Disciples were baptized by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Disciples were baptized by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce   

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precept &Gospel music

Scriptures reading Acts 2:1-13

1When the day of Pentecost came; they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.  7Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  8Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

 

Verse 1 the day of Pentecost. The fourth of the annual feasts of the Jews (after Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First fruits), it came fifty days after First fruits (A type of the resurrection of Christ, (1 Cor.15:23). Pentecost was the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of weeks, so called because it fell seven (a week of) weeks after First fruits. It celebrated the wheat harvest (Ex.23: 16). This day of Pentecost in Acts 2 Marked the beginning of the church (Matt.16:18).

Fiftieth. it was the fiftieth day from the Lord’s resurrection, there being seven weeks in between, counting from the second day (the first day of the week—Luke 23:54—24:1) after the Passover on which the Lord was crucified (John19:14). It was the fulfillment of the Feast of Weeks (Deut.16:10), which was also called the Feast of Harvest (Exo.23:16), and was counted from the day of the offering of a sheaf of the first fruits of the harvest, to the day after the seventh Sabbath (Lev.23:10-11,15-16). The sheaf of the first fruits offered before God was a type of the resurrected Christ offered to God on the day of His resurrection (John20:17), which was the day after the Sabbath (John20:1). From that day to the day of Pentecost there were exactly fifty days. The Feast of Harvest typifies the enjoyment of the rich produce brought in by the resurrected Christ. This rich produce is the all-inclusive Spirit of the processed Triune God, given by Him to His chosen people as the blessing of the gospel (Gal.3:14) that they may enjoy the all-inclusive Christ (the very embodiment of the Triune God) as their good land. This signifies that the believers, by receiving the bountiful Spirit on the day of Pentecost, not only have entered into the good land but also have participated in the bountiful riches of the all-inclusive Christ (Eph.3:8) in His resurrection and ascension, as God’s full allotment in His New Testament economy.

Verse 2 in the Lord’s resurrection the Spirit of resurrection life is likened to breath; breathed into the disciples (John20:22) for their spiritual being and living essentially. In the Lord’s ascension the Spirit of ascension power, poured upon the disciples, is symbolized here by the wind and is for the disciples’ ministry and move economically. The essential Spirit of resurrection life is for the believers to live Christ; the economical Spirit of ascension power is for them to carry out His commission.

Verse 3 tongues– a symbol of speaking, symbolizing that God’s economical Spirit of power is mainly for speaking. He is the speaking, Spirit. – as of fire symbolizing burning power for purging and motivating in God’s economical move. Sat on each one of them -The verb is singular, indicating that one tongue sat on each of them.

Verse 4 All modifies only filled in the first clause, not began to speak in the second clause. It cannot be used as evidence that all the disciples who were filled with the Holy Spirit began to speak in tongues. Greek pletho (used also in 4:8,31;9:17;13:9; Luke `:15,41,67), to fill outwardly. According to its usage in this book, pleroo denotes the filling of a vessel within, as the wind filled the house inwardly in v.2 and pletho denotes the filling of persons outwardly, as the Spirit filled the disciples outwardly in this verse 4. The disciples were filled (pleroo)inwardly and essentially with the Spriit (13:52) for their Christian living and were filled (pletho)outwardly and economically with the Spirit for their Christian ministry. The inward filling Spirit, the essential Spirit, the economical Spirit, is upon them (1:8;2:17). Every believer in Christ should experience both aspects of the Holy Spirit. Even Christ as a man experienced the same thing: He was born of the Holy Spirit essentially (Luke1:35; Matt.1:18,20) for His being and living, and He was anointed with the Holy Spirit economically (Matt.3:16; Luke 4:18) for His ministry and move.  The essential Spirit was within Him and the economical Spirit was upon Him.

The outward filling of the poured-out Spirit was the ascended head’s baptizing of His Body into the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost the Jewish believers, the first part of His Body was baptized; the second part of His Body, in the house of Cornelius the Gentile believers, were baptized in the same way (10:44-47). By these two steps He baptized once for all His entire Body into the Spirit (1 Cor.12:13), who is the application and realization of Himself. His baptizing His Body into the Spirit was His baptizing it into Himself. This was the accomplishment of the baptism in the Holy Spirit promised in 1:5 by Christ, the Head of the Body.   

