Third Sunday of Easter
Text: John 21:1-19
Pastor Jean M. Hansen
This is the Third Sunday of Easter; just two weeks ago we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection, and already in the Gospel of John the context has changed. Life goes on, but in this case is it the calm before the storm, so to speak?
Time has passed since our Risen Lord appeared to Thomas in Jerusalem so that he would join the others in proclaiming, “We have seen the Lord!” Some of the disciples, at least, have returned to Galilee, 80 miles away from the extremes of suffering and joy they experienced in the Holy City. It’s a pause of sorts between what was and what will be, but they do not grasp that reality. In fact, there’s a sense of circular motion, of ending where they began; haven’t they been in this situation before?
There they were, out on a boat fishing, but as was true one of the last times they did so, they were returning to shore with an empty net. And there Jesus was, on the beach; at first the disciples did not know it was him. He did not so much ask as state, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” Please note that he does not call them friends or followers, but children, which conveys their vulnerability and Jesus’ compassion. Why compassion?
Well, the fact of the matter is that they have fallen short as faithful disciples. They slept when he asked them to pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane; they resorted to violence when Jesus was arrested, for which they were chastised; Peter denied him three times outside of the High Priest’s house. Were they even present as Jesus was crucified, or had they deserted him? And they hid behind locked doors even after the women among them reported that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Even their presence in Galilee, after they saw the resurrected Jesus in Jerusalem, raises a question about why they traveled that long distance from the Holy City; were they running away? They had fallen short.
Yet, their Lord showed up and told them to cast the net to the right side of the boat, even after a long night of catching nothing. Does that sound familiar? It should. In the fifth chapter of Luke, as the ministry of Jesus was beginning and Jesus had finished using Peter’s boat as a platform from which to preach, he told him to go back out into the deep and let down the nets. Peter pushed back some, they had been fishing all night, after all, but then agreed to do so.
You recall what happened, I’m sure; they caught so many fish that the nets began to break, a second boat was needed to bring in the haul, and then the boats began to sink. Peter was overwhelmed, and initially told Jesus he was sinful and did not deserve to be in his presence. But Jesus told him, James and John not to be afraid, because from now on they would be catching people. The story ends, “When they brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.”
And so it is that in today’s account the story came full circle to where it began, quoting Pastor David Min, “Here is Jesus meeting with them in the same way he met with them on day one, doing the same thing that introduced them to him at the beginning. And it’s as if he is saying, “Do you remember how it was before all this mess happened? It can be like that again. Let’s start afresh. Let’s go back to the beginning. I forgive you and am still calling you. Such a beautiful act of love and mercy. Jesus is restoring them.” (1)
Each detail that follows in this text is significant. The huge catch of fish triggered Peter’s recognition of Jesus, just as was the case three years earlier, but this time he rushed to Jesus rather than pushing him away.
He and Jesus sat near a charcoal fire just as Peter had done in the courtyard of the High Priest while Jesus was being interrogated, but there were no words of denial on his lips. When the others arrived with the amazing catch, even though there was already fish cooking on the fire, Jesus told them to bring more from the net, pointing to the abundance that God provides when all seemed lacking. As they ate together on the beach, it was reminiscent of their last meal together, when Jesus shared bread and wine with them before all the denials and betrayals began. He was still welcoming them to his table.
The exchange with Peter is particularly significant, especially since it happened three times, the same number of Peter’s denials. I will tell you, that a lot is written about the significance of the two different Greek words for love – agape and philos- that were used to describe how Jesus asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love me,” and Peter responded, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” The reality is, though, and I quote, “that they (philos and agape) were sufficiently close to being synonymous at the time that we shouldn’t make too much out of the alternation in this conversation.” (2)
The point is this: Jesus accepted Peter in spite of his foibles and failures, still loved him, forgave him, restored him and called him to be the Shepherd to love Jesus’ sheep. “This kind of love”, writes commentator Frank Crouch, “whether it is called philos or agape, involves an inherent expectation of doing. Love is as love does. This is love as courage, love as risk, love as not wavering, love regardless of what we are called to do. Christ calls Peter and us, as individuals and as communities of faith, to follow him even where we would not otherwise go, even where we might not want to go.” (3)
In all this the disciples were being prepared for “Discipleship 2”, which will begin as soon as they receive the Holy Spirit. It’s the calm before the storm; for these disciples, life will go on in amazing new ways.
In our lives there are cycles of activity, trauma, achievement, loss and it happens so fast that we may not notice the transitions from one to the other, or how Jesus comes to us as he came to the disciples to provide redemption and re-direction.
Can you imagine sitting at a campfire with our Lord, and he says something like, “Well, that’s been a hectic few years, let’s pause here a minute. Let me feed you. Shall we reflect on what happened, where you fell short and how you were blessed? Let me remind you of who I am before you move on. There will be more challenges and joy ahead, but, for now, remember my love for you. Let that empower you, then, to keep loving in this broken world.” Perhaps we need to create our own version of “going to Galilee” in order to make room for that to happen. Like the disciples, we are called again and again, and Jesus’ last words to Peter are for us as well. “Follow me.” AMEN
“John 21:1-19 – Jesus Is Restoring Us” by David Min, May 25, 2021, www.standrewsenfield.com
“Commentary on John 21:1-19” by Scott Hoezee, April 10, 2016, www.cepreaching.org
“Commentary on John 21:1-19” by Frank L. Couch, www.workingpreacher.org