John 21: Proper Distance, the Grace of Space Where We Receive Divine Service
John 21: Proper Distance, the Grace of Space Where We Receive Divine Service
12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. 18 Very 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. 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
1. Proper Distance Secured by Reverent Awe
John 21 reveals the establishment of a new relationship between the failed disciples and the risen Lord. Before the warm invitation, "Come and have breakfast," the disciples dare not ask, "Who are you?" This is not mere fear or awkwardness. It is a mature silence—a mixture of shame from having scattered before the cross, gratitude and regret toward the Lord who sought them out once more, and reverent awe in the presence of overwhelming glory. Before the cross, the disciples—represented by Peter—were confident in their closeness to the Lord. His bold declaration, "I will follow you to death," was the pinnacle of human passion, yet in that presumed intimacy, he failed to truly see the Lord. He was too close; blinded by his own zeal, he could not see Him. Now, upon the ashes of their failure, they finally learn the proper distance with the Lord. This distance is not a space of alienation but of reverence—a new beginning for their relationship.
2. From Eden's Taking to Galilee's Receiving
What is the essence of the space created by this proper distance? It is the reversal of sovereignty. In the garden of creation, humanity ignored the distance with God and took the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, attempting to become gods themselves. They tried to determine their own destiny through their own actions. But on the morning of resurrection, by the Sea of Galilee, the disciples simply receive the breakfast the Lord himself prepared, having kindled a charcoal fire. This is a salvific scene that reverses the tragedy of Eden. This is no longer a space where I seize something to prove my worth. It is a space where I wholly receive the Lord's service and grace—a space where the restored goodness of creation is realized. I do not kindle a fire for the Lord; I receive His service before the fire He has kindled for me. This is a new paradigm of discipleship.
3. Two Kinds of Knowing, Two Kinds of Following
This reversal of sovereignty becomes clear in Peter's calling. Jesus contrasts the young Peter with the old Peter. When young, Peter dressed himself and went where he wanted. His knowing was a knowing filled with self-confidence; his following was based on his own passion. But the result was failure and denial. Now the old Peter will have others stretch out his hands and lead him where he does not want to go. This is an invitation to passivity, a call to completely surrender his own will. The knowing of the old Peter is relational knowledge gained through failure; his following is a following that completely depends not on his own strength but on the Lord's leading. The same command, "Follow me," now rings out in an entirely different dimension. The young Peter, who tried to follow in his own strength, failed. But the old Peter, who acknowledges his powerlessness and surrenders himself into the Lord's hands, is finally able to follow the Lord rightly. This is the new existence of one who lives at proper distance, receiving divine service.