Regardless of one's definition of the resurrection, the gospels assure that he was resurrected. The Gospel of Luke goes so far to debunk the rumor that his body was stole, which obviously some believed had happened during the time Luke was written. Two gospels, Luke and Matthew make it clear that Jesus's resurrection was a physical event; that he was physically brought back to life by God with the ability to physically appear and disappear at will. In Matthew the women who see him grab his feet. In Luke, Jesus demonstrates his physicality by eating fish in front his disciples.
The Gospel of Mark (the shorter early and longer later version of the resurrection story) does not mention a physical encounter with the resurrected Jesus. The later version talks about Jesus appearing in a different form.
The Gospel of John gives the longest account of the resurrection event. As is true of the entire Gospel of John, the resurrection story in John is concerned more with its theological meanings than with giving a historical account.
Like Mark, John does not mention any physical encounters with a physically resurrected Jesus. Some of you may be thinking, "What about Thomas?" A good question and I will get to that story.
Important to understanding John's approach in talking about Jesus's resurrection is recognizing the difference John makes (strongly hints at) between physical presence and real or true presence. Remember John is a coded gospel; events, people, time, numbers and place convey messages that the initiated believer can access. Sometimes these are very clear and sometimes they are not.
THE THIRD AND THE FIRST DAY
All the accounts of Jesus's resurrection take place on the third day following his crucifixion, early Sunday morning. There is numerological significance to the third day. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, the third day was referenced when Jesus told his audience in Jerusalem that if they destroyed the Temple, he could raise it up in three days, which was interpreted as Jesus talking about the temple of his body.
Numerologically, the number three is also the number of completion and divine union. John's resurrection account does not specifically mention the third day, but rather the first day - the dawning of a new creation and the fullness of God. God is one. There are also three witness that John utilizes to make a point. The first is Mary Magdalene, who sees that Jesus's rock-hewn tomb was open. Instead of checking it out, she finds Peter and John who run to the tomb and verify that it was empty and tidied up.
According to John, the disciple John, being the younger of the two arrives at the tomb and peeks in and sees it empty, then Peter arrive and goes in and John follows. This gospel claims that when the younger John, the founder of the Johannine community, sees the empty tomb, he immediately believes.
In both Matthew and Mark there is no mention of any of the disciples going to the tomb. In Luke only Peter finds it empty. John's account gives one a sense of one-upmanship with the founder of their community arriving before Peter. This may seem trite some two thousand years later, but it's intent was to give the Johannine community a sense of being directly connected to the resurrection story.
MARY MAGDALENE
It is Mary Magdalene and her encounter with the resurrected Jesus that John focuses on in chapter 20. Mary Magdalene is a character who is present in all four gospel accounts of the resurrection. Apart from the the empty tomb itself , she is the one constant in these diverse accounts, the one witness consistent in them all.
What we know of her, apart from these accounts, comes from the Gospel of Luke where it us written that Jesus cast out seven demons from her. From this gospel, we know she was part of group of women that followed Jesus, ministering to his needs.
There has been much speculation about Mary Magdalene, including those who speculate that she may have been Jesus's wife. To dwell on any speculation about personal relationships would lead to a gross misunderstanding of the purpose and meaning the presence of females convey in the gospels. This is particularly true of John, even though John paints a particularly intimate picture of the two when Jesus reveals his true presence to her. John uses that moment, however, to say something about the resurrected Jesus.
After Peter and John leave the scene of the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene decides to look into the tomb, herself, and what she sees (that those two disciple didn't see) are two angels; one sitting at head where Jesus had lain and one at foot. Mary is so distraught at finding his body missing that she seemingly fails to recognize them for who they are, presumably because she was weeping. They ask her why she is weeping and she responds that someone had taken Jesus's body away and she doesn't know where they buried it. She turns away and sees a man who again asks her why she is weeping, and again she responds that someone has taken Jesus's body. Assuming the man to be a gardener, she asks if he knew where Jesus was taken to. It is then that Jesus says her name and she immediately recognizes Jesus. She responds by calling him teacher and presumably attempts to physically touch him, but Jesus tells her not to because he has not ascended to his Father. Jesus's warning not to touch him because he a has not ascended to the Father is not given an explanation in John, but I believe there is one.
What is important to remember is that John is a theological work and an attempt to depict a connection between the events described in this gospel. In this case, we need to see the connection between Jesus's crucifixion and his resurrection. We must also keep in mind that the writers of John were also rewriting the ancient Hebrew narrative and casting it in a Christian light. For example, if the crucifixion represents the new Passover, what is the theological significance of the resurrection? Specifically, what does John's account make if it?
