Ressurection: A God of Many Chances
My sermon from April 27 - Peter is restored.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to write. Soccer season, relearning it so that I can teach it- pre-algebra, and the mix of the hard and beautiful life that’s true for us all has made quality writing time tough to find. However, I said yes to preaching, and with that yes came the promise to write. During the few weeks I studied and contemplated this scripture before writing my sermon, perhaps more than any other time, I found myself getting opportunity after opportunity to live out what I was learning about Peter and Jesus. I thought certainly God might invite me to share all my Peter mess-up moments or how the opportunities to initiate repair showed up, but instead I found myself encouraged to create space for my fellow congregants to consider their own Peter moments or invitations to make things right so someone might know the depth of God’s love.
May you too experience the same as you encounter this story you’ve likely heard before. You can listen to me preaching by clicking here:
Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish John 21: 1-19 (NIV)
21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.[a] It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus[b]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “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.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 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.
7 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. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[c] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 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. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus Reinstates Peter (John 21:15-19, pgs. 387-388 in The Story)
15 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.”
16 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.”
17 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. 18 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.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
- Good morning. It’s always such an honor to get the opportunity to contemplate God’s word and share some of the lessons or thoughts I gather along the way.
Intro Prayer
- Many of you know that I am in the Transforming Center’s 20th Transforming Community. If you don’t know or don’t remember, this is a cohort of leaders from across the nation who meet once a quarter to take a deep dive with a spiritual discipline for each quarter. We then commit to practicing those disciplines as a part of our everyday ordinary lives as followers of Christ and as leaders in the communities we serve. The ultimate goal of this journey is spiritual transformation – the process of being shaped into the image of Christ, for the glory of God, for the abundance of our own lives and for the sake of others.
- I’m currently in the fourth quarter of study: Engaging the Scriptures for Spiritual Transformation. It’s hard to believe I’ve been a part of this process for a full year now, and also for only a year. And what a year it’s been. Noticing spiritual desire, silence and solitude, learning how prayer impacts my intimacy with God, and now daily contemplation in the scripture – all of these disciplines continue to build on each other to help me offer up my one self so that God might do what only God can do: transform.
- I share this today because this quarter the practices around engaging scripture have influenced the way I am going to share the word with you all today. In February, during one of the learning sessions, Ruth Haley Barton challenged those of us who get to teach on the scriptures to consider trusting a little more of the work to the Holy Spirit. Today, I’d like to invite you to experience a bit of a modified Lectio Divina process with me. It might feel new to you, but in fact this way of engaging scripture is actually very old. The idea is that I offer you God’s word – God’s living, breathing word – by reading it to you more than once. As you listen to each reading, you can lean into what God might be stirring up within you -trusting that God’s spirit is at work in the room through the word designed to help us be in relationship with God.
- I’m modifying the Lectio Devina by also offering up some ponderings and learning from the last couple of weeks I’ve been contemplating this text in between readings.
Before I read the text again, I’d like to remember the 4 Rs that Tom brought to us last week and add a 5th “R” to consider for the stories of encounter recounted in this chapter called Resurrection and specifically for this story of Peter and Jesus. The first R Tom delineated for us was
Reality – Let’s think about Peter’s reality. Peter is not only trying to survive the aftermath of the tragic and traumatic death of his Rabbi, who now is risen from the dead (which is astonishing enough in and of itself), he is also having to face the reality of how his coping mechanisms led him to profound betrayal of this same beloved teacher who is God. On the other side of the resurrection, Peter faces a different reality than the rest of his peers. Not only did he adamantly proclaim he would never deny Jesus and still did so, now he is facing the reality that though his teacher died, he is now in fact living beyond death. I can only imagine Peter’s guilt, his shame, his disappointment in himself for behaving in such an untrusting and unfaithful way yet again. Wasn’t it just a few weeks before that Jesus held him in the water – “you chucklehead Peter – how many miracles must you see before you really believe – before you really trust that I am who I say I am?” And not long after that encouragement to trust, Jesus arrested and on trial, the story tells us that Peter sat around a charcoal fire in the middle of the courtyard – and denied even knowing Jesus. Nope I’m not with him. (x 3)
According to Marty Solomon of the Bema Discipleship Podcast, this denial would have signified the greatest betrayal of Jesus to the first century Rabbnical community Peter and Jesus belonged to. In that day and age, there was no coming back from Peter’s mistake. Here’s a nice part of the reality – Peter’s friends still love him. There they are – out on the Galilee fishing with him. Even while Peter is dealing with his betrayal of Jesus in a way that makes a lot of sense to me. Throwing himself back into the life he led before he dropped it all to follow Jesus.
