Gaining Focus in the Midst of Uncertainty
John 21:1-19 This passage is long and I have included it at the end of the blog.
Resurrection faith relies upon presence—not the promise of presence but the experience of presence. This the Word made Flesh. Resurrection faith says that God’s love is available and reproducible. Or, more accurately, we can create situations and spaces where we might receive and offer love. The experience of presence is not controllable but I believe it is always available. Jesus provided a relationship in which people could be whole. He did not let the world’s judgments prevent him from seeing and loving the people he encountered. He not only preached love—and a particular way to love—he lived it. He continued to live it after his death. Discovering that reality in the present is the foundation of resurrection faith.
Jesus demonstrated that God’s love is expressed in relationship. Though the love of God is bigger than human relationship, it is expressed and experienced in such relationships. This is a big deal. It means that a relationship with God that is only inward facing misses the point of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In today’s passage, this fundamental Christian teaching is dramatically reinforced after Jesus’s death.
In John 21, after Jesus’ death, the disciples were at loose ends. Even with reports and witnesses, the disciples had not grasped the implications of Jesus’ presence in their lives. After spending three years wandering the countryside with Jesus, they did not know what to do next. It didn’t make logical sense that Jesus’ love and calling could survive his death. Besides which, it was now dangerous to be known as a follower of Jesus. The first thing they do, is to get out of Jerusalem and return to Galilee—over 60 miles away.
Back in their home territory, Peter suggests they go fishing. They knew how to fish. That had been their livelihood. They might as well go back to what they knew. They fish all night, but they don’t catch anything. Then, a man on the shore (who turns out to be Jesus) directs them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. This time the net pulls up the oddly specific 153 fish. It is tempting here to draw the conclusion that ‘faith in the Lord’ means full nets—or the Lord will direct you to prosperity. But this thinking comes perilously close to human hubris—assumings ufficient faith means outcomes we like. I am more inclined to see this part of the story to (a) metaphorically suggest that returning to old ways will leave us empty and/or (b) to set up the next paragraphs describing the impact of Jesus’ presence in their post crucifixion living.
Jesus asks them to breakfast. Though they now ‘know’ this is Jesus, nobody says anything. That would be crazy. This was all too confusing—they all knew he was dead. Even though they had seen Jesus, they didn’t know what to make of this physical impossibility. How do you have a relationship with a dead man? But there he was, eating with them and in so doing, recalling other meals with him. There is something mysterious, but quite real about the power of ritual and remembering.
After the meal, Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me more than these?’. This seems like an odd question but the backstory is important here. At the last supper, Jesus predicted that his followers would fall away and be scattered. Peter, as was his wont, had confidently declared “Even though all fall away, ‘I will not.” (Mark 14:29). Peter was impetuously confident that his love for Jesus would exceed that of his peers. But, of course that was not the case. During Jesus’ trial and execution, Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times. Peter, nor the other disciples, understood what it meant to follow Jesus. They had no clue what “Messiah’ meant, what it meant to share Jesus’ “glory” nor what it meant to “drink from his cup.”
Jesus is still teaching. He does not scold or shame. He certainly does not punish. He simply explains, yet again, what it means to love Jesus. “Feed my Lambs” “Tend my Sheep” and “Feed my Sheep” are the commission of love that Jesus asks of Peter. Peter had heard the word love in terms of him. He imagined love was about his personal devotion to Jesus. He even got offended when Jesus kept asking the same question—”Do you love me?” Peter forgot how often Jesus had been correcting him. Peter had stubbornly held on to what he ‘knew’ about God, the’ Messiah’ and ‘Glory’. He even tried to correct Jesus when Jesus told him that being the Messiah meant sacrifice, suffering and death. Jesus replied: “Get behind me Satan!” Jesus could not afford the temptation Peter was offering when Peter said: “Oh no. Not you, Lord.” Messiah means you will make the world right and will elevate us for our faithfulness. Most of us have been there many times. However, it is hard to listen to what Jesus calls us to when we are so full of our own certainties.
Two things happen when Jesus addresses Peter. First, he does not hold Peter’s wrong headedness against him. Peter’s devotion was misplaced. His ‘certainty’ and stubbornness interfered with his listening. Jesus simply states—yet again—that loving Jesus is about service and care to others as much as it is about our own safety and security. If that is not happening, it simply means we failed to understand what Jesus meant when he asked, “Do you love me?” —-nor what it means to follow him.
Second, Jesus warns Peter that should he choose to ‘tend and feed’ the needs of others, it will land him in places that are both inconvenient and difficult. Care of living things always includes inconvenience. It can be as simple as watering a plant or taking the dog out for regular walks. It can be as complicated as caring for a disabled child or spouse. In another blog we can discuss the real life problem of balancing our needs with the needs of others. But for now, realize that even after he died, Jesus’ teaching and way of loving remained. Death could not destroy him. Loving as Jesus loved is the most important thing we can do. As history tells us, Peter finally did grasp what it meant to follow Jesus—and he did so.
The teaching that makes a difference is the experience of the love Jesus taught. Peter was both forgiven and redirected to loving as Jesus loved. When we follow Him, we discover God. We experience the living Lord.
This story becomes a commission. Love as I have loved you. Do so with your eyes wide open. It will be hard and there will be times you don’t like it. But such loving is the way to life and a peace that passes all understanding. Let it be so.
John 21:1-19
21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had taken it off, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
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. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
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.”
