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NOTE
A quick note before we get started here. I shared some thoughts about the resurrection in my Easter video with some insights about the appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene at the garden tomb. So if you would like my thoughts on that event for this week's lesson then just click on this link in the upper right-hand corner of your screen and it will take you to that video and just go to time stamp 19:13 and I’ll also put a link to that in the video description below. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BI2Xe_FIyw)
WITNESSES
But for our first portion of this week’s lesson, I’d like to begin with a Resurrection of Christ Pre-Test activity that can help lead your students through some of the major events surrounding the Savior and his resurrection.
So you first allow your students some time to answer the questions without using their scriptures, and then, as you correct it, direct them to the specified verses that I provide here and let them see if they got it right or not. And you’re going to notice that I don’t ask questions that deal with the story of the two disciples Christ meets on the road to Emmaus or the contents of John chapter 21, but that’s by design. We’re going to give those two stories entire lessons of their own.
But here we go:
1. Jesus was buried in a rich man’s tomb.
o That would be TRUE. You can read about this in Matthew 27:57-60. His body was placed in the tomb of a man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea. And we learn that this tomb was hewn or carved right out of a rock and only a rich man would be able to afford such a tomb. So all the pictures that we have of the resurrection and this large stone rolled away from the door of a tomb, we can thank Joseph of Arimathea and his generosity in supplying our Lord with such a setting for the greatest miracle of all history.
2. Mary Magdalene was the only person to go to the tomb on Easter Morning.
o That is FALSE. There were a number of women who went to the tomb that morning. Mary Magdalene was one of them, but there was also “the other Mary” (Matthew 28:1) which Mark describes as the mother of James, and then he also includes a woman named Salome (Mark 16:1). Then Luke tells us that a woman named Joanna is there and “other women” as well (Luke 24:10) So more than one witness.
3. There was an angel standing on the stone that was rolled away when the women came.
o The answer to this is also FALSE. Now if you read the account of this in the Matthew 28:2 and Mark 16:5 versions it tells us that there was a single angel sitting on the stone. And I really love that image of the angel just casually resting there, sitting back on top of the stone almost as if to suggest, “Hey, what did you expect. Jesus told you this was going to happen.” Now Luke and John record it just a little differently (Luke 24:4, John 20:11-12) and both of them say that there are two angels, but Luke has them standing there. But here, that would still make the statement false because the question only mentions one angel. And which of the accounts is the most accurate one? I couldn’t say, I’m not sure it matters much, but I do prefer the “sitting angel” version of the story.
4. The angel said “He is not here: for he is resurrected”
o That would be FALSE. The word is “RISEN” not resurrected. “He is not here, for he is risen” or some variation of that statement (Matthew 28:6, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6) And how wonderful is that announcement. Jesus is risen. He wasn’t gone, he wasn’t slumbering in death. And because of his rising, so too will we all rise, as well as those whom we have loved and lost.
5. Which apostle was the first one to see the empty tomb?
o The answer is C, John. You can read about that in John 20:3-6. When the women come and inform them of the empty tomb, both Peter and John come running, but John, very humbly tells us that he got there first. But then, probably out of respect for Peter and his authority, waits for him and allows Peter to actually go into the tomb first. Kind of a fun extra detail there.
6. Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the resurrected Christ.
o That is TRUE. In John 20:11-18 we have that sweet story of Jesus appearing to Mary as she weeps at the empty tomb. And as I said earlier, if you’d like my thoughts on that special event, I encourage you to go back and watch my Easter video.
7. Thomas was the only apostle that doubted Christ was really resurrected until he saw him.
o That would be FALSE. Both Mark and Luke include the other apostles as not believing. Mark 16:11-14 says three times that THEY did not believe the accounts of the women and the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:11 also uses the word “they” to describe those who did not believe until they saw him. But I also like how Luke says it in verse 41 of that same chapter. He says that they “believed not for joy” when they finally see him. Perhaps that’s the kind of unbelief here. It’s not so much an unbelief of doubt or skepticism, as an unbelief of, “Oh no, that’s just too good to be true. I can’t believe it That’s just too wonderful!”