The second R word Tom named was the chapter of our title:
Resurrection – The text tells us this is the third time that Jesus has appeared to his disciples after resurrection. That number three mirrors those three denials Peter’s self-protective tongue threw into reality. And even so, here is Jesus. Showing up for the third time – this time with his relationship with Peter in mind. Peter’s denial of Jesus was a betrayal because he was rejecting his position of being Jesus’ disciple. It’s possible that Peter has yet to encounter the resurrected King. It is this rendezvous, initiated by our prodigal God that opens the opportunity for reinstatement.
Rendezvous – Jesus goes to Peter. Finds him in the boat – working through the night – avoiding truth in the best way he knows how – by working. Back to that old life – fishing – I wonder if he thought he couldn’t be worthy of being a follower anymore? But suddenly, Jesus is there – though the fishermen don’t know it yet. Jesus initiates memory – throw your net over the other side – and they make a magnificent, miraculous catch. 153 fish and a net that doesn’t rip – miracle. It’s then that John realizes who it is standing on the shore.
Realization – “It’s the Lord.” And the rendezvous and the realization become the story. Peter decides to leap toward Jesus, throwing his clothes on first, thankfully, and diving into the water, eager to connect once again. Have you ever been Peter-level motivated by a realization?
Restoration - One of the most powerful tools to help us access memory is through the senses. There Jesus sits at a charcoal fire, much like the one Peter sat at those few nights ago amid his triple denial reality. It’s at the fire that Jesus offers breakfast. There, while smoke smolders and a meal is offered, Peter is likely reminded Peter of his mistakes. It is there in the midst of the smoke and the meal, Jesus initiates repair and Peter receives restoration. Restoration of discipleship. Restoration of friendship. And restoration of Peter’s calling to lead and to teach God’s love to the world.
With these five Rs in mind, I am going to read a smaller section of the text: John 21: 8b-19 from the Message translation. When I’m finished reading I’ll leave a few moments for silent contemplation.
May your heart be opened to whatever it is that God might want to stir up within you.
When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it.
10-11 Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn’t rip.
12 Jesus said, “Breakfast is ready.” Not one of the disciples dared ask, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Master.
13-14 Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.
Do You Love Me?
15 After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.”
17-19 Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”
Silence
Before reading the story a third time, I want to consider how Jesus’ encounter with Peter is a storyline we’ve witnessed before, in other places in the text
In January, in the sermon I preached about the two Kingdoms of Isreal, I shared with you a way of looking at the story of the Bible – the idea that the entire story of the bible is a narrative of two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Empire (the kingdom of the world) and the kingdom of Shalom (God’s Kingdom).
- Here again are some of the markers of those two kingdoms –
Kingdom of Empire: Kingdom of the World – characterized by fear, putting trust in “pharaoh” or other human leaders over trust in God, the belief that people are expendable, Kings create order (not God), oppression, idolatry
Kingdom of Shalom: God’s Kingdom (upside down) – characterized by trust, order is put into chaos by God alone, trust in God, belief that people and other elements of creation are not expendable but cherished, freedom for the oppressed, hearts committed to God alone.
The resurrection is the fulfilment and ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of Shalom over the Kingdom of Empire. And here, following this triumph over death, Jesus replays a storyline found several places earlier in the text. It’s a replay of how love and repair are available before repentance. It’s a storyline that shows us how God is the initiator of repair for his beloved children.
