In the days and weeks following the
Easter Resurrection of Jesus, Jesus appeared to his friends many times. He
turned up in the oddest places. Often, the Disciples and followers of Jesus did
not recognize him at first….I have had this happen…I run into Maggie who works
at the desk at the YMCA at Shady Maple and I know I know her and I know her
name but I struggle to remember why I know her because she isn’t at the place I
expect her to be….Perhaps the Disciples were puzzled because Jesus kept popping
up in places they didn’t expect him to be. This morning, we visit the story of
one of those post-Resurrection encounters. Let us read from John, chapter
twenty-one, verses one through nineteen:
Scripture Reading John 21:1-19
Afterward
Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened
this way:
Simon Peter,
Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in
Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were
together.
“I’m going out
to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they
went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the
morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it
was Jesus.
He called out
to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they
answered.
He
said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find
some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the
large number of fish.
Then the
disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as
Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment
around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
The other
disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not
far from shore, about a hundred yards.
When they
landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and
some bread.
Jesus said to
them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”
So Simon Peter
climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large
fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
Jesus said to
them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him,
“Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came,
took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
This was now
the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from
the dead.
When they had
finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you
love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,”
he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus
said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus
said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered,
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus
said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time
he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt
because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said,
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus
said, “Feed my sheep.
Very truly I
tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted;
but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will
dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
Jesus said
this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify
God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Here ends this reading of the word of God
for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
Prepare our hearts, O God, to accept your
Word. Silence in us any voice but your own, that, hearing, we may also obey
your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Message The Way Forward
Simon Peter had a very difficult
time during the first Holy Week.
At the last supper, before the meal, Jesus invited the disciples
to have him wash their feet. Jesus
wanted his Disciples to be humble, servant leaders when they took on leadership
in the church. Jesus was modeling to the Disciples the kind of leadership he
wanted them to embrace. Feet washing was
a servant’s job, not the job of the Master or Rabbi. So, Simon protested that
he didn’t feel it was appropriate for Jesus to wash his feet. They had a little
squabble before Jesus finally washed Simon Peter’s feet. And, during the
squabble Jesus predicted that Simon was going to deny knowing Jesus three times
before the rooster crowed the next day. Simon Peter was shocked by this
statement and protested that he would never deny knowing Jesus, yet Jesus’
prophesy came true.
Later that night, Jesus was arrested. Simon Peter was with him
when the soldiers and guards placed Jesus under arrest. Simon Peter tried to protect
Jesus and stop his arrest by pulling out a sword to defend Jesus. Somehow,
there was a scuffle and Simon Peter cut someone’s ear off. Jesus allowed
himself to be arrested and Simon Peter and the other disciples ran away. It was
a very weird turn of events for Simon Peter. First he was told he would deny
Jesus; then he cut off someone’s ear.
In the morning of Good Friday, Simon Peter followed the soldiers
and Jesus after his arrest. They took Jesus to the High Priest’s house. A crowd
of servants were gossiping as they warmed themselves next to a coal fire
outside of the house. Simon Peter crept over to the fire to warm himself as
well. A female servant recognized Simon Peter and said. “This man was with
him.” (Meaning Jesus). Simon Peter replied to her, “Woman, I don’t know him.”
…Denial number one.
The same woman repeated again, “This fellow is one of them.”
And, again Peter denied it. …Denial number two.
The crowd of people were not convinced. After a few more minutes
of whispered exchanges, they went up to Simon Peter and said, “Surely you are
one of them, for your accent gives you away.” And, Peter swore to them, “I
don’t know the man!” As soon as he said his third denial, the rooster crowed.
Simon Peter then apparently burst
into tears and wept bitterly. Jesus’ prediction came true. He denied even
knowing Jesus three times just a few short hours after Jesus washed his feet.
Simon Peter failed Jesus. Simon Peter failed the other Disciples. Simon
Peter failed himself.
A few weeks later, after the Easter
Resurrection of Jesus, Simon Peter still had doubts…if he could deny Jesus in
his moment of need, could he be forgiven? Should he still be one of Jesus’
Disciples? Was there still a place for him at the table? Was there going to be
a place for him among the leaders who were going to share Jesus’ message with
the world?
Before becoming a Disciple of Jesus,
Simon Peter was a fisherman. Little children went out on boats as soon as they
were big enough to help their fathers, so Simon Peter had spent a lot of time
on the sea. Even though Jesus had been appearing to the Disciples in the days
and weeks following Easter, the Disciples were still not clear about what they
were supposed to do next. Perhaps Simon Peter wanted to go fishing to
contemplate his future. And, after all of his personal failures before the
Crucifixion, perhaps Simon Peter wondered if he would return to being a
fisherman…perhaps that was his future.
Several of the other disciples
joined Simon Peter on his fishing boat. They took the boat out but stayed close
to the shore. Jesus appeared on the shore and began talking to the disciples.
When the beloved disciple asked Simon Peter if the man on the shore was Jesus,
Simon Peter jumped into the water and swam to Jesus. He wasn’t going to leave
anything up to chance—Simon Peter didn’t want Jesus to disappear before he
talked to him.
Did you notice that Jesus was
cooking over a fire of burning coals….just like the servants outside of the
High Priest’s house had warmed their hands over a fire of burning coals. When
Simon Peter stood next to the High Priest’s house, he was asked three questions
about his relationship with Jesus. And, he lied three times. In contrast, on
the shore of the lake, as a wet Simon Peter dried himself and warmed up next to
Jesus’ fire, Jesus asked Simon Peter three questions. This time, Simon Peter
had an opportunity to rectify his situation.
Jesus asked Simon Peter three
different ways if he loved Jesus. Each time, Simon Peter affirmed that he loved
Jesus. In response, Jesus told him to “feed his lambs,” “take care of his
sheep,” and to “feed his sheep.” In this
conversation, Jesus was reinstating Simon Peter as a Disciple and as one of the
primary leaders of the future Christian church. Jesus changed Simon’s denial
into an affirmation.
Simon Peter became one of the best
known apostles and leaders of the early Christian church. He was an evangelist
and preacher. He shared the Good News with people both in Israel and in other
parts of the Roman World. Simon Peter was the primary leader of the Jewish
Christian Church, but he was instrumental in the evangelism of non-Jewish
people. God shared a vision with Peter that informed him that Christians no
longer had to follow kosher dietary laws, a new understanding that paved the
way for Gentile Christians.
Jesus preached the forgiveness of
sins. Even when we mess up, God loves and forgives us. Simon Peter is sort of the “poster boy” for
this. He loved Jesus, yet when things got tough, Simon Peter denied even
knowing Jesus. He had spent years living alongside Jesus, walking with him and
talking with him, listening to his teachings and watching his miracles,…yet,
when things became dangerous, Simon Peter dropped Jesus like a hot potato. He
denied knowing him, even though he had spent so much time with Jesus he was
recognized as one of his followers.
But, we believe in the God who
forgives us our sins. And, God forgave Simon Peter. Jesus forgave Simon Peter.
And despite his former failures, Simon Peter became a great teacher and leader
in the Church of Jesus Christ.
We don’t always get everything
right. We don’t always stick to our faith. We fail. We deny Jesus. We deny that
we are followers of Jesus. We mess up. And, despite our failures, God loves and
forgives us. Despite our failures, God calls us to do great and important
things for God. God calls us to serve God and to love his sheep, to love God’s
people.
Let us do so. Amen.
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