2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

June 17, 2026

John 20:24-Chapter 21:1-24

1. As we get to the end of our study of the book of John, we are once again confronted with John’s inspiration for this book. John is inspired to write the gospel to show that Jesus is the Christ, the prophesied Messiah and Son of God. John’s audience is reading this book long after the resurrection and ascension of our Lord. John wants his audience to understand that all they need to have a relationship with God through his Son Jesus is to believe. Faith again becomes the key ingredient we need to have a covenant relationship with God. John doesn’t capture all the miracles and events of the Lord, but he does cover what is necessary to believe. This gospel reminds us that we all should have faith in Jesus.

2. Verses 24-29. Most of the disciples at this point have seen Jesus. One of the disciples Thomas has not. The other disciples have told Thomas that they have seen Jesus, Thomas feels he needs the same experience before he will believe. Many would get on Thomas, but understand the other disciples did not believe until they saw Jesus for themselves as well. Thomas tells the others that he will not believe until he can see the nailed scarred hands and the hole in his side where he was pierced. It wasn’t until eight days later that Jesus appeared to the disciples with Thomas present. It was then that Thomas received all the evidence that he needed to believe. When he believes, Jesus tells him and he speaks to us as well, that it is better to believe God before you see the evidence than it is to believe God after the evidence has been presented. The true definition of faith is to believe and hope in evidence that is not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) What areas of our lives do we have trouble to believe God before it happens?

3. Verses 30-31. In our text, John informs his unbelieving readers about the “bottom line” of all that he has written. John has one goal for the unbeliever: He wants to demonstrate as clearly and as forcefully as he can that Jesus not only claimed to be the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God, but that by many miraculous signs He proved it! The last and greatest of these signs was His resurrection from the dead While the resurrection of Jesus .from the dead was prophesied in the Old Testament, and by our Lord Himself, John makes it very clear that the disciples were not predisposed to believe it. Only after the most forceful and compelling evidence would the disciples believe Jesus really was alive. And having become convinced of this great truth, the disciples never ceased to proclaim it. The resurrection of Jesus is the final and compelling proof that He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

4. Chapter 21:1-3 . For the third time in John’s Gospel, our Lord appears to His disciples. This time He reveals Himself to seven of His disciples as they are fishing on the Sea ofTiberias–the Sea of Galilee. Most of these men were fishermen by trade. When Peter informed them that he was going fishing, they knew he was not planning to go out and do a little fishing. They understood that Peter was going back to work as a fisherman. They all must have had financial obligations they needed to meet. In addition, they needed to eat. And so those who were with Peter agreed to go fishing with him. There seemed to be nothing better to do. There is a temptation to make a decision to do something because the Lord is taking too long for us. Peter doesn’t have his marching orders from the Lord, and he is not sure what he should be doing in the meantime. Sometimes we get that way. We are between one level and the next. Sometimes when we find ourselves in this in between place we go back to doing things we use to do. Things we are comfortable with. It is much easier to fall back than to stand still and wait for the Lord. Peter is tired of waiting and decided he is going back to fishing. Peter is acting like he is in charge of his own life. Peter not only goes back, he influences the others to do so as well. Be careful that your unbelief doesn’t cause others to stray as well.

5. Verses 4-9. The disciples had fished all night without any success. On this night (John 21), like that night a couple of years before (Luke 5), these fishermen had cast out their nets and drawn them in repeatedly through the night, with absolutely no success. As morning light was approaching, they decided to give it up. Peter’s idea didn’t seem so good at this point. I believe they were approaching the place where Jesus had taught the crowds earlier, the place where their boats were pulled up on shore, and where they washed their nets. Someone was standing on the beach, hardly distinguishable from 100 yards away. Jesus is standing on the shore and calls to the men to inquire about their fishing and whether they caught any fish. He knows they haven’t, but he asks anyway. Jesus tells them to throw their nets on the other side of the boat. They catch so many fish that they don’t have enough room for the fish. Peter has seen this scene before and so has John. John confirms it is Jesus. Peter jumps out of the boat and swims to Jesus. The other disciples bring the boat to shore, towing the net full of fish. When they arrive there is a fire ready to warm Peter who is wet from swimming.?

6. Verses 11-14. Jesus then invites the disciples to join Him for breakfast. These men had worked hard to provide for themselves, and they had nothing to show for it. Then they come to Jesus, who has more than enough to meet their needs. And in the process, He provides this great catch, enough to supply for their future needs.

7. Verses 15-24. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus turned to Simon Peter and asked, “ Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these do?” Our Lord’s addition of the words, “more than these do,” really got to the heart of the matter. Our Lord’s prediction of Peter’s denials came in the midst of Peter’s confident boasting that even if all the others denied Jesus, he certainly would not. In other words, Peter was claiming a higher level of devotion than the rest. Jesus is simply asking him to re-evaluate his boastful claim. And this Peter did. Peter could truthfully affirm that he did love Jesus, but he would not go so far as to claim that his love was greater than that of his fellow-disciples. He also speaks of his love in terms of the Savior’s assessment of it: “Yes, Lord, You know I love You.” To this our Lord replied, “Feed My lambs.”Jesus will ask the question two more times, so that this conversation is understood in relation to that occasion when Peter denied his Master three times. And so Jesus asks Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love IMe?” Peter replies with the identical words he spoke in answer to the first question, “Yes, Lord, You know I love You.” Jesus responded, “Shepherd My sheep.”It was when Jesus asked the same question the third time that Peter was deeply grieved, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” It was not that Jesus changed from agapao to phileo that troubled Peter. Peter was grieved because Jesus found it necessary to ask virtually the same question three times. The three-fold repetition must have registered with Peter as being related to his three-fold denial. Peter was grieved because he realized that the bold and even arrogant claims he had made proved to be empty. Peter is not distressed with Jesus; he is grieved over his own sin. Jesus is not attempting to shame Peter; he is seeking to reaffirm his call to service. Peter needed to understand that his love for the Savior was not as great as he thought, just as his ability to catch fish was not as great as he seemed to think. Even in the thing Peter did best (fishing), he could not catch fish like Jesus, who proved to be far better at fishing than he. Peter sought to prove his love for Jesus by boasting about it, by arguing with his fellow-disciples about it (see Luke 22:24), and by being the first to draw his sword, or perhaps even by being the first man into the water and onto the shore. These were not the benchmarks our Lord had established for testing one’s love for Him. The proof of one’s love for God is sacrificial service/feeding our Lord’s sheep. If Peter really loves his Lord, Who is the Good Shepherd, then Peter will surely shepherd in the same way. He will seek the lost sheep (evangelism). He will feed and tend the young and vulnerable lambs (discipleship). And, like the Good Shepherd, he will lay down his life for the sheep. That is why the Lord moves so quickly and easily from verses 15-17 to verses 18 and 19. Peter had assured his Lord that he was willing to die for Him (Matthew 26:35), and so he will. But he will not die in the manner that he once supposed–seeking to keep His Master from being arrested and crucified. Peter will die, as the Savior did, as a good shepherd, and for the sake of the gospel.

8. Verses 20-24. Peter was guilty of giving too much attention to John, when our Lord had narrowed the focus of the discussion to Peter’s love, and Peter’s service. Jesus further indicated to Peter that he would glorify his Master by his death, a death that was similar to His death, a death by crucifixion.

click here to select another lesson