Dialects (vv.6.8) The disciples were Galileans (v.7), yet they spoke the different foreign dialects of the attendants who came from various parts of the world. This is strong proof that tongue-speaking must be an understandable language, not merely a voice or sound uttered by the tongue.  

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

  

A hundred and twenty believers constantly in prayer (Acts 1:12-26) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

A hundred and twenty believers constantly in prayer (Acts 1:12-26)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce    

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music  

 

``12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 15In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

         

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas (1:18-26)

18(With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20“For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms: “ ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, “ ‘May another take his place of leadership.’  21Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so, he was added to the eleven apostles.

 

Verse 12 The disciples returned to Jerusalem to keep the Lord’s words in Luke 24:49 and 1:4 of this book, that they might receive the Spirit of power economically as promised by the Father. They were all Galileans (v.11). For them to stay in Jerusalem, especially under the Jewish leaders’ threatening, meant that they were risking their lives.

Verse 14 Before the Lord’s death the disciples had no interest in praying for spiritual things (Luke22:40,45-46), rather, they contended among themselves as to which of them was considered to be greatest (Luke22:24). But after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension, their spiritual condition changed radically. They did not contend among themselves but were burdened to continue steadfastly with one accord in prayer, even before the day of Pentecost, when they would receive the outpoured Spirit of power economically (ch.2). This is a strong sign and proof that they had received the indwelling Spirit of life essentially on the day of the Lord’ resurrection (John 20:22). This is also evidence that they had been strengthened in God’s New Testament economy by the vision of the Lord’s ascension. The disciples might have prayed to be clothed with the spirit of power, the promise of the Father, for which the Lord had charged them to remain in Jerusalem (Luke24:49; Acts1:4), and might also have prayed for the commission given to them by the Lord in Luke24:47-48 and 1:8 of this book to bear His testimony to the utter most part of the earth. God wanted to pour out His Spirit for the carrying out of His New Testament economy and had promised to do it. Yet He still needed His chosen people to pray for this. As God in heaven, He needs men on earth to cooperate with Him for the carrying out of His plan. The one hundred twenty disciples’ praying for ten days met this need of God’s. 

Verse 15 Peter had made a full recovery of confidence and authority from the night of his denial and was now fulfilling Matt.16:19. The Lord’s death Peter often spoke nonsensically (Matt.16:22-23;17:24-26;26:33-35).But now, after the Lord’s resurrection, he could expound the Old Testament prophecies properly in their correct significance (vv.16-20). This too is proof that the disciples , before they received the Spirit of power economically on the day of Pentecost had received the Spirit of the life essentially on the day of the Lord’s resurrection.

Verse 17 Mention also in v.25 referring to the ministry that bears the testimony of Jesus (v.8). Though the apostles were twelve in number, their ministry was uniquely one –this ministry, a corporate ministry in the principle of the Body of Christ. All the apostles carried out the same ministry to bear the testimony not of any religion, doctrine, or practice but uniquely of the incarnated, resurrected, and ascended Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of all.

Verse 22 the Lord’s resurrection was the focus of the apostles’ testimony. It points back to His incarnation, humanity, human living on the earth, and God –ordained death (2:23), and points forward to His ascension, ministry and administration in heaven, and coming back. Thus, the apostles’ testimony of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, was all-inclusive, as depicted in the whole book of Acts. They preached and ministered the all-inclusive Christ as He is revealed in the entire Scripture.

Verse 26 After the Lord’s ascension and before the day of Pentecost the apostles were in a transitional period, as shown by the way they sought the Lord’s guidance. They had received the indwelling Spirit on the day of the Lord’s resurrection (John20:22) and had been trained by the Lord for forty days before His ascension to practice and become accustomed to His invisible presence (v.3).Yet it was still difficult for them to drop the old traditional way of seeking God’s leading by casting lots (Lev.16:8; Josh.14:2; 1Sam.14:41; Neh.10:34;11:1;Prov.16:33). They were still not accustomed to the leading and guidance of the indwelling Spirit (Rom.8:14), unlike the apostle Paul later, in 16:6-8. They were still in the initial stage of God’s New Testament economy before the day of Pentecost.    

