Title: Tracking with Jesus
Text: John 21:1-19
Thesis: The Christian life is a long walk with Jesus in the right direction, i.e., staying on track.
The Season of Easter Series: When Jesus Shows Up
During the Season of Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Christ as he shows up in unusual and unexpected ways.
Two weeks ago we saw how Jesus understood the need for his followers to see him… seeing is believing! In seeing Jesus, Thomas’ doubts were allayed.
Last week we saw how Jesus walked with two of his followers. Just as Jesus accompanied them on their journey, Jesus accompanies us on our journeys as well. The Christian life is going the distance with Jesus as a companion. Eugene Petersen’s book title describes the Christian life as “a long obedience” or an arduous trek with Christ.
This week we see how Jesus knew he needed to encourage his followers to stay the course, so to speak. The Christian life is more than “a long obedience” or simply going the distance, it is also going the distance with Jesus – “in the right direction.” By that I mean, staying on track.
Introduction
When I was in high school our house was near the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. So I have fond memories of trains rumbling through our little town. The train track divided Ogden into a north side and a south side. The major streets in our town crossed the track so the engineers tended to lay on the whistle all the way through town so it was noisy. But long before you could hear the throbbing diesel engines and the rumble of the cars, you could feel it. There was a picture on my bedroom wall that would begin to vibrate long before the train reached the city limits.
Just outside of town is a famous railroad bridge called the Kate Shelley Bridge. Today a new, modern, concrete bridge runs alongside the old steel bridge which was named in honor of a fifteen year old girl named Kate Shelley. The bridge is one of the longest and highest double tracked railroad bridges in the United States. It is a magnificent structure spanning the entire Des Moines River valley.
On July 6, 1881 there was a terrible thunderstorm and the creeks flooded and the river rose and the railroad track and some of bridges were in danger of washing out. In fact the Honey Creek Bridge collapsed plunging a pusher train and its four man crew into Honey Creek.
The Shelley’s lived nearby. Mrs. Shelley was a railroad widow and she and her five children lived next to the track. They heard the crash when the pusher train plunged into Honey Creek. Fifteen year old Kate, knowing that the bridge was out, knew that the Midnight Express would soon pass through so she crawled across the trestle bridge over the flooding Des Moines River to reach the Moingona Station where the station agent then stood out on the track in the rain waving his red lantern to stop the Midnight Express . In honor of her heroism they named the bridge The Kate Shelley High Bridge.
There is a virtual trainload trove of train wreck information online. Simply Google “Train Wrecks” and you can occupy yourself for hours sifting through the wreckage.
When I Googled “Famous Train Wrecks,” I was surprised to find one of the first web sites was titled, “Charlie Sheen and Other Famous Train Wrecks.” It occurred to me that we often refer to people who are about to mess up their lives as “train wrecks about to happen” or when they’ve actually done it we call them “train wrecks.”
People can derail and run off-off track just like trains. You could say that the most flamboyant and charismatic of Christ’s disciples was something of a train wreck. Peter was good at derailing and Jesus was good at getting him back on track.
When Peter went back to fishing he was not going forward with Christ.
I. Going back is not going forward
Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, 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. John 21:2-3
Jesus was nowhere to be found so they went fishing. The story continues as John narrates the unfolding events. As they were coming in early that morning after an unsuccessful night of fishing Jesus was on the beach. He had built a charcoal fire and was cooking bread and fish. They did not recognize him until he called out to them suggesting they drop their nets on the right side of the boat after which they hauled in 153 fish.
It was one of those déjà vu moments. In Luke 5 there is the story of how Jesus spoke to a crowd of people from Peter’s fishing boat. When he was finished with his teaching he asked Peter to take the boat out into deeper water where, despite having fished all night and catching nothing, this time they caught such a huge haul of fish that the nets began to break.
Peter, along with his partners James and John, were understandably impressed and promptly left their boats and their nets and followed Jesus. So when they began to haul in this huge catch of 153 fish something clicked and Peter shouted, “It’s the Lord!” and promptly jumped into the lake and began swimming to Jesus.
Obviously, the post-resurrection appearances of Christ to his followers was intended to reassure them that he had risen from the dead… that he was alive and well. His appearances were intended to convince them that neither he nor his cause were dead and that they were to continue to live out the Christian life and mission.
However, a secondary purpose of this post-resurrection appearance is it get Peter and the other disciples back on track.