THE NEW ARK OF THE NEW COVENANT
John gives us a clue to what he makes of the resurrection story with the presence of the two angels, one sitting at the head and one sitting at the foot where Jesus had been laid. Numerologically, one can deduce some significance, but it is the placement of two angels that caught my attention and brought to mind the Ark of the Covenant, which had two angels at each end of its lid, facing each other. The lid was called the "Mercy Seat," and the space between the two angels is where God's presence resided, from where the voice of God was heard. I think this is fairly obvious to anyone who studies Christian scriptures and I am sure others have written about it as well.
The two angels sitting where Jesus had lain, speak with one voice when asking Mary why she is weeping. The same question is then asked by Jesus when Mary thinks him to be a gardener. This is a moment of transition from the voice heard in the representative Mercy Seat to the revealed presence of Jesus who asks the same question.
What this account is saying is that Jesus is the Ark of the Covenant, that he is the place where God's voice, God's presence resides. Jesus is the true presence of God, and, as was true for the original Ark of the Covenant becomes also true for the New Ark of the New Covenant - It cannot be touched. The result of the resurrection is that while Jesus is presented as a real, true presence there is an intangibility to his presence.
After his resurrection, Jesus is pure holiness, pure otherness to the extent that he can only be recognized when he speaks. This notion of recognition(seeing as comprehension) through hearing his voice is true of all the gospel accounts, is true of the apostle Paul's vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus, and is especially true in John. Jesus is, after all, the Word.
THE FEMININE PRINCIPLE IN JOHN
Women play a prominent role throughout John. This does not occur by happenstance, but is done with intentionality. The writers of John employ the feminine principal throughout this gospel. The Feminine Principle is found in many ancient religions and is found in many mythological stories. The Feminine Principle basically refers to an intuitive understanding or knowledge of things, a sense of receptivity and openness to truths, wisdom, compassion, and a strong determination to see things through.
This principle was prominently utilized the in the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. It was on display when Jesus's mother advised the servers at the wedding at Cana to listen to Jesus and do what said. It is tacitly invoked in the story of raising Lazarus from the dead which plays off of Luke's account of Jesus dining at the home of Mary and Martha. It is also invoked at Jesus's crucifixion when Jesus addresses the only group of followers who have the nerve and determination to be present during his sacrifice, and we see it here in the story of Jesus's resurrection. In all, there are five stories, the numerological symbol of mercy and grace, and in each of these stories, the mercy and grace of Jesus is portrayed.
THE MARIAN PRINCIPLE
John deepens the use of this principle by what one might define as the Marian Principle. Mary apparently was a rather common name, as in Mary, Jesus's mother and his aunt (her sister) Mary, the wife of Clopas, sharing the same name. It makes one wonder, doesn't it?
"What's in a name?" to quote Shakespeare. To have three specific stories related to three separate individuals named Mary points at something, as does having three Marys present at Jesus's crucifixion, but what?
In my opinion, John gives the Feminine Principal a name that people can relate to, Mary. When it comes to the Marys, John follows Luke's storyline regarding them. In other words, to understand John's use of it, one has to reference Luke's information about these three Marys.
All three are particularly devoted to hearing God's word. In the case of Jesus's mother, it is the angel Gabriel who delivers the new that she will conceive and bear God's son. In the case of Mary, the sister of Lazarus, she sits at his feet devouring every word that Jesus says, and in the case of Mary Magdelene, she understand the very power of his word that freed her from demonic possession. Their love for Jesus is unflagging, and Jesus, in turn is devoted to and deeply loves all three.
What about Martha?
While Martha is female by gender, she doesn't represent the Feminine Principal. In fact, she is female example of the Masculine Principal, which tends to be more pragmatic, judgmental, and concrete in making observations. As such, Martha has more in common with Peter than with her sister Mary in these stories. In John's account of Lazarus's being raised from the dead, it is when Jesus sees Mary weep that Jesus becomes troubled, recognizes other people weeping, and weeps also.
In fact, John portrays it's namesake, Jesus's disciple, John, as an example of the feminine principle and refers to him as Jesus' beloved disciple who leans on Jesus's breast and who often is depicted as possessing feminine features in paintings, such Da Vinci's "Last Supper." It is the disciple John who is quick to believe in Jesus's resurrection.
