Sharon Doran

We conclude our amazing journey through the Gospel of John with chapter 21.   Sharon begins her lecture with the question Jesus asks of Peter and of each of us:  Do you love me?  This particular chapter is packed with an abundance of symbolism and profound theological truths.

We can date the writing of John’s Gospel to a clue found in this chapter.  The Sea of Galilee was known by a variety of other names, including the Sea of Chinnereth (meaning harp-shaped) and the Sea of Gennesaret.  However, John calls it the Sea of Tiberius, indicating that John wrote his Gospel sometime after 20 A.D. when Herod Antipas built the city of Tiberius in honor of the reigning Roman emperor and also renames the lake in honor of Caesar Tiberius.

Having seen the risen Christ on two occasions, Peter and the other disciples decided to go fishing and encounter Jesus for the third time in John’s Gospel.  John 21, the reinstatement of Peter, is best understood in relation to Luke 5, the call of Peter.  In Luke 5, Peter has been fishing all night, catching nothing.  Jesus invites Peter to put his nets out into the deep waters and he catches a great number of fish, causing his nets to tear.  Peter is immediately aware of the power of Jesus as well as his own sinful nature and he leaves everything to follow Christ.  In John 21, once again Peter has been fishing all night, catching nothing.  Jesus appears on the shore, inviting him to cast out the right side of the boat.  Once again, Peter catches a super-abundance of fish and jumps out of the boat to greet the Lord.  This time, the nets do not tear, symbolizing the enduring nature of the Church, which will prevail against all threats.  Jesus and the disciples share of a meal of five fish, symbolic of the Torah, and two fish, symbolic of the Jews and Gentiles, indicating that Jesus fulfills the covenant with Israel and establishes a new universal covenant for all.

Sharon then goes on to explore the meaning behind 153, the number of fish that are caught in this chapter.  The church fathers have proposed a variety of explanations, including Augustine’s realization that 153 is the sum of the integers from 1 to 17.  However, Sharon shows us an even more intriguing explanation.  Pythagoras, who lived centuries before Jesus, described himself as the first philosopher, or literally “lover of wisdom.”  Pythagoras was a great mathematician and discovered a number of still famous theorems.  He discovered that only four numbers exist, whose sum of the cube of the digits equals that same number.  The first of these numbers is 153:  (1³+ 5³+ 3³= 153).  The symmetry of this number is a reminder of the beautiful symmetry of the desert tabernacle in Exodus, the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple in 1 Kings, and the heavenly tabernacle in Revelation.

Sharon concludes her lecture by drawing from Pope Benedict’s insights into the three-fold acquittal of Peter in Chapter 21, absolving him of his three-fold denial.  Peter acknowledges the weakness of his human love for Jesus, realizing he does not yet have the perfect agape type of love that he so desires.    However, Jesus welcomes whatever love Peter has to offer, and reinstates him as vicar, charging him and his successors to shepherd the flock of the Church.

We conclude our amazing journey through the Gospel of John with chapter 21.   Sharon begins her lecture with the question Jesus asks of Peter and of each of us:  Do you love me?  This particular chapter is packed with an abundance of symbolism and profound theological truths.

We can date the writing of John’s Gospel to a clue found in this chapter.  The Sea of Galilee was known by a variety of other names, including the Sea of Chinnereth (meaning harp-shaped) and the Sea of Gennesaret.  However, John calls it the Sea of Tiberius, indicating that John wrote his Gospel sometime after 20 A.D. when Herod Antipas built the city of Tiberius in honor of the reigning Roman emperor and also renames the lake in honor of Caesar Tiberius.

Having seen the risen Christ on two occasions, Peter and the other disciples decide to go fishing and encounter Jesus for the third time in John’s Gospel.  John 21, the re-instatement of Peter, is best understood in relation to Luke 5, the call of Peter.  In Luke 5, Peter has been fishing all night, catching nothing.  Jesus invites Peter to put his nets out into the deep waters and he catches a great number of fish, causing his nets to tear.  Peter is immediately aware of the power of Jesus as well as his own sinful nature and he leaves everything to follow Christ.  In John 21, once again Peter has been fishing all night, catching nothing.  Jesus appears on the shore, inviting him to cast out the right side of the boat.  Once again, Peter catches a super-abundance of fish and jumps out of the boat to greet the Lord.  This time, the nets do not tear, symbolizing the enduring nature of the Church, which will prevail against all threats.  Jesus and the disciples share of meal of five fish, symbolic of Torah, and two fish, symbolic of the Jews and Gentiles, indicating that Jesus fulfills the covenant with Israel and establishes a new universal covenant for all.

