jesus sees a person's faith, he is amazed (7:9 Roman centurion). So it seems a bit odd that Peter, according to the NIV and  NET translators, is left wondering and not being amazed. But perhaps a bit of a play on this is a helpful insight into all of us -- we are both wondering and amazed.

προς εαυτον ("to himself"; 24.12)  Most translators take the phrase, "to himself" to mean "to his possessions," namely, Peter's house (including BDAG).  Hence they translate it "Peter went to his house."  Yet, Peter does not necessarily go to his home. It literally says, "He went away to himself." This could just as naturally read, "He went away by himself." As the KJV puts it "wondered in himself."  Most translators likely base their translation on John 20:10, where it is more clear that the disciples went home.  But Luke's imagery is of Peter walking away by himself, pondering these events, likely without any real direction in his wanderings.

μνησθητε ("remember" 24.6 and 8; but also as "tomb" in vs 2)  The Greek word for "remember" is related to the word for "tomb" (both have the same root, which in English comes in as mnemonic.)  They went to the tombs, which certainly became a place of memory, but not memory of a dead person, but memory of a living person's promises.  I find this the truth about Christians -- when sorrow and tragedy come, we are just as confused and lost as anyone else.  But then comes a promise, a promise that Jesus is faithful, even over and against death.  And we remember there is a reason -- a promise -- to hope.

Some translation helps (and perhaps a nugget for a sermon):

Three "buts"

• μεν...δε (24.1):  The last verse of chapter 23 has a μεν, which demands a δε.  They both mean but/and, but are put together to form a pair, like:  "On the one hand, but on the other."  Luke lets us know that the story keeps going!
• αλλα (24.6):  This is the "big" but, the one that lets you know what comes before and after are significantly different (and cannot be joined by a simple word 'and').  In this case, the only "bit" but in the section comes between "He is not here" BUT "He is risen!"

σαββατων 24.1 Grammar note: The Greek literally says, "On the first of the Sabbath." This means the first day after Sabbath (ie the first day of the week), which would be the 8th day, or Sunday. This is why we worship as Christians on the 8th day, the day after the Jewish sabbath. Also, Jesus will appear to Thomas 8 days later, reaffirming this 8th day connection! (In Luke's Gospel, Jesus was also transfigured on the 8th day)

απορεισθαι ("at a loss"; 24.4)  Previously I offered a break down of this word that is incorrect.  I offered that the word for "at a loss" is related to the word for vision -- "apo-ora-oo" literally "away from sight."  I leave this mistake on my blog as a reminder that learning means making mistakes!
 
It turns out this word is α-πορεω not απο-ρεω.  This means the word is:  "to be without resources, to be in straits, to be left wanting, to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, not to know which way to turn."  The word πορεω (from which this comes) is not found in the New Testament, but it means "the way across a river."  They couldn't get to the other side!  It adds to the level of confusion in the whole story.

αποκεκυλισμενον 24.2 Grammar note: The word "rolled away" is a participle here. It is perfect passive. This is a helpful verb for understanding what the perfect in Greek means. The stone had undergone the action of being rolled away and its present state was a result of that action. Perhaps a sermon idea: Something has been permanently changed by the Resurrection. The tombstone is gone

αστραπτουση 24.4 The angles in the tomb are flashing; Jesus says the son of Man will be "flashing" in his coming. (17.24)...hmm...Perhaps Luke suggests that in the resurrection, the kingdom has come?

Note of confidence on the authenticity of the text:

It turns out that the "D" manuscript - the one currently housed in the Vatican and uplifted by American fundamentalists as the manuscript, lacks a handful of key phrases and verses.  However, the main papyrus of Luke 24 and the other manuscripts contain them.  Don't get bogged down here. Standard English translations contain these verses and use them!

Luke 19:28-40

This passage appears in year C of the RCL for Palm Sunday, most recently April 13, 2025.  The narrative lectionary uses a longer selection, Luke 19:28-44

Summary:  Luke's Gospel records the entry into Jerusalem with some notable absences:
No "Hosanna" and No "Palm Branches."  On the other hand, Luke offers us some events the other Gospels miss:  stones that cry out and crowds that sound like angels.  A potential avenue for preaching:  how Jesus' word and ministry sanctifies and even transforms things -- transforms disciples, transforms donkeys and even transforms crowds, all into instruments of God's work.

Note on passion Sunday:  As culture shifted away from companies and schools closing on Maundy Thursday and especially Good Friday, church leadership grew concerned that people were not hearing the stories of the upper room and cross.  This gave rise to Passion Sunday.  For many older members this is really hard because they remember Palm Sunday as a day of celebration, almost Easter 1.  The congregation where I currently serve actually used to do Passion Sunday on Lent 5, following a pre-Vatican II tradition.  I am not convinced that Passion Sunday really furthers the encounter with Christ during Holy Week.  

Key words:
απεστειλεν/αποσταλμενοι ('send'; 19:29, 32)  It is always worth noting this verb.  The disciples are sent!  Are we sending our people out each week?  It is also worth noting why they are sent out:
ευρον (find, 19:32)
λυσαντες (loose, 19:29)
αγαγετε (lead, 19:29)
While the disciples are instructed regarding a colt, I think we can abstract this rather easily to people:  We are sent out to find people, free them and lead them to Jesus, where they will be put to work! 

I also find it interested that before we can lead people, we need to free or loose them.  Typically leading people can seem like controlling them, but in this case it is a freeing them.

εχει χρειαν ('have need'; 19:31, 34) The Lord has a need!  This is really mind blowing.  This passage feels like an Old Testament story to me, in that God is sovereign, but the people can rebel; it pushes against easy answers to the question of free will and God's control.

δοξα εν υψιστοις ('glory in the highest'; 19:38)  This harkens back to the nativity (2:14), where the angels proclaim "peace on earth" (here peace in Heaven) and "Glory in the Highest!"  Jesus is transforming people into angels, into heralds of the good news!

μαθηταις ('disciple'; 19:37, 39)  It is interesting how Latin changed the tenor of this word.  The word in Greek means student, which implies the key concept is learning of knowledge and wisdom.  The word 'disciple' in Latin means student, but I think when we hear it, we associate it with discipline (spiritual disciplines, for example).  The disciples were first and foremost students, people seeking to learn from Jesus.  They make mistakes, they are rebuked and their flesh is weak.  But they follow Jesus, along the way sharing the news and multiplying Jesus ministry (even when they don't fully understand how all the pieces fit together).

Also, in vs 37, Luke says the crowd consists of the disciples.  This is not a city wide effort, per se, but a celebration of who Jesus is by his loyal followers.

κραξουσιν ('cry out'; 19:40)  This verb does not mean sing, speak loudly or shout.  It means cry out in a protesting and even crazy way.  Like the crowd will 'cry out' to crucify Jesus; the demons 'cry out' at the sight of Jesus.  The stones here are not simply singing a song of beauty and praise, but also of protest.

ἔκλαυσεν ('wept'; 19:41)  The narrative lectionary continues this passage and includes the verse "Jesus wept" -- but not the short sentence in John's Gospel!  Jesus weeps for Jerusalem.  I wonder if Jesus still weeps for Jerusalem!