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

  

Jesus Taken up inro heaven (Acts 1:1-11) by Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce

Book of Acts (Bible in one year) - Jesus Taken Up into Heaven                                                       

By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce  

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical Precepts: Gospel music   

The book of Acts - Introduction

Authorship

That the author of Acts was a companion of Paul is clear from the passages in the book in which “we” and “us” are used (16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16). These sections themselves eliminate known companions of Paul other than Luke, and Colossians4:14 and Philemon 24 point affirmatively to Luke, who was a physician. The frequent use of medical terms also substantiates this conclusion (1:3;9:18,33:13:11;28:1-10).Luke answered the Macedonian call with Paul, was in charge of the work at Philippi for about six years, and later was with Paul in Rome during the time of Paul’s house arrest. It was probably during this last period that the book was written. If it were written later it would be very difficult to explain the absence of mention of such momentous events as the burning of Rome, the martyrdom of Paul, or the destruction of Jerusalem.

Importance of the book:

1) Acts gives us the record of the spread of Christianity from the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost to Paul’s arrival in Rome to preach the gospel in the world’s capital. In this regard, then,, it is the record of the continuation of those things that Jesus began while on earth and that He continued as the risen Head of the Church and the One who sent the Holy Spirit (1:2;2:33). The book is sometimes called The Acts of the Holy Spirit.  2) The thirty years covered by the book were important years of transition. The gospel was preached first only to Jews, and the early church was composed largely of Jewish believers. As more and more Gentiles were included, the church became distinct from Judaism.  3) Doctrines that  are later developed in the epistles appear in seed form in Acts (the Spirit, 1:8; the kingdom, 3:21;15:16; elders, 11:30;Gentile salvation, 15:14). However, the book emphasizes the practice of doctrine more than the statement of doctrine. 4) Acts furnishes principles for missionary work. 5) The book reveals patterns for church life. 6) Archaeological discoveries confirm in a remarkable way the historical accuracy of Luke’s writing.

The contents

  In the first twelve chapters of the book the important figures are Peter, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, and James. From Chapter 13 to the end, the dominant person is Paul. The book may also be divided according to the geographical divisions mentioned in the Great Commission (1:8)

Scriptures reading Acts 1:1-11 

 Jesus Taken Up into Heaven

 

1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

 

 

Verse 1 my former book. The gospel of Luke. Theophilus means “dear to God” or “friend of God.” He was probably a Roman official, since the title “most excellent” (Luke1:3) indicates an official position in Acts 23:26; 24:3;26:25). Forth days.(v.3) The only reference to the length of Christ’s ministry on earth between His resurrection and His ascension.  

Verse 3 This was to train the disciples to practice and enjoy the Lord’s invisible presence. The resurrected Christ dwelt in the disciples, because He had breathed Himself as the Spirit into them on the day of His resurrection (John20:22). His appearing does not mean that He had ever left them; it simply means that He made His presence visible to them, training them to realize and enjoy His invisible presence all the time. Forty days is a period of trial and testing. This proves that the kingdom of God would be the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in their commission that was to come after Pentecost (8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31). It is not a material kingdom, visible to human sight but a kingdom of the divine life. It is the spreading of Christ as life to His believers to form a realm in which God rules in His life.

Verse 5 Baptized with the Holy Spirit  This promise was first fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (11:15-16) and affects every believer by joining him to the body of Christ (1Cor.12:13). This was accomplished in two sections (1) all the Jewish believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (2:4).  (2) All the Gentile believers were baptized in the house of Cornelius. (10:44-47; 11:15-17). In these two sections all genuine believers in Christ were baptized in the Holy Spirit into the one Body of Christ once for all universally (1Cor.12:13).

Verse 6 the kingdom to Israel. The messianic, Davidic, millennial kingdom on earth; The time of its coming is unrevealed (Matt.24:36,42) for which the apostles and other devout Jews were looking, was a material kingdom , unlike God’s kingdom of life, which is mentioned in  v.3 and which Christ is building up through the preaching of His gospel.