The three Marys at Jesus crucifixion show extreme devotion to Jesus, ministering to his needs by being present in his hour of utter need. As such the Marian Principle is about the unflagging devotion and love of Jesus as the Word, God's real presence in the world. The mention of these individuals is purposeful; in that, to an initiate, they offer the prime characteristics of what a true believer should possess. They represent the deepest form of love and devotion to Jesus, and if you were a member of the Johannine community, in order to follow the founder of this community, you must embrace the Marian Principal. This explains this gospel's emphasis on loving one another as a passive approach to evangelization and its special devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, the bearer of God, the Theotokos.
It is Mary Magdelene who is given the unique position, however, to be present at God's most poignant display of power over death, the resurrection of Jesus. There may be other sources that John is referencing when it comes to Mary Magdalene, but what can be deduced from her position in this story is that she was deeply loyal and devoted to Jesus in a way that other disciples were not. She is, as it were, the constant witness to God's power over death, which, in some traditions makes her, the most important of Jesus's disciples.
* * * * * * * * * *
In my opinion, John 20 was originally intended to be the last chapter in the Gospel of John. It would appear that the author of this chapter had intended to end this Gospel with end of the first day, which (from a literary point of view) would have been nice touch, but we know this not the case. As usual, John is subject to editorializing, with additions and insertions made to address a particular question or situation that someone thought was lacking.
An example of this occurs in John 20, itself. The story of Thomas appears to be a late insert into this chapter. When Jesus appears to his disciples the evening of the first day, he breaths on them his spirit. If one were to stop right there, one would conclude that all eleven remaining disciples of Jesus were present at this event, because this was their "Pentecost Moment" in John, their receiving the Holy Spirit.
The reason for believing the story of Thomas is a later insert is that we learn in verse 24 that Thomas was not present during that first meeting. In fact, the story Thomas says that Thomas didn't show up until a week later. This is problematic.
There is no mention of Thomas receiving the Holy Spirit. He is excluded from John's Pentecost Moment on the evening of Easter and begs the question if Thomas received the Holy Spirit, and if he did, when did he receive it?
An example of this occurs in John 20, itself. The story of Thomas appears to be a late insert into this chapter. When Jesus appears to his disciples the evening of the first day, he breaths on them his spirit. If one were to stop right there, one would conclude that all eleven remaining disciples of Jesus were present at this event, because this was their "Pentecost Moment" in John, their receiving the Holy Spirit.
The reason for believing the story of Thomas is a later insert is that we learn in verse 24 that Thomas was not present during that first meeting. In fact, the story Thomas says that Thomas didn't show up until a week later. This is problematic.
There is no mention of Thomas receiving the Holy Spirit. He is excluded from John's Pentecost Moment on the evening of Easter and begs the question if Thomas received the Holy Spirit, and if he did, when did he receive it?
JOHN'S PENTECOST MOMENT
Let's back up for a moment and take a look at John's Pentecost Moment. It's apparent that after Peter and John return "home" they meet with the other disciples in secret and behind locked doors, "for fear of the Jews." It is not easy for John to let go of this "fear of the Jews" motif, and I suspect it is because the Johannine community had their own fear of the Judaic community they were being excluded from. So this comment could serve as this author's attempt of providing a sense of real-time solidarity with the experiences Jesus's disciples had or were reported to have. In this case, it also provides a reason to keep the doors locked.
While the disciples are gathered, Jesus appears and stands among them and said "Peace." He then shows them his hands, feet, and side that bear the marks of his sacrifice and the disciples rejoice. Jesus appearing in their midst without bothering to have them open a door, is John's not too subtle way of distinguishing between real and physical presence; in that, Jesus shows his real wounds (as described by John), but the issue of physical presence remains unanswered.
The ancient world's understanding of spirit and physical is not as differentiated as we view it today. The spiritual and the physical possess a related reality. In the ancient world, the spiritual is more real in the sense of possessing a sense of permanence rather than the physical. We tend to have diminished our sense of the spiritual realm today to theological ideologies or representing philosophical truths rather than present time reality.
While the disciples are gathered, Jesus appears and stands among them and said "Peace." He then shows them his hands, feet, and side that bear the marks of his sacrifice and the disciples rejoice. Jesus appearing in their midst without bothering to have them open a door, is John's not too subtle way of distinguishing between real and physical presence; in that, Jesus shows his real wounds (as described by John), but the issue of physical presence remains unanswered.
