Scripture: John 21:1-19
This
will be our final look at the response of the faithful as Jesus began to appear
to His followers as the Resurrected and Living Savior. In our previous messages regarding Jesus’
appearances, they all seemed to be focused on individuals – Mary, Thomas and
the other disciples, and the 2 men on the road to Emmaus. In this account, though, the theme seems to
have a much larger focus. In Jesus’
message to the fishermen, it very well could be a message that is intended for
the greater Church that was about to be born, and lives on even today.
T The previous 3 accounts are promises for us as individual members of the Body of
Christ, while this encounter is for us to consider as the Body of Christ
itself. Does Jesus want each of us to
believe in His resurrection? Absolutely. Does Jesus want us to trust Him, in ministry
and teaching, in suffering, in death, as well as in New Life? Of course He does! Does He want us to believe and never doubt
that His life has prepared us to follow His way throughout this life and
beyond? That’s His great desire, and it
will never be withdrawn!
But
the greater call for us is for unity and harmony as His Church. Without commonality in faith, the Church is
in trouble. This doesn’t mean that
in some matters we can never have differences of opinion - issues such as
styles of worship and types of missions - but when it comes to believing in the “root”
issues of faith, John Wesley tells us in his tract “The Character of
a Methodist”, that there is only one faith, and there must never be any disagreement
in that!
But
what is this call on the Church that it is so important for us to understand?
Read John 21:1-6
This
“new life” story takes place in the Galilee, while the others that we have seen
were either in Jerusalem or relatively close by. In our passage for today, Jesus meets His
disciples about 100 miles to the north – far away from the conflict that is so
prevalent in Jerusalem. This isn’t surprising,
as in Matthew 28:9-10, the risen Christ reassures the women that He is, indeed, alive, and
that they are to “tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
We
only read of 7 disciples who decided to go fishing that day, and we might
wonder about the other 4, but these may have been the only ones who were from
the area, and were familiar with the lake.
For these, fishing may have been more than just a former occupation, but
also a familiar means of relaxation while they waited for Jesus’ arrival. And Jesus uses this time to give them a
glimpse of what was to come their way.
When
they cast their nets into the water, they knew very well what the empty net
signified – that the spot where they were located was not one where fish might
congregate. But Jesus changes that
meaning significantly – without moving their boat to seek a more fruitful spot,
and by throwing the net on the opposite side of the boat, the fishing became incredible. On their own, they gained nothing, but by
following Jesus’ word, the net was filled to near overflowing!
And
so will the Church always be, when we, too, follow God’s word faithfully!
Read John 21:7-14
As
with the other sightings that we have considered in the last month or so, those
who initially noticed Jesus on the beach didn’t realize who He was either. But all the same, it would be John who was
the first to proclaim the truth about that stranger. And as soon as he announced “It is the
Lord!”, impetuous Peter grabs his clothes and jumps into the water. Later in this passage, we read that the
others still don’t actually recognize the Lord, but just the same, they still
know that it is Jesus.
This
is an interesting comparison to Peter’s experience on the waves of the
storm! (Matthew 14:22-33) Then, he knew who the apparition
was, but he just couldn’t keep his eyes on the prize of Jesus. On this morning, though, he wouldn’t be the
first to understand, but he never hesitated to leap into the water and
head straight for his Living Lord!
But
what about those 153 large fish? Many
scholars have debated the significance of the number, but few agree on a common explanation. Personally, I’m not sure that the number
itself matters all that much, but that there is a much greater lesson that has
been presented for us. First, they were
all “large” fish – none were too small, all would be kept. No one who gives their life to the Lord will
be denied. Second, the net didn’t break,
implying that there was room for all and that all who come to Christ will be
accepted and welcomed. Third, the men
are told to bring some of the fish to shore, even though verse 9 tells us that
fish were already being cooked on the fire!
So why would Jesus want more? It was
to show the disciples that the netted fish weren’t for their nourishment or
edification – they were all to be presented to Jesus. After all, who was the authority behind the
catch – the men or Jesus? And fourth,
after the catch had been presented, Jesus fed the fishermen with the “food” He
had provided and He had prepared for them.
When
the Church follows the word and way of God, we will be amazed at what He will
do through our faithful service. And
when we present the Lord with all of the success, all of the glory that comes
from the task laid out for us, and claim none of it for ourselves, we will be
filled with the gracious love of our Almighty God.
For
the Church, it is always about the relationship that we have with the living Son
of God. After all, what were the fishermen asked to
do? To simply cast their net on the
opposite side of the boat. Nothing more
than that. And when they trusted and did
what they were told, the Lord did all the rest.
And so it can be for us.
Read John 21:15-19
This
portion of our passage is almost an aside that Jesus had with Peter. And what was Peter to learn from it? First, Jesus was acknowledging that Peter’s
two missteps, first at the Passover meal when he tried to refuse Jesus’ offer
to wash his feet, and second at Caiaphas’ house when he denied even knowing
Jesus, not once, but three times - both had been forgiven because the Lord knew
that Peter truly loved Him. Second, Jesus
used two Greek words for love – agape and phileo – implying both sacrificial
love and love through fellowship, essentially saying “Do you love me
sacrificially as well as in our walk together?”
Do we?
And
what is there about the reference to sheep and lambs? Peter, and all who follow Jesus, are being
called to be shepherds of Jesus’ flock – both young and mature members alike. This is the call that the entire Church must
respond to – will we be Christ-like shepherds for Jesus, or will we be the
thieves and robbers that He speaks of in John 10:1-3 – “1Very
truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the
gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the
shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper [Jesus] opens the gate
for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.”
Peter,
in the life and ministry that would soon become his, would not have an easy go
of it, but would, in every way, bring glory to Almighty God, just as Jesus’
death at Calvary had. We know what the faithful
lives that were lived by Peter and many others have accomplished for the
Kingdom, but how about our own confession that Jesus Christ is Lord, Redeemer,
and Savior of our lives? Is it as
sincere as the confession that Peter made when he was able to say three times –
“You know that I love you!”?
Do we
show that kind of love to both God AND those who He brings into our lives? Are each of us committed as both “fishermen” AND "shepherds" for
Jesus? Are we fully living as the Church
of Jesus Christ, and bringing glory to Him and Him alone?
Don’t
you think that we should be?