Verse 7 There is no rebuke in Christ’s answer, for God is not through with Israel, and the kingdom will eventually come (Rom.11:26). In the meantime the gospel must be preached throughout the whole world (Acts.1:8)

Verse 8 Receive power…upon you   this is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit (v.5) for the fulfillment of the promise of the Father (v.4). Different form in you (John14:17). The Holy Spirit was breathed into the disciples on the day of the Lord’s resurrection (John20:22) to be the Spirit of life (Rom.8:2) to them essentially. The same Holy Spirit would come upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost to be the Spirit of power to them economically.

Witnesses  Lit, martyrs, those who bear a living testimony of the resurrected and ascended Christ in life, differing from preachers who merely preach doctrines in letters. In His incarnation Christ carried out His ministry on the earth by Himself, as recorded in the Gospels, to sow Himself as the seed of the kingdom of God only in the Jewish land. In His ascension He would carry out His ministry in the heavens through these martyrs, in His resurrection life, and with His ascension power and authority, as recorded in the Acts, to spread Himself as the development of the kingdom of God from Jerusalem, as a beginning, unto the uttermost part of the earth, as the consummation of His ministry in the New Testament. All the apostles and disciples in the Acts were His martyrs, His witnesses, of this kind.

Verse 11 Luke’s Gospel ends with the Lord’s ascending into heaven (Luke24:51), and his Acts begins with it. His Gospel is a narrative of the ministry of the incarnated Jesus on earth; his Acts is a record of the continuing ministry of the resurrected and ascended Christ in heaven, carried out through His believers on earth. In the Gospels His ministry on earth, carried out by Himself, only sowed Himself as the seed of the kingdom of God into His believers, with no church being built up yet. In the Acts His ministry in heaven, carried out through His believers in His resurrection and ascension, spread Him as the development of the kingdom of God for the building up of the church (Matt.16:18) throughout the entire world to constitute His Body, which is His fullness (Eph.1:23) for His expression, and which is even the fullness of God (Eph.3:19) for God’s expression.

The Lord’s ascension points to His coming back. Between these two events is the dispensation of grace that He, as the pneumatic Christ, the life giving Spirit (1Cor.15:45), might apply His all-inclusive redemption to God’s chosen people for their full salvation, that He might produce and build up the church as His Body for the establishing of the kingdom of God on earth. Christ ascended into heaven from Mount Olivet (2.12), being taken up by a cloud, in a way that was visible to human sight. He will return to the same mount (Zech.14:4), coming on a cloud (Matt.24:30), in the same visible way.

Verse 11 will come in the same way The second coming of Christ, like the ascension, will be personal and visible (Rev.1:7;19:11-16). This vision of Christ’s ascension into heaven strengthened the disciples’ faith in Him and in what He had done for them through His death and resurrection. It broadened their view of God’s heavenly economy, which had brough them into cooperation with Christ’s ministry in the heavens for the carrying out of God’s New Testament economy on the earth. The believers should have such a vision concerning Christ’s ascension.

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

Can Christians unify as one? Daily morning revival By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Can Christians unify as one? Daily morning revival                                         2/26/2026

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce    Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts &Gospel music                                     

When Jesus rose from dead, in His resurrection, He came back to disciples, He said, “Peace be with you? As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21). Disciples received the Holy Spirit for life, and until Pentecost received the power of the Holy Spirit for work. Today, we are the same, as disciples, we received Holy Spirit when we are regenerated, spiritual reborn, we are one with Lord, through Son access to Father, be reconciled to Father, be purchased, be redeemed as many brothers –Body of Christ, the church, we are one with Triune God.

Today, Christians can be unified as one with God and with each other. Jesus said, "No one can come to Father, except through Me.” Jesus is the way, the door, and the gate. Whoever receives Jesus as Savior, goes out and comes in and finds pasture. Father sent Comforter (which is Holy Spirit) in Son’s name, by Holy Spirit indwell in us, transform us, and strengthen us, Christians can be unified as one. When we set our mind in the Spirit, allow the Holy Spirit to transform our mind, and redirect our acts and deeds. Day by day, we can grow in unity. By His Word as living water to quench our thirsty hearts and souls; His word as shaper swords to penetrate our soul and spirit, the powerful of the Word of God will discipline our thoughts, our deeds, and remind us to do right in His righteousness, no more self-justifying, but self-denying, no more self-righteousness, but Christ’s center justification. Christians can be one with Triune God and with each other. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6).    