The ancient world's understanding of spirit and physical is not as differentiated as we view it today. The spiritual and the physical possess a related reality. In the ancient world, the spiritual is more real in the sense of possessing a sense of permanence rather than the physical. We tend to have diminished our sense of the spiritual realm today to theological ideologies or representing philosophical truths rather than present time reality.
Jesus breathing on the gathered disciples and saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit" differs from Luke's account in Acts and begs the question why John saw a need to rewrite the Pentecost story. In fact, the author of this chapter contradicts some of what other parts of the Gospel of John says about the Holy Spirit being sent by the Father as opposed to breathing the Holy Spirit on them himself.
A reason for this rewrite may be a deliberate attempt to disassociate the Johannine community of churches from the church that existed in Jerusalem prior to 70 AD. Although the Johannine community may have existed within Palestine, it might have had an unfavorable relationship with the church at Jerusalem, which remained tacitly attached to the Temple and Judaism. I also suspect that there was a strong or notable pharisaical element in the Jerusalem church that had a different approach to how Jesus was viewed and understood. Setting the record straight within the of the Johannine community is one of the goals of writing this gospel.
With the destruction of the church in Jerusalem, the dividing line between Judaic-leaning Christians and Johannine Christians became increasingly hostile, to the point that this particular author of John deprives them of receiving the Holy Spirit and simply rewrites Luke's Pentecost narrative.
A reason for this rewrite may be a deliberate attempt to disassociate the Johannine community of churches from the church that existed in Jerusalem prior to 70 AD. Although the Johannine community may have existed within Palestine, it might have had an unfavorable relationship with the church at Jerusalem, which remained tacitly attached to the Temple and Judaism. I also suspect that there was a strong or notable pharisaical element in the Jerusalem church that had a different approach to how Jesus was viewed and understood. Setting the record straight within the of the Johannine community is one of the goals of writing this gospel.
With the destruction of the church in Jerusalem, the dividing line between Judaic-leaning Christians and Johannine Christians became increasingly hostile, to the point that this particular author of John deprives them of receiving the Holy Spirit and simply rewrites Luke's Pentecost narrative.
As previously mentioned, if one were to delete the story of Thomas and jump from verse 23 to verse 30 in Chapter 20, the Gospel of John would have a smooth, concise ending. Verses 30 and 31 basically wrap things up by saying there could be a lot more said about what Jesus showed his disciples, but this was enough for one to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that in believing one can posses eternal life. A good finish, in my opinion.
THOMAS
Chapter 20 includes what I consider to be an inserted story about Jesus's disciple Thomas. As is true of the entire Gospel of John, the story of Thomas is just that, a story. It's intent and purpose is to indoctrinate the initiate as to the proper understanding of what it means to believe. It is put in this chapter to contrast with the story of Mary Magdalene who demonstrates the proper understanding.
According to this story, Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to his other disciples on Easter evening. There is no reason given and I suspect it doesn't matter, from a story-telling point of view. What the author of this story wants to point out is that it is wrong to question the real presence of Jesus after the resurrection. In this sense, Thomas displays what I early said was the Masculine Principal - "I'm not going to believe unless I can see for myself."
According to this story, Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to his other disciples on Easter evening. There is no reason given and I suspect it doesn't matter, from a story-telling point of view. What the author of this story wants to point out is that it is wrong to question the real presence of Jesus after the resurrection. In this sense, Thomas displays what I early said was the Masculine Principal - "I'm not going to believe unless I can see for myself."
The reality is, however, that no one believed in any of the gospel accounts of Jesus's resurrection until they hear his voice and then see his real presence. This is also key to understanding the story of Thomas. Unfortunately, this story resulted in Thomas's reputation being tarnished. In many ways if John hadn't stuck with the denial story of Peter, Peter could have been a good example to choose to question Jesus' resurrection, but since Peter is presumably reformed and contrite by the time of the Resurrection, Thomas who also questioned Jesus during the table discourse becomes the obvious choice to question Jesus's resurrection in this story.
In many ways, the structure of this story is a repeat of the John's Pentecost Moment. The disciples are behind locked doors and Jesus suddenly appears in their midst and says, "Peace." In this account, Jesus addresses Thomas directly and specifically tells him to go ahead and stick his hand into the wounds of his hands and side; telling Thomas not to doubt but to believe.
