(John 21:1-19)
Introduction
As you know by now, we eloped last week to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with dear friends who live just north of Daytona Beach, Florida. The highlight of our trip was on Sunday. After church (we were Lutherans last Sunday), we headed for Orlando. Marlitt had called a week or two in advance and asked that we stay Sunday night because they wanted to (as our anniversary present) to take us to the opera in Orlando. Now, these friends are our German friends, and Wolfgang (we call him Fred) speaks seven languages. So if the opera is Mozart or Wagner that’s their native language. If it’s Italian, no problem, they speak Italian. Rosemary and I speak South Dakotan. Now they do have subtitles that flash across the top of the stage, and God bless ‘em, the subtitles were in South Dakotan. Good. Actually the opera was Porgy and Bess, in English, sorta’, and it was awesome. A full symphony orchestra, flawless, engaging performances. We have to say we loved it.
But, it was the trip to Orlando that I wanted to talk about. Fred and Marlitt had this little device called a GPS that they stuck to their windshield that provides directions for them to
get from their house to the opera house. As soon as Marlitt backed out of the driveway, this little thing said in a soft voice, “Turn right in 100 feet.” And it was right!
In addition, there was a broad green arrow on the display that started straight ahead and then turned right. And then when we got going, it would say, “move left (or get in the left lane), turn left in one quarter mile.” And it was right again. And the arrow showed the way.
Now, give me a map and compass, and I’ll find my way anywhere. But without either, intuition just isn’t good enough. Here’s the difference between men and women. Women know they will be lost and they ask for directions. Men, don’t know they will be lost, and don’t ask for directions. Case in point. In the late 60s, we drove home from Ft Rucker, AL, to South Dakota, and hit Birmingham at traffic hour. Since my destination was not the middle of Birmingham, I decided I could skirt it, go around most of the traffic. That was without a map or a compass. And I didn’t ask for directions. We got miserably lost, in the wrong part of Birmingham. You may remember what was going on in the Birmingham in the 60s. Where we were was not the place to be lost.
Body
But I digress. It is the third Sunday in Easter. The eggs may be stale. But the Easter story never gets stale. When you read the Gospel of John it seems all of the stories are told in the light of the resurrected Christ. Here’s one of the big differences in the Gospels. Mark, written first, is written as if the Messiahship and the resurrection are hidden from the disciples. It’s as if they are saying, “We didn’t know. We were with him for three years and we didn’t know. It was hidden from us.” Matthew and Luke are somewhere in between. But John, before he get’s halfway through, Jesus is saying, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
And this story, this story, is like it is the call of the disciples told early in the other gospels, but here in John told in the light of the resurrection. Remember the stories in the other gospels? Jesus goes to the Sea of Galilee and calls Peter, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” This is almost like that story told in light of the resurrection. If it is not the same story, it is then the “recall” of the disciples by the resurrected Christ. After all from that point forward, the lives of the disciples were defined by the resurrected Christ and so are ours. “Follow me.” No GPS required, “Follow me.”
This last chapter of John is kind of the epilogue. It wraps the whole story together. The book could have easily ended in the previous chapter, Chapter 20, but the author wraps all the story together, pulls all the pieces together and re-calls Peter in the light of the resurrection. It is the renewal of Peter’s call to discipleship in the light of the resurrection. And we too are called and re-called, daily, in the light of the risen Christ. It is our story too.
Beginning in verse 3. Simon Peter says, “I am going fishing.” And they disciples say, “I am going with you.” Resurrection Sunday has come and gone. We don’t know the time frame here. The disciples have left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee. We know from Matthew and Mark that that is where Jesus told them he would meet them. It might have been weeks since Jesus has appeared to them in the Upper Room. Weeks since they’ve seen Jesus. I somehow think Peter is in the doldrums. Would he ever see Jesus again? And what were they to do? Peter says, “I’m going fishing.” Back to what he knows. Back to the material world. “I’m going fishing.” And the rest say, “I’m going with you.” You see, the Easter Sunday story may be about the promise of the future. This story is about the presence of the resurrected Christ in our lives. It is about the present. The resurrected Christ re-calling us (cast your nets on the other side), restoring us (do you love me?), sending us (feed my sheep and follow me). It is about the presence of the resurrected Christ and it is about the present.