8. Thomas wished to touch the wounds in the Savior’s side, hands, and feet before he would believe that Jesus was resurrected.
o Now that is TRUE. The story about Thomas’s unbelief is a little more detailed and straightforward. We find this account in John 20:25-29. And this does teach us an important lesson. The first time Christ appears to the apostles, Thomas apparently isn’t there, and declares that he refused to believe them until he has seen Christ with his own eyes and has touched the wounds with his own hands. And when Christ does appear to the apostles eight days later, Thomas is there this time, and he believes. And then Christ makes this statement: 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Well, who would that “blessed” apply to? Hopefully you and me. I’ve never seen the resurrected Christ, but I believe that he lives. Most of us are going to have to live by that faith, and believe in the accounts of those who were eyewitnesses. However, I hope we’re not too hard on Thomas here. And I don’t believe that Jesus said this with a tone of disappointment, anger, or frustration. We all face our own doubts and questions when it comes to our beliefs and Jesus still gave Thomas this confirmation and this witness even though he struggled to believe at first. Christ can do the same for us. He can help us through those difficult times and will provide us with personal experiences that will confirm what we hope to be true.
9. What was the apostles initial reaction to seeing the resurrected Savior?
o Was it Joy, Fear, Sadness, Shame, or Anger? If we look in Luke 24:36-38 the words used to describe that initial appearance are terrified, affrighted, troubled, and thoughts arose in their hearts. So the answer is B, fear. And I think we could probably understand this. They had witnessed with their own eyes Christ being cruelly crucified just days before. How could it be him? So it must be a ghost, a spirit. But what are the first words out of Jesus’s mouth? “Peace be unto you”. It’s ok. You don’t have to be afraid. Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” And that must have been said with such love and reassurance. Again, I believe that we too will have that experience with Christ and with those we love also, we will see them again, and it will be almost too good to be true.
10. A resurrected body has flesh and blood just like mortals.
o And that is FALSE. In Luke 24:39 Jesus says that “a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have”. So a resurrected body has flesh and bones, but not blood. Joseph Smith taught this truth when he said:
o “Concerning resurrection, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, or the kingdom that God inherits or inhabits, but the flesh without the blood and the Spirit of God flowing in the veins instead of the blood, for blood is the part of the body that causes corruption. Therefore we must be changed in the twinkle of an eye or have to lay down these tabernacles and leave the blood vanish away. . . . Blood is the corruptible part of the tabernacles.” Joseph Smith (The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 370-71) Kind of interesting.
11. What did Jesus say to or do with the apostles before he ascended into heaven.
o The answer is E, all of the above.
o So A, He commanded them to go out and teach all nations his gospel
§ He does this in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. That would be their commission for the rest of their lives as special witnesses of Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:47-48, John 20:21-23)
o B. He promised that he would always be with them.
§ In Matthew 28:20 he tells them “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” And Mark 16:20 tells us: 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
o C. He prophesied that they would perform miracles and signs.
§ The gospel of Mark most specifically talks about the signs that would follow them. You can read about that in Mark 16:17-18.
o D. He gave them a blessing
§ This is recorded in Luke 24:50-51. 50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” And I really like that idea. Before he sent them out into the world, he gave them a final “father’s blessing” so to speak.
o So Christ did all those things to help prepare these special witnesses of his for the path that lay ahead of them.
12. After Christ was resurrected, the apostles no longer worshipped in the Jewish temple.
o And that would be FALSE. Take a look at Luke 24:52-53. 52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. So there we go. Post resurrection temple worship. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I think that’s significant. Jesus did not intend temple worship to end after his resurrection.
13. All of the following are recorded witnesses of Jesus Christ’s resurrection except who?
o And the answer to this one is H—The Brother of Jared. The Brother of Jared is not a recorded witness of the RESURRECTED Christ. Now he did meet and see Jesus, but that was before Christ was resurrected. He saw his SPIRIT body, not his resurrected one. So that might have thrown you off a little bit. But what I love about this question is the fact that that list is so long. Look at how many witnesses we have of the resurrected Lord. This is not a small group of a privileged few. That’s over 3000 people that have been willing to go on the record that they have seen with their own eyes the living Christ. That is a very strong case. Our faith in Christ need not only rely on our feelings and emotions. There is strong evidence from authoritative witnesses that Christ is real and that his resurrection is real. And I personally haven’t seen Jesus Christ myself, but I believe in the goodness and the honesty of those who say they have. That list helps to build my testimony of HIM.