Sharon then goes on to explore the meaning behind 153, the number of fish that are caught in this chapter.  The church fathers have proposed a variety of explanations, including Augustine’s realization that 153 is the sum of the integers from 1 to 17.  However, Sharon shows us an even more intriguing explanation.  Pythagarus, who lived centuries before Jesus, described himself as the first philosopher, or literally “lover of wisdom.”  Pythagarus was a great mathematician and discovered a number of still famous theorems.  He discovered that only four numbers exist, whose sum of the cube of the digits equal that same number.  The first of these numbers is 153:  (1³+ 5³+ 3³= 153).  The symmetry of this number is a reminder of the beautiful symmetry of the desert tabernacle in Exodus, the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple in 1 Kings, and the heavenly tabernacle in Revelation.

Sharon concludes her lecture by drawing from Pope Benedict’s insights into the three-fold acquittal of Peter in Chapter 21, absolving him of his three-fold denial.  Peter acknowledges the weakness of his human love for Jesus, realizing he does not yet have the perfect agape type of love that he so desires.    However, Jesus welcomes whatever love Peter has to offer, and reinstates him as vicar, charging him and his successors to shepherd the flock of the Church.

This week we study John 20, the resurrection of Jesus.  This is THE event of the life of Christ, the pivotal moment when death was conquered.  Sharon begins her lecture with a look at Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, two of the individuals who played important roles after the crucifixion.  Nicodemus brings 100 pounds of myrrh and aloe to anoint the body of Jesus in a manner truly fit for a king.  Jesus’ body is placed in the newly hewn tomb gifted by Joseph of Arimathea, which recalls that just as the infant Jesus was carried in the virginal womb of Mary, he was laid to rest in the untouched tomb near Golgotha.

As Jesus passed through the walls of Mary leaving her ever-virgin, he can walk through locked doors as well. Sharon goes on to tell us more details about myrrh and the burial customs of first-century Israel.  The Catholic Chrism oil of today, prefigured in Exodus 30, contains myrrh as one of its ingredients.  Myrrh was used not only to anoint Jesus’ body, but it was also a gift of the Magi, showing how this oil was used at Jesus’ birth and when he was born again at the resurrection.

Sharon then focused on additional details of this passage, including how John notes that the linen facecloth was rolled up separately from the burial linens.  Had the body of Jesus been stolen, these valuable linens would also have been taken by grave robbers.  We then learn more about Mary Magdalene, a woman of means who traveled with Jesus, providing assistance to him and the apostles.  Mary Magdalene becomes the apostle to the apostles, being the first to proclaim to them the event of the resurrection.  At first, mistaking Jesus for a gardener, Mary recognizes him as he calls her name. By eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the old Adam was banished from the garden by disobedience.   Jesus is the new Adam who, through obedience to the Father, provides entry into the new garden where we now eat from the new tree of life, the Eucharist.

Later, Jesus appears to the ten apostles (Thomas and Judas are missing), where they experience a private Pentecost.  As the Father breathed the spirit of life into Adam, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into the apostles, giving them the authority to forgive sins, something only God can do.  Because they are acting in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, the apostles and their successors become the permanent solution to the permanent problem of sin, replacing the Jewish high priest who once a year offered sacrifice for the atonement of sin, a temporary solution to the permanent problem of sin.

Finally, Sharon concludes this lecture by comparing Jesus’ reaction to Mary Magdalene and Thomas. Jesus does not want Mary to touch and cling to him, yet he invites Thomas to intimately touch his wounds.  Why?  Thomas, as well as the other apostles, are the new priesthood and Jesus invites Thomas to enter fully into the mystery of his humanity and divinity.  Priests are called to immerse themselves into the suffering of Christ in a special way, whereby they become conduits of grace and bring us the sacraments.   This mystery helps us understand the words of St Paul:  “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations (Col 1: 24-26).”  By entering into the sufferings of Christ, the priesthood replaces what is lacking (the physical presence of Christ) and makes the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations.

