John 21:1-19
Two weeks ago we celebrated Easter. Now, in this Gospel lesson we have Jesus appearing to a group of the disciples some time after Easter. We know that some of the disciples were fishermen by trade. We know that because when Jesus called Peter and James and John to be disciples, he called them from their fishing boats to come and follow him.
They left their fishing nets and followed Jesus. Now Jesus is no longer with them. Or is he? It is difficult for them to get their heads around, just what is the current situation? They know that Jeus was crucified. They know that he was raised from the dead. They have seen the risen Jesus. What does that mean for them now? They do not know what to do next.
A few of the disciples are gathered on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. Normally we refer to that body of water as the Sea of Galilee, which would be what it was called by the locals, by the Jews. The Romans, when they conquered Israel and took over, changed the name from the common name which had been used throughout history, to a name that the Roman leaders liked better. Imagine a ruler thinking that he could change the name of a body of water from a name that had been used historically to something he liked better. In that context Peter says, “I am going fishing.” I have heard several people say that they will go fishing at times that they need time to think. The disciples needed time to think, but the fishing nets are mentioned. It does not sound like sitting with a fishing rod. The fishing described is like describing as a professional fisherman letting down his nets to catch fish. It is like describing fishing for a living.
Commercial fishermen on the Sea of Galilee normally fished at night. The weather was warm enough that the water during the day was warm enough at the surface that the fish were driven to the deepest parts of the lake where the water would be cooler. These disciples had fished all night and caught nothing.
If you were fishing just for the fun of it, fishing all night and catching nothing could be enough to convince you to quit and try again some other time. It does not seem like these fishermen were quitting, just that they were close to shore. At any rate, they caught nothing.
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Why did they not know that it was Jesus? The lesson says that they were about a hundred yards off shore. Maybe at a hundred yards it was not clear to see who was there. Maybe the resurrected Jesus looked different. Maybe they did not pay much attention to this person on the shore, or at least not at first. At any rate, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” It could sound like Jesus already knew that they had caught no fish. I have read that traditionally they would have thrown the net off the left side of the boat. Maybe, maybe not. At any rate, at a point where they have had no success all night, all Jesus asks them to do is try one more time. There certainly are a lot of times where that is good advice. If things are not working, give it one more try. They try one more time and the net is full to overflowing.
The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” There are times in scripture where the disciple John is referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved. I have a couple reactions for Peter at that point. I could picture Peter answering something like, “Why didn’t you say so sooner? When did you first know?” Then we see the impulsiveness that Peter is known for, as he jumps into the sea to go to Jesus. Before he jumps into the sea, it says he put on his outer garment. If you are working and you take off your jacket when you get heated, or take off your shirt, that makes sense. I do find myself wondering about putting that outer robe back on, and then jumping into the water. It would feel so good to have that wet robe, probably wool, clinging to you and weighing you down, as you go that hundred yards to shore.
The other disciples, did they complain that Peter left them with the work of getting the fish to shore? Maybe that is why Peter went back aboard and hauled the net ashore. Maybe the others were saying, all right, we got it this far, now you finish the job. The net is full of large fish, 153 of them. Not just fish, but large fish. The number 153 gives the idea of a lot of fish, they could eat breakfast and still have a lot of fish to sell. The number 153 may be symbolic of a lot. There would be a lot of countries, a lot of areas, that Jesus would draw in to himself, like a fisherman drawing in a net and catching all with that net.
Jesus took the bread and gave it to them and did the same with the fish. It sounds like a very simple meal. It is told to us, sounding almost like communion. I wonder if the disciples were reminded of the Last Supper. It was also on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus fed the 5000. Would the disciples have thought of that also?
It would be easy to stop the story there. It would be a nice ending. It would be an ending with us pondering meanings of the fish and communion. Jesus, however, does not stop there. We then have Jesus questioning Peter. Three time Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Peter gets frustrated with being asked three times. We can remind ourselves, or remind Peter, that it was not very long before this that Jesus was arrested and tried and crucified. It was not very long before this that, during that trial of Jesus, Peter had denied that he even knew Jesus, not once or twice, but three times. Maybe in asking Peter if he loved him, Jesus is also reminding Peter of those three denials.
We had sheep when I was growing up on the farm. It was pretty common for us to refer to the lambs separately from the old sheep. The lambs did require more attention, if you were intending to raise them to sell. And those older sheep required more tending than to just feed them. We moved them between 3 pastures. Sometimes we needed to haul water for them. Fences to be checked. And the list can go on. There was work to do in caring for the sheep.
Jesus is not trying to educate Peter, or us, on the raising of sheep. He does come to us, like to those disciples, at times and places that we may not expect. He does do things for us that we may not understand, like this appearance on the shore and the breakfast and the conversation. But our faith does not stop there. That would end up with a highly intellectual faith. Knowing things, an intellectual approach, is important at times. Jesus does not stop there. Jesus takes that knowing and goes to peoples in need, and cares for them. The questions for Peter are about loving Jesus, but also about using that love to care for those in need.
Jesus clarifies that to love is to care in active, tangible, life-giving ways. Jesus does not instruct Peter, or the other disciples, or us, to simply pray for the hungry or to confess their faith as proof of love for him. Jesus does tell Peter, and the other disciples, and us, that love is action and mutual aid; feeding, tending, caring for all of God’s children, for all in need. May we always put that love into action. Amen.