 My friends, do you receive the Holy Spirit that Jesus breathed on you? If not, seek Jesus, ask Him to breathe on you, and live in you, you will sense His peace and you will be able to unify with God and people in oneness as Body of Christ (Church).  

            Yesterday, I listened to President Trump’s national state of union. I sense that President Trump’s love, care and protection of people in his second term. He becomes more appreciative of life, connects young people, encourages people, lifts up one another, and makes others important and valuable in their position. He acts always thoughtful, speaks positively about his cabinet, he affirms their capabilities, and builds up the person’s confidence in that position. He makes everyone want to work for him. He appears to be a great leader, knowing how to use each gift and talent, make them to fulfill the task with confident and trust. Young folks like him for the reason he demonstrates as a good, strong leader, and a good father. He intends to build up and protect nation, pursue peace, and care about the senior social security benefits, SSA, SSI, Medicaid, and Medicare. To be a leader, a president of a nation, he must love people, for the people and secure this country. Considering people’s needs, and benefits that will make these people secure their life; and increase country’s dignity and live in peace and secure sense.  We are thankful God answered the prayers, anointed him, and enabled him to be president for the people this term. 

         The Scriptures say in Isaiah 32:17-18 “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”  Do you have a sense of peace, quietness, confidence? If you don’t, seek Jesus Christ’s righteousness, lean on His salvation and righteousness. In Christ, we are righteous. When we allow the Holy Spirit in us, His word abides in us, in quietness we sense peace and oneness with God. Then, we can unite with one another, spouse as Body of Christ. In Christ we are one, unify in oneness and enjoy His peace abundantly. Therefore, we can experience God’s promise, “My people will live in a peaceful dwelling place, in a secure home, in undisturbed places of rest.”

          My friends, do you receive and experience these promises? If not, seek Jesus’ righteousness, abide in Him, His righteousness will deliver you, save you and grant you peace, quietness and confidence.    

    

Jesus reinstates Peter- feed my sheep (John 21:15-25) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Jesus reinstates Peter- feed my sheep (John 21:15-25)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

 

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

20Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)  21When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” 24This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.      

Here in verse 15 the Lord was restoring Peter’s love toward Him. Peter did have a heart to love the Lord, but he was too confident in his own strength, his natural strength. Peter’s love for the Lord was precious, but his natural strength had to be denied and dealt with. The Lord allowed Peter to fail utterly in denying the Lord to His face three times (18:17,25,27), so that his natural strength and his self-confidence could be dealt with. Furthermore, Peter had just taken the lead to backslide from the Lord’s call. His natural confidence in his love toward the Lord also must have been dealt with by this failure; yet he might have been somewhat disappointed. The Lord therefore came to restore his love toward Him, to charge him with the shepherding of His church, and to prepare him for his martyrdom so that he would not follow Him with any confidence in his natural strength.

Verse 15 Jesus said, “Simon Peter, Do you love Me?” the Greek word refers to a higher and nobler love. So for the first love in v.16. Peter responded “ Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” The Greek word denotes an intimate love. So for the second love in v.16 and for all occurrences of love in v.17. The fruit-bearing in ch.15 is the outflow of  the riches of the inner life. Here, to feed the lambs is to nourish them with the riches of the inner life. To feed others, we need to enjoy the riches of the Lord’s divine life. This requires that we love Him. To believe in the Lord is to receive Him. to love the Lord is to enjoy Him. The Lord came as life and the life supply to us. We need to have faith in Him and love toward Him. This Gospel presents these as the two requirements for us to participate in the Lord.

Verse 16 Shepherding is for the flock (10:14,16), which is the church (Acts 20:28); hence, it is related to God’s building (Matt.16:18). Later, Peter in his first Epistle indicated this, saying that growth by feeding on the pure milk of the word is for the building of God’s house (1Pet.2:2-5) and charging the elders to shepherd the flock of God (1Pet.5:1-4).