And that’s how I would like to conclude this portion of this week’s lesson—with my own personal witness of the resurrected Christ. Not that I’ve seen him, physically, but that I feel have come to know him well spiritually. I know that my Redeemer lived, that he lived a mortal life and came to this earth to teach us, to prepare the way for us, and to die for us. And I also know that my Redeemer lives. I’ve actually had the privilege to go to Jerusalem and visit the place called the Garden tomb and felt the very special spirit that that location carries. And there is a lot of historical, scriptural, and archeological evidence pointing to the fact that this indeed was the place where Jesus was buried and resurrected. Even President Harold B. Lee felt that it was a special place when he visited there. And I would like to bear witness that I saw with my own eyes that that tomb is empty. And when it was discovered by archeologists, it was found empty. And the reason why? Because, “He is not [there], but is risen.” And he continues to live and love and teach and guide and counsel all those who choose to believe in and follow him.
And at this point, I might invite my students if any would be willing to express their witness of Christ’s resurrection.
Or sing the hymn “I know that my Redeemer Lives”. Or show this uplifting performance of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhm2uyilsxw
Or, there are a number of other great videos that you could show to accompany a lesson on the resurrection. My favorite is this one: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2014-04-1420-because-of-him?lang=eng entitled “Because of Him” but your students are likely to have seen it many times before but it’s so good and has a very powerful spirit to it.
Or you might also consider showing the Bible videos from the life of Christ depicting the story of the resurrection. There are two that cover these events. One that depicts the body of Christ being laid in the tomb and then being opened by the angel: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2011-10-0020-jesus-is-laid-in-a-tomb?lang=eng&alang=eng&collectionId=00b01a73c6fe4b218464982d5be32a8e
And then another where Jesus appears to Mary. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2011-10-0021-jesus-is-resurrected?lang=eng&alang=eng&collectionId=00b01a73c6fe4b218464982d5be32a8e
Or there is another great video where a number of people bear witness of how the resurrection brings them hope:
So lots and lots of resources to choose from this week to teach the resurrection. And I certainly wouldn’t show all of these videos, but you could pick one or so to help your class visualize and feel the power and magnitude of this greatest of all miracles.
ICEBREAKER
But now, there are two specific stories from the resurrection of the Savior that I’d like to dig a little deeper into now. For our first Icebreaker there’s a fun little YouTube video that you could use to introduce the “Road to Emmaus” story found in Luke 24. And I can’t actually show it here on my channel but I’m going to include a link to it up at the top here and encourage you to take a minute to watch it. And what this video is, is an observation or awareness test. And maybe you’ve seen this kind of thing before, but this was a new one that I hadn’t seen yet. In the past I’ve used the passing the basketball video with the moonwalking bear in it. If you’re not familiar with that one, I’ll provide a link to that video as well, but it’s the same idea.
Orange Shirts Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYEAQG62pYA
Basketball Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GEEvvTiiQk
And the moral of the story of these videos is that it's easy to miss something that you aren't looking for. There may be times in our lives where we may be unaware of something important happening because we aren’t looking for it.
TRANSITION
Today, in the scriptures, we’re going to take a look at a story about two men who were walking the road from Jerusalem to their village called Emmaus after the crucifixion of the Savior. And they aren’t aware of something. What were they not aware of? Look in Luke 24:13-16 for the answer.
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
So what were they not aware of? They're not aware that Jesus is walking with them. Jesus has been resurrected at this point and they don't realize it yet. The scriptures tell us that their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And there's a double meaning in this description. They don't recognize him physically, but they don't recognize him spiritually yet. They don't recognize or understand his role as the Messiah and that he had come not to liberate them from the Romans but from sin and death.
