Jesus Recommissions His Disciples Part 5: Be Faithful to the End

Today’s message is titled “Jesus Recommissions His Disciples – Part 5 – ‘Be Faithful to the End’” and is based on John 21:20-25.

The first message in this series regarded what Jesus directed all disciples to do (“go fish”); the second, third, and fourth were about what Jesus specifically directed at Peter (“feed my sheep”; “follow me”), but apply to all disciples. In today’s message (“be faithful to the end”), the focus shifts to John; not directly, but what Jesus says about John, who lived a long life of faithfulness to Christ.

John shares these details to establish his credibility and the credibility of his gospel account. Just as Paul must do, John likely had to face issues over his authenticity as an Apostle. This was likely due to his long life, that is, casting doubt on his faithfulness due to him, alone of the Disciples, not being a martyr. Jesus called John to a different path, no less important than Peter, or the others. This should be a great encouragement to us, as we are all called to walk a distinct path, and ultimately, there’s none is better than the other. We all want to hear, On That Day, Jesus declaring us to be faithful.