John 21:20-25

Acts 28:16-20, 30-31

Psalm 11:4, 5 and 7

John 21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved,

the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper

and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?”

When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come?

What concern is it of yours? 

You follow me.”

So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.

But Jesus had not told him that he would not die,

just “What if I want him to remain until I come?

What concern is it of yours?”

It is this disciple who testifies to these things

and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

There are also many other things that Jesus did,

but if these were to be described individually,

I do not think the whole world would contain the books

that would be written.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, throughout the season of Easter, I have been meditating almost daily on your Word in the Gospel of John. Help me recall the lessons I have learned this Easter and put them into practice so as to be a faithful member of your family, the Church.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Caring for Mary: The conversation in the Gospel between Jesus and Peter takes place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a couple of weeks after Jesus’ resurrection. John, the Beloved Disciple, was following them, and Jesus draws out a contrast between the way John will give testimony to Jesus and the way Peter will give testimony. Peter’s love for Jesus will be expressed in pastorally caring for the Church for over thirty years (John 21:15-17) and suffering crucifixion in Rome in his old age (John 21:18). John’s love for Jesus will be expressed in remaining and abiding. His first task will be to care for Mary, the Mother of Jesus (John 19:26-27). 

2. Gospel Witness: John indicates that his testimony is written down in his Gospel. Tradition holds that John wrote his Gospel after those of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He didn’t repeat the words and actions of Jesus already recorded in the other three Gospels. He had decades to contemplate his lived experience with Jesus and the deeper meaning of the signs Jesus worked. He understood that the sacramental signs entrusted to the Church were the greater works promised by Jesus to his disciples. Inspired by the Spirit, John recalled Jesus’ last will and testament given at the Last Supper. As well, John sought to defend the divine nature of Jesus and emphasize throughout his Gospel the oneness of Jesus, the Word of God, with the Father and the Spirit, as well as his distinction from the other two persons of the Trinity. He understood that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the divine Bridegroom, the Suffering Servant, the Word made flesh, the Alpha and the Omega, and our eternal High Priest.

3. The Witness of Love: Some ten years after Jesus’ resurrection, John saw his brother, James, killed by Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12:1-2). Unlike Peter and Paul, John survived the persecution of the Church under the Emperor Nero and later under the Emperor Domitian. He continued to guide the Christian community in Ephesus after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This date is likely the meaning of Jesus’ question, “What if I want him to remain until I come?” While Peter died several years before the destruction of Jerusalem, John lived on for decades after that event. John suffered exile to the island of Patmos, yet wrote letters to the churches under his care. As an old man, tradition holds that he began to repeat a single message to the members of his flock: “My little children, love one another.” In his youth, he was a “son of thunder” who was ready to call down fire on the towns and villages that refused to welcome Jesus. But, in his old age, his message was simplified and became that of his Beloved Lord and Savior, “Love one another.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your Apostles proclaimed your Gospel to the ends of the earth. They were faithful and endured persecution. They believed in you, hoped in your promises, and lived your charity. Help me to imitate them, proclaim the Gospel, and endure trials and suffering for the sake of your name.

Living the Word of God: As the Easter Season comes to an end, we thank God for all he has done for us through his Son Jesus Christ. We were poor and miserable and enslaved by sin. Now, our high priest, the Lamb of God, has released us and bestowed divine sonship and eternal life upon us. He intercedes for us in heaven before the Father and prepares a place for us in the Father’s house. Each day we are called to grow in our knowledge of God and love for him. We grow to the degree we allow God to reign in us and work in us and through us.