SEARCH
So we’ll continue with the story by reading Luke 24:17-25 with a search question in mind which is: How are these two men feeling? Read these verses and look for all the words or phrases that tell us how they are feeling, either stated or implied.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
So how are they feeling? One word that comes up very directly is the word sad in verse 17. That's the easy one. But as you read the other verses, there are some other emotions that are suggested or implied. For example verse 21 where Cleopas says, “But we trusted (which means we hoped) that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.” This implies that they’re confused, in despair, discouraged, or disillusioned. This man who they believed would be their liberator, their leader, and the very son of God is now gone. He’s been killed and things have not turned out the way that they expected. We see the word astonished in verse 22. Again suggesting their confusion as to the meaning of all these things that they’ve experienced and heard. And then Jesus is going to add an emotion for us in verse 25—"slow of heart to believe”. They are doubtful and they don't understand what the prophets have taught about Christ’s mission, or the meaning of his body being gone from the tomb.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Now let’s stop for a moment and liken the scriptures to ourselves. Can you relate to these two men? Have you ever felt these emotions before when it comes to your faith? Sad, confused, discouraged about things in your life that have not turned out the way that you hoped or expected? I imagine most of us can relate to that. Maybe we’re also sad about losing a loved one and are doubting the reality of the resurrection. Maybe our lives aren’t turning out the way we thought they would. Our career. Our health. Maybe we’re confused about doctrines of the gospel, or the Church and we have doubts or questions. We hope for certain things but then just like for these two disciples, the current evidence suggests to us otherwise. When we feel this way, this story can teach us some important things that we can know and do when this is the case.
I Am With You
One truth that can help us during these troubling times is to realize what these two men did not—that somebody may be with us, and we just don’t realize it. Jesus walks with us even though we may not always recognize his presence. Cross reference to Matthew 28:20.
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen
Jesus promises all those who believe in him that he will be with them. Now that may not necessarily mean physically or in the flesh. But he promises us some measure of his presence, his love, and His Spirit to always be with us. Have you ever felt that before? That Christ was walking beside you? That you were not alone? I have.
Recognizing Christ
Now a bit of a spoiler alert if you’re not familiar with this story. By the end of the chapter, these two disciples ARE going to recognize that it's Jesus. But the message comes from looking for the things that help them to come to this realization. And that is going to teach us what we can do to also better recognize his presence in our lives. What helped these disciples recognize that Christ was with them?
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
How can we come to know Christ is with us?
The Scriptures
One: the scriptures. In verse 27, Jesus starts teaching them things about himself from the Old Testament and in verse 32 they describe how they felt as he opened the scriptures to them. “Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures.” And as somebody who loves the scriptures deeply, that is my favorite thought from this entire story. We will recognize the Savior's presence as we open the scriptures and study them. I like to draw a line between those two opened’s. It's kind of a cool connection. When I open the scriptures, the eyes of my spirit are opened to the presence and reality of Jesus Christ. And as WE open our scriptures, our hearts will burn within us, or we'll feel something that will let us know that he's there. And I would like to personally bear witness that I know that the scriptures have THAT power. That's why I call this channel Teaching with Power. The power in Teaching with Power does not come from the insights or the ideas or from me. The power comes from the scriptures themselves and in the Spirit that testifies of their truth as you study them. Jesus Christ is on every single page of the scriptures. Now, on some pages he may be a little harder to find, but he’s there and the more you study them, the more you will come to KNOW him, and the more you will recognize his company as you walk your road back to your eternal home.
The Sacrament
Number two. In verse 30 it says he took bread and blessed it and brake and gave it to them. And in verse 35 this idea is echoed with the line “he was known of them in breaking of bread.” We too can come to know the Savior and recognize his presence as we partake of the sacrament. The sacrament can bring us closer to Jesus. One of the things that helps me feel the presence of the Savior during the sacrament is by just looking at the sacrament table. There is symbolism in the white sheet being draped over the emblems of the Savior’s sacrifice. It's intended to look like Jesus’s body underneath the sheet and can help us to visualize and connect with the Savior’s sacrifice at that moment.
