John

After the barbeque breakfast on the beach, Jesus turned to Peter. Doubtless Peter was still ashamed of his triple denial of the Lord; perhaps he wondered how Jesus would treat him. Speaking simply, Jesus addressed him by his formal name (Simon, son of John) and asked if he loved Jesus more than all the others did. The word Jesus used for ‘love’ was ‘agapao’: this means a godlike and sacrificial love which is seen in self-giving whatever the cost. However, Peter could not honestly say that he loved Jesus like that.

Peter had big ideas and bold ambitions. He had promised never to leave Jesus, even if that meant going to prison and death with Him (Luke 22:33). But Peter had no thought of going to prison and death in order to glorify Jesus. So it must have been a shock when the Lord Jesus told Peter that he would also be crucified.
 

Peter had a big horizon. He could think ‘out of the box’. And that would prove to be a blessing at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit used his big personality to be the first preacher of the gospel. However, on this occasion, having been told by the Lord that his life would end by crucifixion (John 21:18-19), Peter then wanted to know if John would also be crucified. But Jesus refused to tell him.
 

These are the last two verses of John’s Gospel. They follow Peter’s discussion with Jesus about John (John 21:20-23), after which John is identified as the author of the Gospel narrative. These verses are historically important as they certify that what John wrote was his personal eyewitness account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. His character was known to the churches; they could vouch for his integrity.