Daily Scripture: Day 243—John 21

From Handbook to Scripture

READING: John 21

At His meeting with the disciples at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus restored Peter and commissioned him to shepherd His sheep. John’s Gospel concludes by alluding to the abundance of things Jesus did that were never recorded.

As topical narratives, each of the four Gospels approaches the life of Christ from a different angle. Matthew presents Him to a Jewish readership as Israel’s Messiah-King, Mark presents Him to a Roman readership as the servant-redeemer, and Luke presents Him to a Greek readership as the perfect man. John, evidently written after the three Synoptic Gospels, presents Christ to a universal readership as the Son of God. The traditional picture of Christ in the four Gospels can be seen as corresponding to the imagery in Ezekiel 1:10 and Revelation 4:6–8 and is as follows: Matthew, a lion (strength, authority); Mark, an ox (service, power); Luke, a man (wisdom, character); John, an eagle (divinity).

Prayer

Lord, thank You for this marvelous account of Jesus’ encounter with His disciples at the Sea of Galilee. I ask for the grace to follow Jesus wherever He leads me.

Meditation passage: verses 15–17, 25