The impulse is to believe that Thomas does as he is told, but John stops short of saying that. Instead, when Jesus says he touch his wounds, Thomas responds, "My Lord and my God." He doesn't touch Jesus's wounds. He hears his voice (as did the others) and can see for himself. The story ends with John using this as a teachable moment. If this were a play, I would have Jesus turning to the audience and telling them that they are blessed because they have not seen and yet believe. This is what John wants to convey to the Johannine community, that believing without seeing makes them more blessed than the disciples who saw.
PUER AETERNUS
John 21 serves as an afterword attached to the Gospel of John, as if there was some last minute tidying up to do. As mentioned above, the stories in John 21 may reflect information that John's editors thought should be included in this Gospel. This chapter begins with seven disciples, including Thomas, Peter, and Nathaniel (one of the first disciples mentioned in John) the brothers James and John and two other unnamed disciples. Of course, the mention of seven disciples demands our attention. It is the number of a completed creation. It may also be a refering to these disciples as the founders or the patron saints of the churches in Asia Minor, which play a prominent role in another piece of Johannine scripture, "The Revelation of John." It is interesting to note that the seven churches of Asia Minor composed the Johannine community at the time Revelation was written. In fact this may be the prime reason for this late insertion, to serve as a connection between these two pieces of scripture.
Chapter 21 begins with Peter stating he is going fishing, and the other six disciples decide to join him. While on the Sea of Galilee during the night, they catch nothing.
Night is the time of unknowing. It is the moment when Nicodemus approaches Jesus to try and figure out who Jesus is.
Fishing, itself, is metaphorical - trying to gather the faithful - a Piscean reference to true believers. They cannot be caught or brought in while it is dark.
So John tells us that Jesus comes at daybreak, the start of a new era. Jesus comes with and as the light of day and tells the disciples to cast their net on the right side; to fish in a different direction, to look for the chosen of God amongst a different people, the gentiles, and when they do the net is filled to overflowing. It is at that moment, Jesus's beloved disciple recognizes who Jesus and tells Peter it is Jesus. Peter, being Peter, once again acts on impulse, takes off his clothes and jumps in the water to meet Jesus with the other disciples taking the boat ashore, dragging their haul behind them.
When the disciples reach the shore, they see Jesus frying fish on a charcoal fire. The count of the fish is 153. Again this number has significance in that consists of the cardinal numbers 1, 3, and 5, which can be interpreted individually or as the sum total of 9. As we have seen, one, five and three are all significant numbers in biblical numerology and have been discussed in this an past posts. Their order is also significant. At this stage, I'll let the reader figure out the significance.
What catches my attention, however, is when Jesus offers the disciples breakfast and took some bread and broke it and then broke the fish also and gave it to them. John makes a point of saying this is the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples. Three represents the presence of God in Christian numerology and also conveys a sense of completion.
What this portion of Chapter 21 calls to mind is the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in John. I mention in my reflection John's depiction of that story the young boy who brings Jesus the five loaves and two fishes, appears as a puer aternus figure. Here we see Jesus depicted as the Puer Aeternus, the divine, eternal boy - the true Son of God offering bread (the symbolic substance of his body) and fish (the symbol of belief and faith) to the seven disciples by which to feed there flocks. The writer of this chapter is tacitly referencing the Feeding of the Five Thousand to represent not the tribes of Israel, as represented by the Twelve Baskets of leftovers, but rather to recast it in order to present the seven disciples as establishing the seven churches in Asia Minor which have an association to the Johannine community.
After the breakfast meal, there is depicted an odd encounter between the resurrected Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Peter affirms that he does, to which Jesus says, "Feed my sheep." Jesus asks again and Peter affirms that he does a second time with Jesus again directing him to feed his sheep. When Jesus asks a third time, Peter shows signs of frustration and weariness. He tells Jesus that Jesus knows everything; that he knows that Peter loves him to which Jesus replies, "feed my sheep." Jesus goes on to tell Peter that when he was young (uninitiated) he went his own way, but as he grows older, he will stretch out his hand and be yoked and taken to where he did not want to go. There appears an editorial comment that says Jesus is telling Peter the method by which he would die. Perhaps that is part of the meaning with regard to stretching out his hand, but the girding and taken where he does not want to go also indicates submission to the will of God.
By this time we know that saying something three times has significance in John and what I suspect John means by this is that Peter is being shaped and made whole, that he is being rounded out and made holy. Peter no longer acts on impulse, but appears to finally be in touch with his feelings. He is wounded by Jesus persistent question about his depth of love and in being wounded he is displays his love, not as something he generates on his own, but which Jesus generates, "You know that I love you." Peter is not fully initiated until he engages the Feminine Principal that allows him to realize what he feels, to be truly compassionate. Jesus not only tells him to feed his sheep but reiterates his original call to Peter, "Follow me."