A. When we become discouraged it is easy to return to what we once were [derail and go off-track].
Peter said, “I’m going out to fish…” John 21:3
Things had not shaped up quite like Peter and the other disciples had hoped. Despite Jesus having appeared to them on two earlier occasions they were still at a loss as to what to do. Jesus had instructed them to stay in the city until they had been empowered for ministry but in our story today they have traveled 80 miles back up to the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). They went back to fishing for fish rather than fishing for men. You could say that as far as the disciples were concerned, it appeared that the Jesus movement was over.
I don’t want to blow this little reversion out of proportion and say they had given up on God and given up the discipleship business to go back into the fishing business. Over the years I have on occasion gone back to finishing concrete and roofing houses in order to make a living. The Apostle Paul was a tent-maker by profession and fell back on tent-making many times in order to make a living. And maybe that is all that was going on.
However, I remember a time in the mid 70’s when I was two years into our ministry at Lund in Western Kansas and was so discouraged that I made plans to give it up and go back to what I knew I could do. I made a trip back to Iowa and arranged to do installation work for Sears with an insurance company to do their damage repairs. But my Conference Superintendent at that time talked me down and kept me on track.
But it’s not just about staying on track in terms of ministry… when we become discouraged we tend to lapse back into behaviors we practiced before Christ. We used to call that backsliding and when we return to what we were before Christ we are headed for a big time derailment.
What makes me think there was more to this than just a day off fishing is the conversation Jesus had with Peter after breakfast that morning. Jesus asked Peter a very probing question:
B. When we become discouraged we need to refocus on what we have become.
Jesus said to Peter, “Simon Son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
With just a bit of imagination we can place ourselves there on the sea shore watching and listening… we can imagine Jesus asking Peter, “Peter, do you love me more than these?” And as he does so, Jesus makes a sweeping gesture with his arms and hands to illustrate what he means by these. By “these” was Jesus perhaps asking Peter if he loved him more than the boats, the nets, the huge catch of fresh fish, the sun, the sky, the warm breeze, the sea and life on the sea and his even his fishing buddies?
Sometimes we can get derailed by our affections. In the book of Revelation and in the Letter to the Church at Ephesus, the Ephesian Christians were charged with having lost their first love. Jesus was concerned that Peter had perhaps, lost his first love.
But the fact that Peter had blown it and failed does not mean that he is hopelessly lost to Christ.
II. Failure does not preclude restoration
Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And Peter went outside and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:75
In the Matthew 26 account of the Last Supper and the events leading up to Judas’ betrayal of Christ and his subsequent arrest, Jesus predicted, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me…” Matthew 26:31
Peter, always the spontaneous reactionary, responded by asserting his unwavering loyalty. His words to Jesus were, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” Matthew 26:33 In response Jesus made a prediction: “I tell you the truth, this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” Matthew 26:34
However, the fact that Peter blew it and failed as a follower of Christ did not preclude his being restored. His failure did not mean that he could never, ever again, be a devoted follower of Christ. John 21:15-19 is a story of grace. Following the arrest of Jesus and as Jesus was being questioned by the religious leaders, Peter was outside in the priest’s courtyard trying to keep warm by a fire. Three times he was asked if he was an associate of Jesus and three times he denied that he was.
In Matthew 26:75 we read that when Peter heard the rooster crow he remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And Peter went outside and wept bitterly.
On Wednesday afternoon Bonnie phoned me and asked if I wanted to watch Survivor that evening. Apparently there is a young man on Redemption Island named Matt, who is a professing Christian. She thought it might be an interesting episode. (I am still a little confused. I don’t know if I was watching Survivor or Survivor: Redemption Island.) Apparently, in a new twist, if you are booted off of Survivor you may be sent to Redemption Island where you may connive your way back onto Survivor and get another chance at winning the million bucks.
Anyway, Matt prays and reads his bible and believes that whatever he does on Survivor can bring glory to God. Though I did not see Matt in action, after watching on Wednesday evening I could not help but wonder how being a Christian would play out in the midst of all the back-biting and back-stabbing.
I think the most startling bit of reality that jumped out at me was the way contestants lie to each other. On Wednesday evening I listened to one contestant, I believe his name was Rob, pledging his undying loyalty to a fellow contestant. I think his name was Grant. But when Rob voted to have someone kicked off of Survivor, he wrote Grant’s name on the ballot. He lied. He denied his loyalty to his friend.
Perhaps Rob may be thought of as a modern day Peter. One minute he pledges his devotion to his friend and the next, he denies even knowing him.
