John
21:1-19
1 After these things
Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he
showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas
called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others
of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into
the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just after daybreak, Jesus
stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus
said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered
him, "No." 6 He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of
the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not
able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus
loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it
was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the
sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish,
for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9 When
they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and
bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just
caught." 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of
large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the
net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast."
Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because
they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to
them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus
appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you
love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I
love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A second time
he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him,
"Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend
my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do
you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time,
"Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know
everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my
sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten
your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will
stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take
you where you do not wish to go." 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of
death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow
me."
Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large
fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was
not torn.
§ There is a lot going
on in this passage from John’s Gospel. Some of it is clear and some not so
much. There is even an allusion to the science of the time.
§ John tells of the
appearance of the risen Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius as seven of
the Twelve finished a futile night of fishing. This was not a recreational
fishing trip, but a return to the disciples’ previous profession. Remember that
Peter and the sons of Zebedee were professional fishermen; the others four we
don’t know about. When Jesus tells them to lower their nets in a certain place
and in a certain way, the catch is overwhelming.
§ So the men reverted
to type and did not understand that the Resurrection of Jesus changed
everything including their lives. Even in their old profession, it is the
command of Jesus that yields results and results beyond all expectations.
§ When Jesus calls to
the disciples in the boat, he is recognized. Peter throws on clothes since he
was in his “working garb” and swims to shore. Jesus tells him to gather in the
fish. John notes that the haul is 153 fish. It’s an odd term; why is 153 so
important? Well, in ancient times, the common wisdom said that there were 153
different species of fish in the world. For Peter to catch 153 fish and have
the net untorn despite the number, weight, and size of the haul shows that the
message of Jesus and the community of the church is for everyone in the world. All
sorts of people from everywhere would be included and none would be excluded.
§ Peter is questioned
by Jesus, who uses the same question three times, each time giving Peter a
special commission among the disciples. Despite his impetuous nature and even
his anger that led him to cut of the ear of one of the mob in the Garden as
Jesus was arrested, Peter is the one told to feed my sheep.
Peter is also told of the death he was to endure: when you grow old, you will
stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take
you where you do not wish to go. John tells us that this martyrdom
had already taken place.
§ The point appears to
be the difficulty of the earliest disciples to live life in the Resurrection.
Returning to familiar patterns of behaviour and understanding were shown not to
be good enough; they always fell short as our Gospel story shows.
§ That still holds true
today. It is one of the reasons why the Church continually preaches
Resurrection, repentance, and the primacy of grace in Christian discipleship.
It is as simple as knowing that we forget that Jesus rose from the dead for our
salvation. It is as simple as repenting sins and constantly renewing our lives
in the life of Jesus we all received in our baptisms. It is as simple as
knowing that we constantly try to save ourselves by our own efforts and do not
rely on the free gift of grace. We use our time and effort in an attempt to
earn what is freely given.
§ We also forget that
the church has room for everyone although a certain congregation might not be
the best fit for a particular person. It is the Spirit who leads, often in
strange and wonderful ways.
§ This passage from
John’s Gospel give us a glimpse of the struggle of the earliest disciples to
live in the resurrection. It gives us a model on which to base our
congregational lives… which may even include a breakfast of fish and bread. It
also gives us a direction for our individual and community lives… and it’s just
this simple:
§ After this he said to
him, "Follow me."
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