Abide with me
And then, this third one isn't quite as obvious and maybe I’m stretching it a little, but I love verses 28-29. When they get to their home the scriptures say that Jesus made as though he would have gone further. And I might ask my students, “Why do you think Jesus acted as if he would go further?” And I'm not sure what they'll say to that but it's a good question. And I think it's because he wants to give them a chance to invite him in. Like a good guest he’s not going to force his way into their home. And they do constrain him and say, “Abide with us!” And how does he respond to their requests? He abides with them. He graciously accepts their invitation. I believe that it's the same with us. Jesus will not force his way into our lives. We need to invite him in. One way we can do that is through prayer, or by attending Church or the temple. And what will he do in response? He’ll tarry with us. It reminds me of one of my favorite hymns, “Abide with me”. And a great cross reference here that you could take them to is Revelation 3:20 where it says,
“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me”. (Revelation 3:20)
TRUTH
So what will help me to recognize the presence of the Savior in my life? Studying the scriptures, partaking of the sacrament thoughtfully and worthily, and praying for him to “abide with me.”
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And to really sink these principles deep into their hearts here I would ask if anyone would be willing to share a time when one of those things has helped them to feel and know that Jesus was with them.
When have you felt the Savior walking beside you?
CONCLUSION
And I believe that principle is true. Christ can walk with us even if we don’t always recognize it. If we will study the Scriptures, partake of the sacrament weekly, and invite Christ into our lives through prayer then I testify that there will be times when our eyes will be opened, and our hearts will burn within us. We will become AWARE of HIM because we’ll be looking.
FEED MY SHEEP (JOHN 21)
ICEBREAKER
Now John chapter 21. The final chapter of the gospels. This is going to be our final lesson from the life of Christ. So for an icebreaker—a very simple activity. I find it very effective to have at the front of my class, written on the board during the entire lesson, in big letters, a two-word question. And you could introduce it, Wheel of Fortune style. You could offer a reward to the first person that discovers what that question is. To do this, I’d direct you to the following website where you can create a wheel of fortune of sorts by entering the names of each of your students into the wheel. And then you spin. And whoever it lands on gets to choose a letter and make a guess. If they get a letter right, you enter it into the space and allow that person to guess what the question is. Then you spin again and allow somebody else to choose a letter until the phrase is guessed. But, the catch is, the wheel has to land on your name in order to guess. So, there may be somebody who knows the answer, but unless the wheel chooses them, they can’t say it. And what is our secret question?
NOW WHAT? That is the question that I want at the front of my classroom in big letters the entire time.
TRANSITION
As we study John chapter 21, I want you to be thinking about that question. It’s the question that the disciples are asking themselves now that the Savior has come, has taught them, has died, and been resurrected. It’s been quite a journey for them. But now, they’ve got that question to answer. NOW WHAT?
SEARCH
So let’s see how they initially answer that question. According to John chapter 21:3 what did Peter and a number of the other disciples decide to do after Jesus's resurrection? And the answer is . . . they go fishing. They’re men after all, right? But I’d like to follow that question up with, “Why do you think they decide to do that?” The way I understand it, is that they're kind of deciding to just return back to their old lives. I mean, it's what they know—fishing. Jesus was gone now so, in their mind, life goes back to the way it used to be. And, a quick note here. In my opinion, nobody has taught the messages of this chapter more masterfully and eloquently than Jeffrey R. Holland in his conference address from October of 2012 entitled “The First Great Commandment.” In my mind, that should be required reading before you teach this chapter. And I love Elder Holland's thoughts and assessment of Peter’s reasoning for going back to fishing at Galilee. He imagines Peters thoughts going something like this:
“Brethren, it has been a glorious three years. None of us could have imagined such a few short months ago the miracles we have seen and the divinity we have enjoyed. We have talked with, prayed with, and labored with the very Son of God Himself. We have walked with Him and wept with Him, and on the night of that horrible ending, no one wept more bitterly than I. But that is over. He has finished His work, and He has risen from the tomb. He has worked out His salvation and ours. So you ask, ‘What do we do now?’ I don’t know more to tell you than to return to your former life, rejoicing. I intend to ‘go a fishing.’”