These stories are demonstrations of a wild and reckless love that shows up even when the person who caused the chaos is too consumed by grief, guilt, shame, disappointment, heartache, avoidance or survival to consider themselves deserving or capable of initiating the act of repair. Though I’m sure there are more, these three came to mind:
- In Genesis 33: 4 we see Jacob afraid of his reunion with his brother Esau – the one whom he betrayed, stole from, lied to, ran from “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”…
- In Genesis 45: It’s now Joseph standing in front of the brothers who threw him in a pit and sent him off to slavery. He reveals himself to these brothers who find themselves terrified of his potential revenge but Joseph says, “do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
- The third story was told one afternoon as Peter stood listening to Jesus tell the story of a great betrayal. A son turning against his father and squandering his inheritance. Jesus described the father’s response when he noticed his returning son upon the horizon: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son and threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
- And today we find Peter – the one who wounded with his words of denial – unwound and refound in the heart of his friend, his teacher, his God. “Do you love me Peter? Feed my sheep.” Jesus – the living, breathing, resurrected example of LOVE initiated repair with his friend who had really messed up and who wasn’t able to initiate much of anything at the time. But when Jesus showed up, Peter did something so courageous and so beautiful. He received his friends offering of love and he let his life get set back on track.
A few months after this story ends and a little while after Jesus ascends, Peter finds himself in a new reality of feeding sheep and tending flocks of new and old believers. Peter’s rendezvous with the risen Lord allows him to return to the most important task of his life – to share this good news with ALL PEOPLE. To build the church. In Acts, it is recorded that Peter began to speak:
“I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.39
“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
I really love thinking of Peter speaking these words, remembering the breakfast of repair he’d spent with Jesus – I feel the gratitude for getting another chance.
Peter’s proclamation in Acts is that God accepts people of all nations. One of the required texts I get to experience this quarter is a collaborative effort by representatives from many Indigenous Peoples groups, several ministry groups and a translation consultant who was the former head of Wycliff Canada. Wycliff has said they want the Bible in every person’s heart language and what a beautiful privilege it has been to encounter the words of scripture in this translation that is new to me. I’ve loved it so much, I wanted to do my final reading today from this translation. May you hear the God of all languages and love speak as I read from the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament.
John 21: 15 -19
Stands on the Rock Restored
15 When they had finished eating, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took Stands of the Rock (Peter) and sat down with him by the lake.
He spoke to him, using the name his family gave him, “One Who Hears (Simon), son of Gift of Kindness (John), do you love me more than the others love me?”
“Yes, Wisdomkeeper,” he answered, “you know I am your friend.”
“Then feed my lambs,” he said.
They sat looking out over the water and listening to the sound of the waves coming in to the shore.
16 Then a second time Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked, “One Who Hears (Simon), son of Gift of Kindness (John), do you love me?”
“Yes, Wisdomkeeper,” he answered him again, “you know how deeply I care for you.”
“Then watch over my sheep,” he said.
The sound of the water birds could be heard in the distance, and the sun felt warm as it rose higher in the sky.
17 Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked him a third time, “One Who Hears (Simon), Son of Gift of Kindness (John), do you love me as a friend?”
Stands on the Rock (Peter) felt his heart sink because he asked the third time, “Do you love me as friend?”
“Wisdomkeeper!” he said, “you know all things, you must know how deeply I care for you. I am your friend.!”
18 Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then said to him, “I tell you from my heart, when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and walked wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and take you to a place you do not want to go.”
19 He was telling him the kind of death he would die, to bring honor to Creator.
Then he said to Stands on the Rock (Peter), “Come, walk the road with me.”
This was the same invitation he had given years earlier to Stands on the Rock (Peter) in the Circle of Nations (Galilee) after the canoes had been filled with fish.
Silence
Prayer - What’s stirring? What’s burning bright? Do you need another chance? Does someone who hurt you need another chance? Are you invited to initiate the repair?
Benediction
As you reenter life this week, may you remember that even when you miss the mark, get it wrong, try and fail, or maybe don’t try at all - Jesus shows up, waits til you’re ready, prepares a feast, and asks you to follow once again. May you be reminded that God’s love is bigger than any mess up we make, and that our God is a God of many chances.
Substack readers, I’d love to hear what stirred up for you in this process if you want to share! Comment or reply to this email!