Easter 3

May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

SEASON: Easter 3
PROPER: C
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: April 26,1998

TEXT: John 21:1-14, (15-19 added) - Jesus appears to his Disciples, who are fishing, and reclaims Peter. Peter is no longer a "hireling," but a true shepherd.

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. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish." . . . . Then he added, "Follow me."

ISSUE: The story today is another appearance of the risen Lord to his disciples. They have returned to carrying on with their lives the best they could. It's back to fishing again. But Jesus appears and re-claims and recalls his men to be faithful to their ministry and discipleship. It is an event very similar to Luke 5:1-11 when the disciples are mending nets and then put out to sea for the great catch of fish; they are called to be fishers of men. Here again they are called and Peter is forgiven, restored, and transformed from fisherman to a shepherd. It is easy for all of us to return after Easter to old ways, but Christ calls us to be raised with him, restored, and transformed into shepherds in a world of wolves.
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What a beautiful and magnificent passage of scripture this is from John's Gospel this morning. My good people when you read and study the Bible, I do urge you not to take it too literally. When we do that we miss the poetry and the magnificnet metaphors of the Scriptures that are all so very rich in their meaning an inuendo. When we are too literal we begin to question the logic and how certain things could have happened. We miss the deeper meanings, as we wrestle with mere surface factual material. It sounded last week when we read the 20th Chapter of John that the Gospel concluded, but then there comes another story added on which is Chapter 21, which we read today. Another tradition is attached full of meaning in terms of what the resurrection of Jesus meant for the early Christian community, and what beautiful addition it is.
John's Gospel account goes on to tell us of another tradition when Jesus appeared to his disciples. Peter, who is the greatly dishonored disciples decides in his despair to go fishing. He is dishonored, of course, for having betrayed Jesus, his teacher and master. This betrayal was a very serious action in that time, and he must have felt terribly guilty. But, life goes on, and Peter returns to his old ways. He was a fisherman, and he returns that work to continue making a living and carrying on with life, after the crucifixion of Jesus. According to the story, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John (sons of Zebedee), and two others all join Peter returning to their work on the sea as fishermen. Peter who betrayed, and six others who have been part of the abandonment of Jesus return to their work on the sea as fishermen.
The story indicates that it is in the darkness of the night that they set out to fish, and they catch nothing. As the morning light begins to dawn, a man calls to them and asks them if they have caught anything. They reply, "No." The figure on the beach directs them to cast the nets on the right side of the boat, which they do, and suddenly haul up an enormous catch of fish. It is an experience of "deja vous." They have been here before. In the gospel of Luke (5:1-11), you will perhaps recall, that the disciples had been fishing all night and caught nothing. Jesus directed them to set out again, and put down the net, and they made a great catch of fish. So great was the catch that the boat nearly sank and they had to call for assistance. Peter falls to his knees and confesses that he is a sinful man. Jesus reassures them not to be afraid and to follow him, and he will make them fishers of men. It was their call to discipleship. "They pulled the boats upon the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus."
In this resurrection story, the disciple are being recalled, even in their sinfulness, even in their dishonorable state. Christ Jesus comes for them again to raise them up, to call and to restore them. Peter is naked. To us it doeen't make a lot of sense that Peter who is fishing naked puts on his clothes to jump in the water to head for shore. But you see, nakedness is this period was dishonorable. Nakedness was sort of obscene in this culture. Peter's nakedness in the story heightens his dishonorable and sinful status. He dresses as an act of his restoration in recognizing Christ's renewing call to him. Jesus calls to his disciples again. There is that dawning in the nlight of the new day, that Jesus lives and their mission as fishers of men is to continue. They are re-affirmed in their ministry and discipleship.
Someone took and count and found out that there were 153 fish. . . . 153 exactly! what does that mean. We can't be positive, but it probably meant all nations, or all species of folk were to be embraced for Christ. They were once again called to be fishers of men, and to haul in for God all peoples and all nations, regardless of their status. It re-inforces againt their ministry. What's more the net will not break. God can manage such a great cloud of witnesses.
As the dawning of who Jesus is continues, the Lord invites them to breakfast. Great detail is given. There is a charcoal fire. You can smell it. There is home baked bread which you can taste and smell. There are fishing frying to be be consumed. It is a very real, a very vivid picture and special moment. Jesus, the Risen Lord, is there and recognized. It's so very real. They gather to partake of the abundance of the bread and the fish, and you have another recollection of the feeding of the multitudes. Jesus Christ is their direction, in that he tells them where to drop the nets, and he is their food, their sustenance, their nourishment, and their nurturing. The disciples are beginning a new day of belief and trust that Christ is with them.