Jeffrey R. Holland
(Conference Report October 2012)
So let’s see what happens next. Read verses 4-15.
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
(Ah Peter. Gotta love him. Whenever he sees Jesus, you just can’t keep him out of the water. If Jesus comes walking along, Peter’s guaranteed to jump out of the boat)
8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
Now why do you think Jesus repeats this miracle for them? What might be the message by doing the same miracle he did back when he initially called the apostles to come follow him at the beginning of his ministry? In my opinion, it's a reminder of the conversation they had after that first time. In that instance, Jesus called Peter to leave behind his nets and become a “fisher of men”. Perhaps subtly hinting at something for Peter, like Elder Holland suggests:
“Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish?”
Jeffrey R. Holland
(Conference Report October 2012)
Jesus needed Peter to remain a fisher of men. Also, perhaps the great number of fish they pulled in was a symbolic suggestion of the real catch that awaited them. Just like the Lord said to the agrarian society of the early church in Doctrine and Covenants 4: “The field is white and already to harvest”. Could this be suggesting to the fisherman Peter, “The sea is full and ready to be fished.” It’s time to go a fishing for a different kind of catch.
And then we have this poignant conversation between Peter and Jesus in verses 15-17. In this exchange, I hear a loving but firm tone in the Savior's questions and an increasingly fervent yet distressed tone in Peter’s. And a question to consider as we read them. Why do you think Jesus asks Peter the same question three times?
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
So why does he do that? And there are there are a lot of possible answers to this question. Could it have been to make a deep impression on him, and us. When things are repeated, they sink deeper into our minds and hearts. Kind of like Moroni repeating his visits and message to Joseph Smith multiple times regarding the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Or was it Jesus’s way of getting his attention—to prompt him to really search his heart for the answer. If somebody asked you the same question three times, your first answer might be just a quick knee-jerk, well of course, kind of answer. But when they asked you a second and third time, you would probably really stop and think about the answer. Because Jesus already knew the answer, but he wanted Peter to know the answer to that question. And then I like the suggestion that perhaps Jesus is giving Peter an opportunity to express his devotion to Christ three times as opposed to the night where he denied he knew Christ three times. This again, of course, wouldn't be for Jesus’s sake, but for Peters. And then finally, Peter is correct when he says, “Thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.” The Lord did know that Peter loved him. That's not the point of the questioning. He wants Peter to know something. And that is to show his love by feeding his sheep. And he’s going to say that three times. This is the way you will show your love for me Peter. Take care of my lambs and my sheep while I’m gone. Shepherd them, serve them, teach them, lead them.
TRUTH
So here you might highlight the following truth: If I truly love Jesus Christ then I will feed his sheep.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Now this story is all fine and good for Peter’s sake, but remember we want to find personal meaning in the scriptures. And in this case, I think that it’s very easy for us to relate to him. I don’t believe that it’s a coincidence that this (John chapter 21) is the final chapter of the of the four gospels. It’s a fitting conclusion. Just like Peter, we too have been on a journey with the Savior—these past 6 months as we’ve studied his life. We've sailed with him on the Sea of Galilee. We've sat at his feet as he taught the Sermon on the Mount. We’ve seen him heal the sick, cause the lame to walk, and even raise the dead. We’ve watched him show love and concern for all types of people—from little children to adulterers and from lepers to Roman centurions. Most importantly we’ve watched from a distance his blood drip from every pore in the Garden of Gethsemane, the nails driven into his hands and feet on Golgotha and the glorious triumph of the resurrection at the garden tomb. Now, more than ever, we need to put ourselves into Peter’s sandals and ask ourselves: Are we going to return to our former lives as if nothing has happened? Are we going to conclude our study of the New Testament with a “Well, that was nice,” and then “go a fishing”, or continue being the same people we’ve always been? The questions Jesus asks Peter are meant for all of us to consider. I invite you to have that sacred conversation with the Savior. Imagine yourself sitting across from him next to the gentle lapping waters of the Sea of Galilee and asking you, “Do you love me?” three times. And only you can answer that question. But I hope that we could all answer in the affirmative. And then look into the Savior’s loving eyes and hear his gentle instruction, “Feed my sheep.”