Chapter 21 begins with Peter stating he is going fishing, and the other six disciples decide to join him. While on the Sea of Galilee during the night, they catch nothing.
Night is the time of unknowing. It is the moment when Nicodemus approaches Jesus to try and figure out who Jesus is.
Fishing, itself, is metaphorical - trying to gather the faithful - a Piscean reference to true believers. They cannot be caught or brought in while it is dark.
So John tells us that Jesus comes at daybreak, the start of a new era. Jesus comes with and as the light of day and tells the disciples to cast their net on the right side; to fish in a different direction, to look for the chosen of God amongst a different people, the gentiles, and when they do the net is filled to overflowing. It is at that moment, Jesus's beloved disciple recognizes who Jesus and tells Peter it is Jesus. Peter, being Peter, once again acts on impulse, takes off his clothes and jumps in the water to meet Jesus with the other disciples taking the boat ashore, dragging their haul behind them.
When the disciples reach the shore, they see Jesus frying fish on a charcoal fire. The count of the fish is 153. Again this number has significance in that consists of the cardinal numbers 1, 3, and 5, which can be interpreted individually or as the sum total of 9. As we have seen, one, five and three are all significant numbers in biblical numerology and have been discussed in this an past posts. Their order is also significant. At this stage, I'll let the reader figure out the significance.
What catches my attention, however, is when Jesus offers the disciples breakfast and took some bread and broke it and then broke the fish also and gave it to them. John makes a point of saying this is the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples. Three represents the presence of God in Christian numerology and also conveys a sense of completion.
What this portion of Chapter 21 calls to mind is the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in John. I mention in my reflection John's depiction of that story the young boy who brings Jesus the five loaves and two fishes, appears as a puer aternus figure. Here we see Jesus depicted as the Puer Aeternus, the divine, eternal boy - the true Son of God offering bread (the symbolic substance of his body) and fish (the symbol of belief and faith) to the seven disciples by which to feed there flocks. The writer of this chapter is tacitly referencing the Feeding of the Five Thousand to represent not the tribes of Israel, as represented by the Twelve Baskets of leftovers, but rather to recast it in order to present the seven disciples as establishing the seven churches in Asia Minor which have an association to the Johannine community.
PETER
After the breakfast meal, there is depicted an odd encounter between the resurrected Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Peter affirms that he does, to which Jesus says, "Feed my sheep." Jesus asks again and Peter affirms that he does a second time with Jesus again directing him to feed his sheep. When Jesus asks a third time, Peter shows signs of frustration and weariness. He tells Jesus that Jesus knows everything; that he knows that Peter loves him to which Jesus replies, "feed my sheep." Jesus goes on to tell Peter that when he was young (uninitiated) he went his own way, but as he grows older, he will stretch out his hand and be yoked and taken to where he did not want to go. There appears an editorial comment that says Jesus is telling Peter the method by which he would die. Perhaps that is part of the meaning with regard to stretching out his hand, but the girding and taken where he does not want to go also indicates submission to the will of God.
By this time we know that saying something three times has significance in John and what I suspect John means by this is that Peter is being shaped and made whole, that he is being rounded out and made holy. Peter no longer acts on impulse, but appears to finally be in touch with his feelings. He is wounded by Jesus persistent question about his depth of love and in being wounded he is displays his love, not as something he generates on his own, but which Jesus generates, "You know that I love you." Peter is not fully initiated until he engages the Feminine Principal that allows him to realize what he feels, to be truly compassionate. Jesus not only tells him to feed his sheep but reiterates his original call to Peter, "Follow me."
JOHN
Throughout the last chapters of this gospel, the authors of John, depict a close relationship between the namesake of this gospel and Peter. Like Jesus, Peter is fond of John, and asks what will happen to John. Jesus basically responds that Peter shouldn't worry about him. If he wants John to live until he returns, it's none of Peters business. This appears to be a note to the Gospel of John's immediate audience, the Johannine community. Apparently, there was a rumor that John would not die, that he would be alive when Jesus returns. It is clear that by the time this gospel is being written John, Jesus's disciple, has passed away; otherwise, there would be no point in bringing this up. What this insertion indicates is the disciple John is not author of this gospel.
Chapter 21 ends the Gospel of John by revamping the ending of John 20 and adding that the world could contain the books that could be written about Jesus.
Until next time, stay faithful.
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