John 21:4-7, 15-17
Jesus called to them from the shore (they did not know it was Jesus), “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 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. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he grabbed his clothes, and jumped into the sea .....
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.” 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.” He said to him a 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 a third time, “Feed my sheep.
This gospel reading is, perhaps my favorite in all of the gospels. I’ve shortened it here to a couple of smaller pericopes from the whole, but I was sorely tempted to read from the entire chapter. The whole of the 21st chapter of the Gospel according to John is simply a beautiful story. A story full of love and joy. After so much grief and loss, the disciples are once again with Jesus, and there is nowhere else they want to be. It’s a chapter that can easily bring me – at least -- to tears. I urge you to read the whole chapter for yourself. It’s not really that long.
I’ve chosen these two shorter pieces of the whole chapter today because they each have a piece of the longer story to tell, a piece that tells its own mini-story of love.
The first of the two stories tells of the disciples out fishing -- they apparently did their fishing at night. This may well have been their first night out since Jesus’ crucifixion and reappearance, but as we begin, they are just coming in to shore in the morning, having had no luck, no fish.
And at this point a stranger on shore calls out to them and shows them where to cast their nets, and when they do so, they are overwhelmed with fish – too many to haul in. Their nets are straining with fish.
The “disciple Jesus loved,” (remember, this is John’s gospel) tells Peter “It is the Lord!” and Peter, overcome with love and excitement, just can’t wait a moment longer and he jumps straight into the water to splash his way to shore and to Jesus, not even waiting to help beach the boat. That’s love. A desire, so deep, to be with the one loved that there is no denying it.
The rest of the disciples beach the boat and run to Jesus as well, and, in the part I left out of the reading today, they share a meal of bread and fish. This is the third time they saw the risen Jesus before his ascension.
After this impromptu meal, the second short piece of story that I read tells of Jesus asking Peter if he loves him — he asks three times — and after being assured by Peter that, yes, he does love him – again, three times – Jesus instructs him to take care of his sheep.
Peter apparently is a little frustrated that Jesus keeps asking him the same question, and the third time, he responds with “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you,” and I suspect there is an unspoken, so why do you keep asking me this?
I think Jesus just wanted Peter to hear it three times. He wanted Peter to hear – three times -- the trust that Jesus is showing publicly here, the responsibility he is giving Peter. His faith that Peter will not fail him – that he will do what Jesus asks of him.
And then there is a second, even more important reason. By asking three times if Peter loves him, Jesus is giving Peter three chances to publicly negate his three-times denial of Jesus before the crucifixion. Three times to let Peter know he is forgiven. Three times to show him that he is loved and trusted. That's love.
This would be the last time they would see Jesus before his ascension. None of the disciples knew what all was waiting in front of them. There would be struggles, imprisonment, persecution from without and internecine battles from within the new Jesus movement. Tradition tells us that Peter, himself, would one day be crucified like Jesus – only upside down.
But for the moment there is just this day on the shore of the sea. There is sunshine and freshly caught fish in plenty to eat – and they are all together again. Only the betrayer Judas is missing. But for today, Jesus is here with them, and that is all that matters.
Amen.
I’ve chosen these two shorter pieces of the whole chapter today because they each have a piece of the longer story to tell, a piece that tells its own mini-story of love.
The first of the two stories tells of the disciples out fishing -- they apparently did their fishing at night. This may well have been their first night out since Jesus’ crucifixion and reappearance, but as we begin, they are just coming in to shore in the morning, having had no luck, no fish.
And at this point a stranger on shore calls out to them and shows them where to cast their nets, and when they do so, they are overwhelmed with fish – too many to haul in. Their nets are straining with fish.
The “disciple Jesus loved,” (remember, this is John’s gospel) tells Peter “It is the Lord!” and Peter, overcome with love and excitement, just can’t wait a moment longer and he jumps straight into the water to splash his way to shore and to Jesus, not even waiting to help beach the boat. That’s love. A desire, so deep, to be with the one loved that there is no denying it.
The rest of the disciples beach the boat and run to Jesus as well, and, in the part I left out of the reading today, they share a meal of bread and fish. This is the third time they saw the risen Jesus before his ascension.
After this impromptu meal, the second short piece of story that I read tells of Jesus asking Peter if he loves him — he asks three times — and after being assured by Peter that, yes, he does love him – again, three times – Jesus instructs him to take care of his sheep.
Peter apparently is a little frustrated that Jesus keeps asking him the same question, and the third time, he responds with “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you,” and I suspect there is an unspoken, so why do you keep asking me this?
I think Jesus just wanted Peter to hear it three times. He wanted Peter to hear – three times -- the trust that Jesus is showing publicly here, the responsibility he is giving Peter. His faith that Peter will not fail him – that he will do what Jesus asks of him.
And then there is a second, even more important reason. By asking three times if Peter loves him, Jesus is giving Peter three chances to publicly negate his three-times denial of Jesus before the crucifixion. Three times to let Peter know he is forgiven. Three times to show him that he is loved and trusted. That's love.
This would be the last time they would see Jesus before his ascension. None of the disciples knew what all was waiting in front of them. There would be struggles, imprisonment, persecution from without and internecine battles from within the new Jesus movement. Tradition tells us that Peter, himself, would one day be crucified like Jesus – only upside down.
But for the moment there is just this day on the shore of the sea. There is sunshine and freshly caught fish in plenty to eat – and they are all together again. Only the betrayer Judas is missing. But for today, Jesus is here with them, and that is all that matters.
Amen.
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