It's the answer to our big question: Now what? The Gospels are meant to change us and make us better sons and daughters of God. So if we love the Savior, let’s go out and feed his sheep. And what does that look like? What does it mean to feed Christ’s sheep? How does somebody in the year 2023 go out and fulfill that charge? Again, I might turn to Elder Holland’s words for help:
“So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it.”
Jeffrey R. Holland
(Conference Report October 2012)
So that’s what we must do. We must go out and feed our brothers and sisters and live different, speak different, think different, be different.
To sink this truth deeper into our hearts, a few questions to ponder:
Has your study of the life of Jesus Christ changed you in any way? How?
What are some “nets and fishes” you may need to leave behind in order to follow the Savior?
How can you better “feed his sheep”?
CONCLUSION
And that, I believe is critical for us to consider at the close of our study of the Gospels and the life of Christ. But that’s not all. We’re not done quite yet. The chapter doesn't end there. There are a few additional thoughts for us to consider to our “NOW WHAT” question before we close. Jesus continues his conversation with Peter.
Follow Me
He’s going to reveal something about Peter’s future to him—something rather devastating and difficult to hear. And I’m sure Peter remembers that the last time Jesus made a prophesy about his future, regarding his three denials, it came true. So this time, Peter has no doubt that it’s going to come true. And can you figure out what Christ means by these verses? Can you interpret them? John 21:18. What’s he saying is going to happen to Peter?
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself (you dressed yourself), and walkedst whither thou wouldest (and you went wherever you wanted): but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
Now if you can’t figure that out, read the next verse for some help:
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. . . .
Ahh. So he’s telling Peter something about the way he’s going to die. He’s revealing to him that his journey of discipleship will eventually lead him to a place where HE would stretch forth HIS hands. And somebody else would gird or hang him there, and carry him to a place he doesn’t want to go. How is Peter going to die? He too will be crucified. Can you just imagine what facing that realization would have been like for him. I mean he's just witnessed the horror and pain of what crucifixion is like and here Jesus is saying, “Peter, if you choose to show your love for me by feeding my sheep, they will eventually do to you what they did to me.” And Peter will be crucified, upside-down no less. But it’s the next words out of Christ’s mouth that really carry the impact. What does Jesus ask of him after revealing this?
. . . And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
Now THAT is some “follow me!” He’s asking Peter to not only follow him in life but to follow him in the manner of his death as well. Therefore, for you and me, who are probably never going to be asked to DIE for the gospel, to be crucified for the gospel, hopefully we would be willing to sacrifice and give and do whatever our Lord asks of us in order to follow him.
So what’s our next “Now what?” Follow Christ to the end.
What is That to Thee?
And then, after that, Peter does something so human. He turns around and sees John in the distance and he asks Jesus a question, verses 20-21.
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
Oh, I just love that. I can totally see myself doing something similar. Jesus has just revealed to him the way he’s going to die and the first words out of his mouth are, “Well, wait, what about him? What’s gonna happen to John? Does his future hold some calamity like mine?” Then you can read Jesus's answer in verse 22
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Now, what do you make of that? What lesson do you feel Jesus is trying to teach Peter here? And by the way, these are the last recorded words of Christ in the gospels. You may remember that in the gospel of John, the first recorded words of Christ was a question: What seek ye? John’s gospel is also going to end with a question, accompanied by what I would refer to as “The Last ‘Follow Me.’” So what’s the lesson? I think he's teaching us not to concern ourselves with the paths of discipleship that others walk—to beware of the dangers of comparison. Everyone’s path and experience in life will be different but our major concern must be to continue to follow Christ, no matter what. And the paths of these two disciples couldn't have been more different. Peter is going to be crucified and die an extremely painful death, and John is never even going to taste of death. He gets to “tarry until I come”. If ever there was a moment to shout out “That's not fair!” this would be it. And yet Jesus's response is, “What is that to thee, follow thou me.” The answer is the same for us whenever we feel tempted to compare our lives either negatively or positively with the lives of others. Both habits are spiritually dangerous. We may be tempted to ask things like, “Why do I have to go through this trial and Sister so-and-so doesn't? Why does everything seem to go right for Brother so-and-so and not for me? Or we may