In addition, you have the very intimate restoration and recalling of Peter. We have the picture of Jesus and Peter alone, apart momentarily from the others. Peter is the one who betrayed Jesus, not once but three times. So Jesus says to him: "Do you love me more than all else." "Then feed my lambs," Jesus replies. He asks Jesus again: "Do you love me?" Peter assures him that he does. "Tend my sheep," Jesus replies. A third time, once for each of the denials, "Do you love me" "Lord," Peter replies, "you know everything; you know I love you." Jesus answers in restoration and forgiveness, "Feed my sheep." The passage concludes again with the "deja vous" statement, "Follow me."
What's happening here is again truly fascinating. In Chapter 10 of John's Gospel (10:11f), Jesus teaches that he himself is The Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd is willing to die for the sheep. when the hired man, who is not a shepherd and doews not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leave the sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The hired man runs away becasue he is only a hired man, and does not care about the sheep. Peter, you see, who has fled Jesus, who dishonorably betrayed him, and failed miserably at his discipleship was little more than a disobedient and mediocre hireling. But now . . . . Jesus calls and ordains Peter to be A Shepherd! Peter is truly transformed by the resurrected Christ. In the Christmas story of Luke, the shepherds proclaim the birth of Jesus. Now in the Easter story, Peter, a simple and not very competent nor efficient fisherman is transformed into a Good Shepherd to tend and feed and proclaim the resurrection and love and hope of God for the world. Peter is raised up with Christ; he too is risen. He too who was dishonorably naked and who immerses himself in the water (water of baptism) comes to the shore to feed on and with Christ and transformed into a Good Shepherd. What a fantastic and powerful story.
In the story are great insights for us today. Many of us go through some of the rigors of Lent, which begins in ashes. We try to learn new things and develop our spiritual lives. We experience the Last Supper, the Footwashing of servanthood. We become envoloped in the tragic passion and death of Jesus on the cross on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. Then comes the joy of the Resurrection at Easter. But where do we go from there? Like Peter, finoishing up the chocolate bunnies, we are inclined to return to our same old ways. Life has to go on. We return to some of the same old ways. It's like a person who gives up smoking for Lent, and then on Easter Sunday can't wait to light up again. I had an uncle, poor dear soul, was so addicted to alcohol. There were family stories about how in Lent old Uncle Joe would give up booze, and then on Easter go on one hellacious binge. It was just the same old thing all over again.
To be alive with Christ is to remember that we are not always efficient or good. We are sinners. We are not worthy. Yet Christ called his disciples into ministry inspite of themselves. Things do not always work out well. Yet God in Christ is raised up to have us begin again, to be renewed again, and restored again. He comes to us in those subtle incarnationsal ways. He reminds the fishermen what they were really supposed to be doing. He reminds them how he feeds and nourishes. He raises them up again restoring and transforming them.
It is important, I think, for us to ask at this season, Risen Lord, in all of our shortcomings, what are you raising us us to be? What is the renewed and transformed calling for our lives? We might wonder about this in terms of our personal lives. God, what are you raising me up to be and to do? How can I respond in deeper faithfulness assuring you that I love you, and more importantly asking how do I more fully acknowlege that you love and forgive me? We may want to look at our relationships with others. We may want to think about what it means to be a good father, a good mother, a good employee, a person who is touch and transformed by God.
How about as a Parish of church people, What is God calling us to be and to do? Is it in merely repeating and doing the same old things that never seem to change? Is it possible that God in Christ is trying to raise us up, to lift us, to new callings and new responses to be his living transformed body in the community. Do we allow God in the Risen Christ to transform us from mere hirelings who run away from needs and challenges or to be truly Good Shepherds? Many issue confront us in terms of how we reach out to people and convey our message and make ourselves visible as the body of Christ. There are people starving for a spirituality based on love and forgiveness. There are the needs of the sick and the poor, the handicapped. The needs of young people to be immersed in the message of God's acceptance, forgiveness, and love.
The gospel messages conclude with the fact that the disciples recognize that inspite of themselves, God in Christ is renewing and transforming them into people with a message of hope, and a calling to be fishers of men and what's more, Good Shepherds for God's flock of all nations and people. The message concludes with the bestowing of authority: Forgive Sins. You are not a hireling, but A Shepherd. Baptize and teach. Be the living body of Christ that raises up, that lifts us, that resurrects all that is fallen and broken. Do we do this alone? Of course not. We are but human, but God in Christ is our continuing direction. Listen to him, for him, and discern our ministries in the community and world.