Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:1-19 NIV)
A few weeks ago, the Grambling State volleyball team made the national news. Have you been following Grambling State volleyball? Me neither. But this story caught my eye. Last winter, Grambling State hired a new volleyball coach, and that new coach did something unusual: She cut every single player off the team. After just three practices, she decided to cut all 19 players and start over completely. There was a big outcry, but the athletic director defended her decision. He said, “I don’t like to say, ‘Out with the old, in with the new,’ but…” It was time to start over.
Do you think Jesus’ disciples wondered if that was in store for them too? Cuts. At least, that’s what Jesus should have done, isn’t it? Those disciples didn’t perform very well during Holy Week. Come to think of it, they hadn’t performed very well during the three years prior to Holy Week either. Sins. Apathy. Fears. Even after Jesus had appeared to them on Easter, do you think they wondered, “Won’t he just start over with somebody else?” Cut the team. Find better players.
So they found themselves back in Galilee, where this whole journey had started. Peter—the fisherman—said, “I’m going out to fish.” But there was something deeper about this fishing trip. All of us have something we turn to when nothing else seems to work. “If all else fails, at least I can…” How do you fill in that blank? “If all else fails, at least I have my kids.” “If all else fails, at least I’m a hard worker.” “If all else fails, at least there’s still ice cream.” We all have a stand-by, right? One thing we can count on. For those disciples, “If all else fails, at least we can fish.”
Except, they failed. “That night they caught nothing.” They even failed at fishing. The one thing those disciples thought they could do well on their own was fish. And they failed. Isn’t that the pits? When that one thing you’re supposed to be able to do, even that you can’t do? As the sun was dawning, how do you think they felt? Have you been there? “When all else fails, we’ll…” But what about when that fails? When you lose your job? When your kids move out—or simply ignore you. When your body doesn’t work. Jesus let them fail at the one thing they were good at.
Why? Because Jesus wanted them to realize something: Even the things you’re best at, you can’t do them on your own. “When all else fails, at least I can…” Nope. In one of our Lenten services, we heard the verse: “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). It’s not just our sins that aren’t good. Even our righteous acts aren’t good either. Faith isn’t just trusting in Jesus for the things we’re not good at. Faith is trusting in Jesus for everything! I saw a meme that said, “Some people refuse to believe that they need Jesus to get to heaven. I need Jesus just to go to Walmart!” Isn’t that the truth? Just to drive a car. Just to walk without pain. Just to catch a fish! Jesus says, “Even that thing you think you can do on your own, it depends completely on me.”
So at that lowest point, a guy showed up on the shore. “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” I bet they rolled their eyes. The last thing they needed was a critic on the sideline. “No!” So the man said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When nothing’s working, everything is worth a try. So they threw the net on the other side. “When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” Wow! I bet their tired eyes were suddenly wide open. John—”the disciple whom Jesus loved”—realized it first. “It’s the Lord!”
How did he know? Because this had all happened before. Remember how we were just talking about starting over? Three years before, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. They fished all night, and they didn’t catch anything. And this guy showed up on the shore and said, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). So they did. And their net was so full they couldn’t pull it in. Remember that story? Peter had said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). But Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10). That’s how it had all started. With a big catch of fish!
And that hadn’t changed. Those disciples were still sinful men. But Jesus still had big plans for them. Still. He wasn’t going to start over. He wasn’t going to cut the team. Jesus wasn’t done with them. Peter was so excited that he jumped right in and started swimming. He couldn’t wait to see Jesus! The rest rowed with all their might. They got to the shore and hauled all the fish in.
How many? 153. That’s a pretty exact number, isn’t it? I wonder if John counted them himself! 153 large fish. It was as if Jesus were saying, “Even when you think that I should be done with you because of what you’ve done, I’m not done with you. I’m just getting started with you!”
There on the beach Jesus had breakfast all ready for them: Fish and bread. He broke it and gave it to them. Where did the bread and fish come from? I bet they had another flashback. Remember the time when there were five little loaves of bread and two small fish. How many people did that feed? 5,000. That’s Jesus’ power! And there was a different time when Jesus took bread and gave it to them and said, “This is my body given for you” (Luke 22:19). He’d given his body and blood for them on the cross. To cleanse them. To forgive them. To save them. That’s Jesus’ love. What was the message of that breakfast on the beach? “I’m not done with you yet. Follow me!”
