So they cast (the fishing net,) and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
Scholars agree that the 21st chapter of Saint John's Gospel is an epilogue. It was written by a different author whose vocabulary and syntax are somewhat different, and then attached to the main body of the Gospel. However the Church regards it as God's Word and is no less inspired.
But, we may ask, why was it necessary? Or, was it necessary?
I've studied the Gospel this spring with a Bible group here at Mount Saint Francis, taking a thematic approach. In one of our discussions we tracked "the beloved disciple" from his first appearance in the first chapter. We suppose he is the disciple, whose name is not Andrew, who heard John the Baptist declare, "Behold the Lamb of God." He is also the unnamed disciple who had connections with Herod's court and followed the crowd when Jesus was arrested.
He is finally given more identity at the Last Supper. When Jesus said there was a traitor in the room, Peter silently gestured "the disciple whom Jesus loved" to ask the Lord, "Who is it?" The same title is given to the one who stood with the Lord's mother on Calvary, and then ran with Peter to inspect the empty tomb. Tradition has given him the name John because that disciple appears in the synoptic gospels. He is the third member of the innermost circle around Jesus, along with Peter and James. But this disciples is never named in the Fourth Gospel, and we can wonder about that.
As I read the 21st chapter this spring it suddenly occurred to me that the epilogue is really about the Beloved Disciple. Although Peter is the one who is grilled by the Lord for his failure of nerve, the unnamed disciple "whom Jesus loved" is the one who recognizes the Lord standing on the shore. And he is the one who will outlive Peter. That suggestion is found in the penultimate verse,
"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?"
But we might still wonder, "Why was he not named?"
I believe he is you, the one who believes in Jesus. He is every disciple who survives long after the eyewitnesses of the Lord's resurrection have passed into eternity. He is that Church which,
"...testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true."
Twenty centuries later, we still testify to the truth. We have not seen the Risen Lord but we have laid our heads on his breast, and received his mother into our homes. We have seen the place where he was laid and believed. The Caesars are long dead; they've been replaced by multinational corporations, pseudo-democracies, and populist tyrants. But we are still here, God's peculiar people, holy and beloved.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.