Bible Study series” John 21:20-23. What about him? How long will he live?
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together how to apply these truths to our lives.
I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
For the Greek text, click here:
At that link, I provide a lot more commentary.
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Scripture: John 21:20-23
20 When Peter turned around, he saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following them, who leaned on Jesus’s chest at supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who hands you over?” 21 On seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” 23 Then the report went out among the brothers and sisters that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but instead, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:20-23)
Comments:
20-21:
Jesus and Peter were walking along the lakeshore. Peter turns around and sees the beloved disciple following behind. Did the beloved disciple want some “alone time” with Jesus, before his ascension? Was it a coincidence? Whatever the case, Peter asks the natural question about his future. The beloved disciple, called as such, made his first appearance at the last supper in the upper room (13:23), when he leaned back on Jesus’s chest as they all were reclining. Peter just now received his commission or re-received it. Now he asks, in effect, “What will this man’s future be like?” Or “what will happen to him?”
22:
Jesus’s response was to tell Peter that his commission will be plenty for himself. He does not need to worry about anyone else, even the disciple for whom Jesus had a special affection. The clause “until I come” refers to a future event, the second coming. Jesus was not predicting his second coming before the death of the beloved disciple. Instead, he was offering a hypothetical event. If he lives long time—even until I return—what is that to you? Not every disciple will suffer martyrdom.
Please see this post about John 14:
John 14 Does Not Teach Second Coming or Separate Rapture
The next three articles come from the Synoptic Gospels:
What Jesus Told High Priest and Sanhedrin Now Makes Sense
“You Will Not Complete Towns of Israel until Son of Man Comes”
“Some Shall Not Experience Death until They See Son of Man Coming”
All of those articles teach us that Jesus did not expect his grand and glorious Second Coming in his generation, which did not happen, so he was wrong. No, it’s more the case that some interpreters don’t know how to read these verses, so they are wrong.
Morris reminds us of this truth: Jesus told Peter once again: “follow me!” You must follow me. The verb is imperative, and the subject (a pronoun) “you” is added in Greek for emphasis.
23:
But a report went out and about among the brothers and sisters (the Greek says brothers, but it is generic, so I included sisters, as well), that the beloved disciple would not die before the Second Coming. Evidently the Christian communities were trying to keep John alive in some form because they thought that Jesus really said that John would live at Jesus’s return. Augustine (354-430) reports, with disapproval, that John was lying asleep rather dead in his grave in Ephesus. Rumors said the ground was heaving up and down. Therefore, John had to be breathing, right? Augustin says no. (HT: Bruce, comment on v. 23, and referring to Augustine, Homilies on the Gospel of John, 124).
Bruce refers to another interpretation which says that a crisis emerged with the death of the last member of the apostolic community—a close associate—required people to rethink their belief in an early return of the Lord. But, Bruce replies, it is more likely that the beloved disciple was still alive when this pericope was penned (pronounced puh-RIH-koh-pea and means a unit or section of Scripture). So the crisis did not occur when the last close associate of Jesus was still alive.
GrowApp for John 21:20-23
1. Are you naturally nosy and get into business not your own? Or do you look straight ahead on your own commission without barging into other people’s calling? Tell your story.
RELATED
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
12. Eyewitness Testimony in John’s Gospel
4. Church Fathers and John’s Gospel
3. Archaeology and John’s Gospel
SOURCES
For the bibliography, click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 