Verse 17 Perhaps in questioning Peter three times, the Lord was reminding Peter of how he had denied Him three times. The first know in this verse refers to the inward, subjective consciousness; the second refers to the outward, objective knowledge.

Verse 19 Later, Peter referred to this (2Pet.1:14). What the Lord wanted here was to prepare Peter to follow Him unto death, not by anything of himself or according to his own will.

Verse 22 The Lord was there with the disciples. How then could He say “Until I come”? since He was there, He did not need to come. If He meant that He would leave them and later come back to them, how could He say to them, “Follow Me”? How could they follow Him? the answer to all these questions is related to His invisible presence. In His visible presence He would leave and come back later. But in His invisible presence He would be with them all the time. On one hand, He would be with them, and on the other hand, He would be away from them. So on one hand, they could follow Him, and on the other hand, they would have to wait for His coming back. After His resurrection the Lord remained with the disciples for forty days (Acts.1:3-4) in order to train them to realize , practice, and live by His invisible presence. In v.23 the Lord indicated that some of His believers would follow Him unto death, and that some would remain., i.e., live until He comes.

Verse 23 The span of what is covered in the last two chapters of this Gospel is broad. It begins with the discovery of the Lord’s resurrection and ends with His coming back. Between these two events are all the matters related to the Christian life during the church age; seeking the Lord with love toward Him; seeing the Lord in resurrection; receiving the revelation of the issue of the Lord’s resurrection –that His Father is our Father and we are His brothers—by experiencing His manifestation; meeting with the believers to enjoy the Lord’s presence; having the Lord breathe the Holy Spirit into us, and being sent by the Lord with His commission and authority to represent Him; learning how to live by faith in the Lord and trust in Him for our daily living; loving the Lord, the natural strength having been dealt with; shepherding the flock for the building of the church; practicing the Lord’s invisible presence, with some following the Lord even unto death to glorify God, not by self-will but according to His leading, and some living until He comes back. 

Verse 25 This verse, together with 20:30-31, affirms that this Gospel is the record of selected things that serve the purpose of testifying to the matter of life and building. In Matt.28 it is pointed out that the Lord’s ascension is not mentioned in John or Matthew. The reason it is not mentioned is that today, after His resurrection, the Lord is still on the earth tobe with His believers, and He will be with them until the end of this age, when He will be manifested in His visible glory (1Pet.1:7;2Thes.1:7), that is, when He will come back to the earth in His visible presence (Matt.16:27) to establish His visible kingdom. The Gospel of Matthew unveils and testifies that today, after His resurrection, the Lord, who is the spiritual King of the invisible kingdom of the heavens, is still on the earth in His Spirit of resurrection to be with the people of the kingdom  of the heavens in His invisible presence; hence, Matthew does not mention His leaving the earth to ascend to the heavens. The Gospel of John reveals and testifies that as the Triune God, the Lord became flesh (1:14) to be the Lamb of God (1:29) and, after accomplishing His redemptive death for man, was transfigured in resurrection to become flesh (1:14) to be the Lamb of God (1:29) and , after accomplishing His redemptive death for man, was transfigured in resurrection to become the life-giving Spirit (1Cor.15:45) and to enter into those who believe into Him to be their life for eternity, never to be separated from them; hence, it would have been inappropriate for John to mention His going away in ascension.

Furthermore, the four Gospels are a full revelation of how the Triune God came to complete Christ, that is, to make Christ complete. The record in the Gospel of John is crucial regarding this matter. It shows us that the completing of Christ, who was anointed and commissioned by God to accomplish God’s eternal will, was carried out by the Triune God becoming flesh in order to be united with man. First, through His death in the flesh He accomplished redemption for man, and then through resurrection He was transfigured to become the Spirit that He might enter into the believers (20:22) to be united with them, that they might be united with the Triune God (17:21). Thus, He became Christ, the embodiment of God, and is able to take away men’s sins and enter into men to be their life that they may become the sons of God to be His members, constituting His Body as the full expression of the Triune God. Thus, He is in them to be all their reality and to be with them invisibly until their bodies are redeemed and transfigured that they may enter into His visible presence to be completely united with Him and completely like Him, and to become the New Jerusalem, which is about to be completed, as the mutual habitation of the Triune God and His redeemed people for eternity.

 

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.