This week we study John 20, the resurrection of Jesus.  This is THE event of the life of Christ, the pivotal moment when death was conquered.  Sharon begins her lecture with a look at Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, two of the individuals who played important roles after the crucifixion.  Nicodemus brings 100 pounds of myrrh and aloe to anoint the body of Jesus in a manner truly fit for a king.  Jesus’ body is placed in the newly hewn tomb gifted by Joseph of Arimathea, which recalls that just as the infant Jesus was carried in the virginal womb of Mary, he was laid to rest in the untouched tomb near Golgotha.

As Jesus passed through the walls of Mary leaving her ever-virgin, he can walk through locked doors as well. Sharon goes on to tell us more details about myrrh and the burial customs of first-century Israel.  The Catholic Chrism oil of today, prefigured in Exodus 30, contains myrrh as one of its ingredients.  Myrrh was used not only to anoint Jesus’ body, but it was also a gift of the Magi, showing how this oil was used at Jesus’ birth and when he was born again at the resurrection.

Sharon then focused on additional details of this passage, including how John notes that the linen facecloth was rolled up separately from the burial linens.  Had the body of Jesus been stolen, these valuable linens would also have been taken by grave robbers.  We then learn more about Mary Magdalene, a woman of means who traveled with Jesus, providing assistance to him and the apostles.  Mary Magdalene becomes the apostle to the apostles, being the first to proclaim to them the event of the resurrection.  At first, mistaking Jesus for a gardener, Mary recognizes him as he calls her name. By eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the old Adam was banished from the garden by disobedience.   Jesus is the new Adam who, through obedience to the Father, provides entry into the new garden where we now eat from the new tree of life, the Eucharist.

Later, Jesus appears to the ten apostles (Thomas and Judas are missing), where they experience a private Pentecost.  As the Father breathed the spirit of life into Adam, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into the apostles, giving them the authority to forgive sins, something only God can do.  Because they are acting in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, the apostles and their successors become the permanent solution to the permanent problem of sin, replacing the Jewish high priest who once a year offered sacrifice for the atonement of sin, a temporary solution to the permanent problem of sin.

Finally, Sharon concludes this lecture by comparing Jesus’ reaction to Mary Magdalene and Thomas. Jesus does not want Mary to touch and cling to him, yet he invites Thomas to intimately touch his wounds.  Why?  Thomas, as well as the other apostles, are the new priesthood and Jesus invites Thomas to enter fully into the mystery of his humanity and divinity.  Priests are called to immerse themselves into the suffering of Christ in a special way, whereby they become conduits of grace and bring us the sacraments.   This mystery helps us understand the words of St Paul:  “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations (Col 1: 24-26).”  By entering into the sufferings of Christ, the priesthood replaces what is lacking (the physical presence of Christ) and makes the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations.

The arrest and trial of Jesus marks the beginning of his “hour” of glorification.  He was aware of the impending suffering, yet gave full consent to the Father’s plan.  Sharon sets the stage for this dramatic event with a detailed description of the Kidron valley, the deep chasm dividing the Temple from the Mount of Olives.

Solomon’s portico was the highest point on the Temple mount and overlooked the Kidron valley, which contains to this day the pillar of Absalom.  Sharon recalls the story of Absalom, son of King David, who was banished by David after killing his half-brother, Amnon, for raping his sister, Tamar.  Absalom died a violent death in the Kidron valley:  as he was riding a mule, his hair became entangled in a tree, allowing David’s soldiers to spear him to death.

Facing the Kidron valley, the eastern gate of the Temple was particularly significant.  Jewish tradition held that the divine presence of God would appear at the eastern gate, and it was through this gate that Jesus entered Jerusalem as the passion unfolded.  Returning to Chapter 18, Sharon focuses on the details of Jesus’ arrest.  Judas arrived with a cohort of soldiers; these 500 or more men fell to the ground in response to Jesus’ declaration: “I am he”, the one they were looking to arrest.  Betrayal never comes from an enemy; only from someone close.  Yet on the very night of his betrayal, Jesus offered his own life in forgiveness for sin.   Jesus was taken first to Annas, who was the rightful high priest, but had been replaced by Rome with his son-in-law Caiphas.

Next, Peter’s three-time denial fulfills Christ’s prediction.  Finally, the chapter ends with Jesus before Pilate, who attempted to free Jesus through the Passover tradition of releasing one prisoner.  However, the Jews picked Barabbas, which is translated “son of the father”, choosing an insurrectionist over Jesus, the true “Son of the Father.”