Ezra 7 opens with Ezra being given permission by king Artaxerxes to travel back to Jerusalem with supplies to continue doing the work started by the initial return. Ezra assembles his entourage and discovers that no Levis are present. So the travel is delayed while they find some which they do. Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah all have a similar outlook on the need for faithful Levites in addition to faithful priests. Ezra calls for a fast while they pray for God's protection on their journey. They have a lot of precious metal. They arrive and place the supplies in the temple.
John's last chapter has the disciples out fishing. Jesus arrives after they have been out all night. Has them cast their net on the other side and they have a big catch that normally would tear their net but the net isn't torn. They realize it's Jesus. Peter is stripped for work and jumps in the water. They come to the shore where Jesus has a fire going. He asks for some fish for breakfast. Then he quizzes Peter three times - do you love me? Some make a point that Jesus uses agape in the first two questions and Peter responds with phileo. Then Jesus uses phileo and Peter responds the same. Some today think that in the first century the Greeks wouldn't have seen much of a difference between the two words. Still why does John record a conversation that uses two different words? The chapter closes with John's testimony that his words are true. I was reading recently about the Gospels and this author pointed out that John's Gospel has a strong eyewitness component to it, unlike the other three. Although Matthew certainly is an eyewitness he doesn't stress such in his Gospel. I wonder if John's Gospel comes last because of this final statement that there is an eyewitness behind all the Gospels? This is how the Gospels close out,
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