“Children, haven’t you any fish?” Jesus had told them in the parable of the vine and the branches, “apart from me you can do nothing.” “Haven’t you any fish. Cast your nets on the right side.” If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit…if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And the story tells us they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. The present reality of the resurrected Christ. Abiding in him, obeying him, finding fruitfulness in him.
The beloved disciple says, “It is the Lord.” Now I think they knew that but sometimes you just have to state the obvious. “It is the Lord.” It is the resurrected Christ who is present in my life, who makes all the difference. Apart from him I can do nothing. But sometimes, sometimes we go back to fishing, we get lost in the material world and we lose sight of Christ. We don’t even recognize him when he appears to us, calls us. It takes someone else to say to
us, “It is the Lord.” It is the presence of the resurrected Christ in our lives that makes the difference. Christ is hidden by the world, but revealed by love.The beloved disciple says, “It is the Lord” and impetuous Peter who has been working stripped down, puts on his clothes and jumps into the water while the other disciples drag the net full of fish. Reading from verse 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. (John 21:9-11)
Then there is this thing about the 153 fish. Lots of numerology in the Bible. Lots of conjecture. My favorite comes from Saint Jerome, fourth century scholar and the one who translated the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. The Latin Vulgate Bible. Jerome, great scholar. He said that 153 represented the known species of fishes in the world. That when nets are drawn to Christ, no one is excluded. All are offered faith. All are offered salvation. We all receive the invitation.
And the nets are the church and they are not torn. No one, of any nationality, race or creed is excluded. O, we can surmise that some do not accept the invitation, but all are included. It is the reality of the resurrected Christ that draws us to him. It is his church, the church of the resurrected Christ who includes them. All of them.
When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it and bread. Then Jesus took bread, broke it, gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. (21:9;13) Jesus and John do not lose a chance to give us spiritual meaning by means of simple symbols. Peter had denied Jesus three times around a charcoal fire in the courtyard of the high priest. He is about to be restored by the risen Christ around another charcoal fire. The risen Christ makes his presence known in the gift of broken bread. We recognize the presence of the risen Christ as we receive the gift of bread in the Eucharist. Jesus feeds the disciples before they are called to feed his sheep. We too are spiritually fed before we are sent as his church to draw in his nets.
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.” (John 20:15-19
“Peter do you love me more that these?” (More than your boats, your nets, your material possessions; or more than the other disciples? Could be either) Do you love me more than these? Lord, you know that I love you. “Feed my sheep.” Three times. Then “Follow me.”
The resurrected Christ was present to Peter. Peter’s life would be shaped by the presence of the resurrected Christ. This resurrected Christ who ate with them and allowed them to touch his hands and put their hands in the scars of his side. This resurrected Christ was real to the disciples, he was present with the disciples and he defined their lives.
“Peter, do you love me?” “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, but apart from me, you can do nothing.” The love for Christ would shape the life of Peter. He had a personal relationship with the risen Christ. He acknowledged the presence of Christ with him every step of the way. Peter could have said, “And he walks with he and he talks with me. And he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”
When we acknowledge Christ. When we allow him to influence the decisions we make and the shape of our lives, we have a personal relationship with him. The resurrected Christ is present with us. The resurrection is a present reality. It is if we say too, “And he walks with me and he talks with me.”
Close
Turn right in 100 feet. Move to the left lane, turn left in one quarter mile. Follow me.
The thing about that GPS on the windshield is that if you disobey it, if you turn too soon, or too late, or in the wrong direction it will tell you. Turn around, turn right, turn right, turn right. But finally, if you just won’t obey it, it’s silent for a while. But then it assumes you still want to get where you are going, and it calculates a new path from where you are to get us on track.
It says, “Follow me.” So may it be in all of our lives. Amen.
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