A. Peter denied Christ three times
1. “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” John 18:17
2. As Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” John 18:25
3. One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. John 18:26-27
As we mentioned before, Peter was absolutely devastated when he realized he had disowned or denied his relationship with Christ. Peter was wracked with guilt and shame. He was embarrassed by his initial proud proclamation of loyalty and utterly humiliated by his subsequent cowardice.
In Godfather II, upon learning that his brother Fredo had plotted to have him killed, Michael Corleone confronted his older brother and he said, “Fredo, you are nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you or what you do.” Michael Corleone was telling his older brother Fredo, “You are dead to me now.” In the mind of Michael Corleone, Fredo had no place in his home. He didn’t want to see him or hear his voice. He had no role in the family’s life any longer. Fredo was dead to him. His disloyalty was such that there would be no restoration of the brotherly relationship. It was dead.
Peter would have understood if Jesus had turned to him and said, “Peter, you are dead to me! But that is not how Jesus thinks or acts. If the first reason Jesus showed up to the disciples in this post-resurrection appearance was to reassure them of his resurrection, the second reason was to reaffirm and restore Peter.
On one hand we have Peter denying or disowning Christ… and on the other, Jesus’ affirming of Peter.
When I was a kid I enjoyed hanging around auto shops and service stations. One of the most fascinating things was the way they balanced tires. I remember when the old bubble balance machine became obsolete and the up and coming garages advertized the new “spin balancing” of tires. The new tire was mounted on the spin balance machine and spun at a very high rpm intended to replicate road speed. Then the mechanic would turn the machine off and read the dial which told him where to attach the lead weights so that the tire would rotate evenly. If the tire was a little off on one side a lead weight would be attached opposite and act as a counter balance. The counter balance evened things out.
That’s what Grace does. On one side we have sin so we apply forgiveness which acts as a counter balance. On one side we have Peter denying Christ so on the other side Jesus applies affirmation equal to and off-setting the affects of the denial. So what we see in John 21:15-19 is Jesus applying a counter balance to off-set the denial. Peter had denied Christ three times, so Jesus gave Peter three opportunities to affirm his love for Christ.
Just as Peter denied Jesus three times, he now gets to set the record straight with three affirmations.
B. Peter affirmed his love for Jesus three times.
1. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” John 21:15
2. Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” John 21:16
3. 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.” John 21:17
Jesus wanted Peter to get back on track spiritually. Jesus wanted Peter to have the opportunity to reaffirm his love and devotion to Christ.
Jesus wanted Peter to have to opportunity to prove his devotion to Christ in three ways:
C. Jesus restored Peter
1. Peter was entrusted with the responsibility of caring for the people Jesus cares about. Peter’s job was to feed the lambs, take care of the sheep and to feed the older sheep.
2. Peter would also one day give his life as a martyr as a follower of Christ. He may have denied Christ once but never again. Jesus told Peter, “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. John 21:18-19
Yogi Berra was a great American League catcher, outfielder and manager. He is regarded the greatest catcher in baseball history but he is also known for his yogism…. his pithy little witticisms in which he usually butchered the English language. Once he said,, “When you get to a fork in the road, take it. On another occasion he said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” Once when questioned about his little witticisms he said, “I really didn’t say everything I said.” But perhaps his most famous yogism was, “It déjà vu all over again.” He said that in reference to the many times he saw Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris hit back-to-back homeruns in a game.
It was déjà vu all over again for Peter. In the Gospel of Mark, “As Jesus [had]walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon Peter and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” And here we are again, three years later and Jesus is making the same invitation.
3. Peter was once again invited to follow Christ. Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!”
Conclusion
Last week we noted that the Christian life may be likened to an arduous journey in which you trek with Jesus as your constant companion.
Today we understand that the Christian life is not only about trekking with Jesus as a companion, it is about staying on track with Jesus… but more than that, it is about getting back on track when you’ve derailed.
: Dennis the Menace cartoons have been around forever and a favorite shows Dennis saying his bed-time prayers. He is kneeling. His hands are folded, He is looking heavenward. He has on cowboy pajamas, a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and he has a six-shooter strapped to his side. And the caption under the cartoon reads, “I’m here to turn myself in!” And we could add, “and to get back on track.”
The take away today is this: When we become discouraged in our walk with Jesus we must refocus our commitment to serve him, reaffirm our love for him… and keep on keeping on track following Jesus.