Do you think that’s true for you? I bet you’ve had times when you’ve thought Jesus was done with you. Sometimes that happens when we sin, and the sin hits home. Guilt overwhelms you. “God must be done with me. How could he not be?” Or sometimes it happens when life goes so wrong. Your health or your move or your family… It all goes so wrong. And you think: “God must be done with me. How could he not be? I’ve had too many chances. I’ve messed up too much. Jesus better start over with someone else, right?” No. He doesn’t. In grace, Jesus comes to you again and again, cleanses you, forgives you, restores you, and calls out to you: “Follow me!”
But then there was Peter. Remember what Peter had done? Peter did. In fact, sitting on the beach reminded him. There on the beach Jesus had made “a fire of burning coals.” Do you know the only other place in the New Testament where a charcoal fire is mentioned? In the courtyard of the high priest on Maundy Thursday evening. That night, gathered around a fire of coals, a servant girl had asked Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” (John 18:17). What did Peter say? “No, I am not.” Then it happened a second time: “I am not.” Then a third time: “I am not.” That fire must have brought back memories, such painful memories of denial.
That denial was made all the worse by what Peter had said earlier that evening. Before they left the Last Supper, Jesus had told his disciples they would abandon him. But Peter had said: “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Matthew 26:33). “I love you more than all these guys do. Don’t worry Jesus, you can count on me!” Peter had learned his lesson hard: “You can’t count on me.” Peter was the most guilty. The most needy. The most hungry. What about him?
Even if Jesus still had a plan for all the others, he at least needed a new captain, right? No. Jesus wasn’t done with Peter either. So he asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter’s answer is so different from his arrogant boast on Maundy Thursday evening. He doesn’t compare himself to anyone else. He doesn’t say, “Count on me!” He quietly says, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Can you see the change? The change that sin and repentance and grace worked in Peter’s heart? Peter’s strength wasn’t Peter anymore. It was Jesus.
But Jesus didn’t stop. He asked a second time. “Simon son of John, do you love me?” The same answer: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” But Jesus still didn’t stop. He asked a third time: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” I bet you could see the hurt in Peter’s eyes. He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” There had been three denials, right? So, as hard as it was, Jesus gave Peter three chances to express his love. And Jesus gave himself three ways to express his forgiveness: “Feed my lambs.” “Take care of my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.”
Can you see how God works? Sin needs to be brought to the surface. When it came to Peter’s sin, Jesus ripped off the Band-Aid, so to speak. But to really heal a wound, you have to pull it open and clean it. That’s what Jesus was doing. He was peeling back the layers. He was getting right to Peter’s heart. He made Peter confront what he had done. Why? So he could know Jesus’ forgiveness. Sin kept hidden inside leads to guilt and pain. Sin brought to the open—to Jesus—leads to forgiveness and peace. Three times Peter had denied Jesus, so three times Jesus offered his forgiveness. He wasn’t done, even with Peter. There was grace and forgiveness even for him.
Jesus had big plans for Peter. “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Do you know what Jesus was saying? “Peter, you’re going to be crucified for me.” Isn’t that awful? No. Not here. Think about what Jesus was promising: “Peter, in the end, you won’t deny me. There will come a day when I will make you so strong, that you will refuse to deny me even in the face of death. I am going to make you so strong that you will let people pound nails into you before you deny me again.” Can you see the promise? “You won’t deny me the last time. I promise you, Peter! Follow me!”
Isn’t that powerful? Jesus gives the same strength to you. I want you to see the grace of Jesus. Even after all our sins, Jesus doesn’t cut the team and start over. He saves us and cleanses us and forgives us and sends us back out to live for him. Even if you’re like Peter and have denied Jesus, Jesus isn’t done with you. Even if you’re like Paul and once persecuted Christians—or at least made fun of their faith, Jesus isn’t done with you. It’s called grace—God’s undeserved love for sinners like you and me in Jesus. Jesus should be done with us. Instead, Jesus calls to us: “Follow me!” After this story, we don’t ever hear about Jesus’ disciples ever fishing again. They had something else to fall back on. “If all else fails, at least I have Jesus!”
There’s a Spanish song that we would often sing in my previous church. It doesn’t rhythm in English, but I’ve always loved the words: “You, Jesus, have come to the shore. You haven’t looked for wise people or rich people. All you want is for me to follow you. You have looked me in the eye. And smiling, you have said my name. On the shore, I have left behind my boat. Together with you, I’ll look for another sea.” Don’t you want to follow a Savior like that? Don’t you want to give up everything for a Savior like that? So, like Peter, jump in. “Follow me!”
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