even struggle with the opposite type of comparison. Why does my life seem so blessed and this other poor individual struggles so much. Maybe we begin to feel guilty that we seem to have it easier. One way or another, comparison is hazardous to our spiritual health. Why don’t I get those blessings and gifts? Why don't I have their calling? Why do I have to endure this ordeal? What about them? What about them?” We sometimes are far too concerned with the destiny, trials, rewards, and blessings of others. To all such questions the Lord’s answer is the same. If I will that they have this calling and you have another, if I will that you suffer with this sickness, but they have perfect health, if I will that they are blessed with this talent while you're not, if I will that you face this challenge while they don’t, the answer to all of these comparisons is the same. What is that to thee? follow thou me. Talk about famous last words. We have enough to worry about in trying to get down our own path of discipleship without adding the burden of figuring out the “why’s” of everybody else's.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, in conclusion, our major concern is to follow Christ. That is the only thing in life I need to worry about. Not how well my neighbor follows or doesn’t follow, or my bishop, or Joseph Smith, or other religions, or the general authorities, it’s how I follow. I must not let the strengths or weaknesses of others determine what kind of disciple I’m going to be. That’s between them and God. I have control over one life and one life only, my own, and that is where my focus must lie. So here, in John 21, we’ve learned a lot from this one chapter about the answer to the question, “NOW WHAT?” Now that I’ve met Christ. Now that I understand his teachings, his example, his sacrifice, his path, what do I do? I feed his sheep, I endure to the end, I beware of comparison, and ABOVE ALL, I follow him.
And then, as a teacher, I would pass out the following sheet of paper and invite my students to reflect on what they plan to do differently now that they’ve completed their study of the life of Christ. “Now what” are they going to do about it. What’s their resolution? What’s their plan? How will they be different? And then invite them to tuck this paper into their scriptures, or into a place where they are sure to see it again.
And with that, I’d just like to say that it has been such a joy and a privilege studying the life of Christ with you this year. It really is one of my favorite parts of the scriptures to teach. Every time I study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, my testimony grows. My love for Jesus Christ deepens. And I hope that that has been your experience these last six months as well. Thank you for spending this time with me each week. I feel so fortunate, so blessed that I get a chance to share my love of the scriptures with so many people around the world every week. I love it. And I just think that each of you are amazing—that you care enough about the gospel to be willing to search out this kind of content, and spend this kind of time listening to it, that speaks volumes about you, and your discipleship, your commitment to Christ. Thank you, thank you, thank you for walking that path with me and learning with me. Now we’re not done, of course. We’ve got the rest of the New Testament to study—so much to look forward to. Next week we’ll begin our study of the book of Acts, which continues the story of Christ's Church, and we get to see the Apostles really step up into their roles as leaders of the church. We’re going to get to meet one of my greatest, all-time scripture heroes, Paul. We'll study his story and his epistles which are, granted, a little bit tougher but if you put in the time and the effort to understand them they will reward you greatly, and then one of my favorite books of all scripture lies ahead. The fascinating book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament—we’ll take a deep dive into that. There are great things to come my friends! So I pray that you will stick with me, and we'll continue this journey together.
THE BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE WRITTEN
And that is where I originally planned to conclude this week. But if you’re still with me, here’s a bonus insight I decided to add. I love John's conclusion to the gospels in verses 24 and 25. Let’s just take a brief look at that.
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
You know, I wish the Christian world had focused on the final verses of the Gospel of John rather than the final verses of the book of Revelation (also written by John) in regard to other writings about Jesus Christ. Do you know which verses in Revelation I’m talking about? The ones that say:
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Now we know that those verses do not mean a moratorium on scripture and prophecy, but were simply a warning about changing the words of The Book of Revelation itself—a charge not to mess with John’s writings. But, if only the world had focused on the final verses of the gospel of John and his lament that there were not enough things written about Jesus, perhaps they would have been more open to other testaments of Jesus Christ such as the Book of Mormon.
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