41 Follow Me and Feed My Sheep

* During the past nine months we have been considering John's presentation of Jesus - the Son of God who became flesh in order that He might become the payment for our sins, as the Lamb of God. Jesus became that payment - the sacrifice to take away our sins - when He was crucified. Jesus' final statement on the cross was: "It is Finished!" Three days later, He rose bodily from the dead, appearing first to Mary Magdalene and then to two disciples traveling to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35). Last week we covered the third and fourth appearances of Jesus, which were the first two appearances to His disciples after His resurrection - first to 10 of the 11 (Thomas was missing) and then to all 11. Today we cover the last chapter in the Gospel of John. * Speaking of Jesus' disciples, Luke writes in Acts 1:3 - "... to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." The New Testament records at least 10 appearances by Jesus to various people and groups during this forty day period. John ends his account with one of these, where Jesus appears to seven of His disciples in Galilee along the shore of the Sea of Tiberias (also known as the Sea of Galilee). This appearance shows us three different ways that this is the same risen Jesus as the Jesus the disciples had known prior to the crucifixion. Jesus challenges Peter to "Follow Me" and to "Feed My sheep". * This message was presented on December 19, 2021 by David Hayes.