November 22, 2022
Good afternoon,
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written“
John 21:25
We are at the end of John. Here in the last chapter, we have two stories and then the end. First, Jesus does a fish miracle, and the disciples think they recognize the risen Jesus, but no one wants to reach out. After a few moments they do know it’s him, and he invites them for breakfast, a little fish and bread. Communion right there on the beach. The resurrected Jesus made morning breakfast for his friends. I find it funny. Who is this resurrected Jesus that most people do not recognize? Maybe I have missed a visit by Christ in my lifetime.
The second story is Jesus preparing Peter to lead the church after he is gone. Peter is tested by Jesus to know whether Peter can feed the flock. Jesus asks Peter three times whether Peter loves him. Peteris hurt by Jesus not trusting him, but in the end they are reconciled. And Peter leads the church as it begins as written in the Book of Acts.
In John, there is no ascension back to heaven. The story of Peter ends, and the writer says that a book could not contain all the things that Jesus did ( or said ). So, I guess John did not find a reason to include the rising of Jesus back into heaven. It has taken us almost a year to see who Jesus is in John. Is there one story in John that you think explains what John is trying to say about Jesus? Then, you will have to ask how this speaks to the Jesus we find in Matthew, and in Mark and in Luke.
Grace and peace to you as we try to find the Jesus of our faith during the Advent Season ( it begins this Sunday ).
Fred
Chaos in the winds
Scattering my troubled thoughts
to land on soft clouds
Monica Pieper Landoni 2022