“Getting A Grip On Life”
John 21:1-23
I confess that I have never watched a full episode of the once popular television series The X Files. But I saw enough of it to know that it dealt with the super natural and the unexplainable in life. In its own unique way it demonstrated the struggle of trying to live a normal, peaceful life when everything around us is out of control. And let’s face it – life is often like that. So much of what happens is out of our control and we feel powerless, confused, panic-stricken. We dare not complain for fear we’ll be labeled as wimp or a wuss; we’re concerned that someone will label us a weak, emotionally unstable person, and exhort us to “Get a grip!”
Yet being told to “Get a Grip!” is not so bad, is it? After all, it’s really what Jesus said to his disciples following his resurrection. This 21st chapter of John, in fact, is all about getting a grip on life. Jesus made it clear and simple: WE GET A GRIP ON LIFE WHEN WE DEVELOP THE PROPER FRAME OF MIND. So how do we develop the proper frame of mind? Let’s revisit chapter 21.
The chapter opens with 7 disciples hanging out together following news of Jesus resurrection from the dead. He had already appeared to them twice. Then abruptly comes verse 3: “’I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you."’ Not sure what to do, getting restless from doing nothing, confused about what life after the resurrection was all about, they went back to what they knew best. But they were about to discover that WE MUST RELEASE OUR PAST. When times get tough, when the future – or even the present – seems uncertain, the familiar is very comfortable, what is known is appealing. Life often looks better looking back. So the disciples, at Peter’s suggestion, went back to that familiar territory of fishing. They fished all night.
Think about it: when the present is uncertain and the future is cloudy, THE NATURAL TENDENCY IS TO RETURN TO THE PAST. Israel, for example, endured for so long under a burden of slavery and oppression in Egypt that (Exodus 2) their groans rose all the way to the throne of God. So through a series of divine plagues God forced Pharaoh to release them. At long last they were freed. Soon they were in the wilderness, on their way to God’s Promised Land. But life wasn’t what they expected, and the first time things got really tough they clamored to return to Egypt. “Life was better in Egypt than here,” they said. The lure of the familiar over-rode their desire for the new blessings of God which lay ahead.
We can identify with the Israelites and with the disciples. We, too, have had those moments when the past appeared to be the best of all worlds. I can remember moving to Holland Michigan to be an associate pastor after a very short but wonderful ministry in Sioux Center, Iowa. After about six months I was just starting to settle in; then the Sr. Pastor informed me that He was looking to move. I really wanted to return to Sioux Center, to go back ‘home’ to the familiar and settled. Of course, I initially failed to recognize that home was no longer the home I knew. They had a new senior pastor and had made some change, and we had said our good-byes. But I’ll never forget the feeling.
Perhaps you’ve wanted to return to the moment you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior – the inexpressible joy and peace you felt was so powerful! But now this new life doesn’t seem so good anymore. Or maybe you even wanted to go back to life without Christ – after all, it seemed so much easier, less demanding. The temptation is strong at such times to return to all the old habits, to the old familiar haunts, to the comfortable routines. The excitement runs down and life seems different and difficult. You want to return to the way it was. But notice (verse 3): “So they (the disciples) went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” The old life was not productive; it never can be. Why?
Once Jesus has taken up residence in our hearts, WE CAN NEVER TRULY GO BACK AGAIN, FOR WE ARE NEVER THE SAME AGAIN. The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 wrote: “...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” An old saying states that we can never step in the same river twice. It will always be different water and the river bed will not be the same as before; it will all be new. As the water flows the old is washed away and the new rushes in to replace it. So as the Holy Spirit flows through us the old is washed away and the new rushes in to replace it. When someone in a Binumarian village in Papua New Guinea becomes lawless and defiant for a long time, the people all gather together and place the offender in their midst. One after another, the elders talk to him for a long time, telling him how wrong he has been and that he will have to become a baby again and relearn everything right. This tradition has been useful in helping Binumarians understand some of the practical implications of what Jesus meant when he told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” When we surrender our lives to Christ, we begin to relearn everything God’s way. Once we belong to Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we begin to see and hear like Christ. We share His perspective. As an old hymn puts it: “Heaven above is softer blue, earth around is richer green; something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen.”
One of the most powerful books I read as a teenager was entitled “Black Like Me.” It was written by a white man who changed the pigmentation of his skin to black, so he could see life through a black man’s eyes. Things were different. Even after he returned to his normal white life, he was never the same again. He had been changed on the inside. So once Jesus Christ gets inside us, we cannot go back and return to the past for we will never be the same. To get a grip on life, we must release our past. Like it or not, we cannot return.
The second element of the proper frame of mind occurs in Verse 4: “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.” WE MUST RESTORE OUR PRESENT. Jesus was there – they just did not recognize Him. These men knew that Jesus had risen, that He was alive; but where was He? What did it mean for their daily lives? They had not asked Him to come yet still He was there; He knew they were incomplete without Him. It is difficult to see Jesus when we’re tired or confused. It’s difficult to experience the risen Lord when we are frustrated. It’s difficult to be excited about Jesus being alive when we are stricken with anxiety, grief or fear. It is difficult to acknowledge Christ as a living Lord when we’re unemployed, underpaid, or unable to function because of illness or handicap.
But the truth of the matter is that WHEREVER WE GO, WE TAKE JESUS WITH US ¬– even if we do not recognize him. He is with us, whether we like it or not. He is with us on our home turf, to keep our focus away from the past. If you have ever gone a week without making any sales, or fished all day while catching nothing you do not want someone asking you how it’s going. I remember one Valentines Day, Barb and I went out for dinner to a place slightly above the style of restaurant we normally frequent. It was not a good experience. We appreciated our waitress who was doing her best to make us feel good in spite of everything that was happening. But at one point the hostess came to our table and asked if everything was all right and if we were having a good night. I really wish she hadn’t asked that! To be honest or not, to deal with reality or not! It forced us to be realistic while focusing on what was really important. That’s why Jesus goes with us wherever we go – to keep us focused on Him and on what’s important. The fact that Jesus is with us makes us much more selective about the places we go, the people with which we associate, the patterns of our daily life, the choices we make. We restore our ability to live in the present when we remember wherever we go, whatever we do, whatever choice we face, Jesus is with us – whether we recognize Him or not, whether we like it or not.
As important as that is, Peter learned that there was another aspect of restoring the present. Peter had wept about his denial of Jesus; his heart had been filled with regret; and he had been forgiven. But the question for Peter was his willingness to give total control of his life over to Jesus. Verse 15: ‘“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon 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."’ Two more times Jesus asked him. Why? Because FOCUSING IS AN ISSUE OF LOVE. How much do we really love Jesus? Does what we do and say flow out of our love for Him? Do we really love Him above everything else?
Love causes us to do strange things. Why do people sleep outdoors, all night, in bad weather, waiting to buy tickets to an event? Because they love that singing group, or artist, or team. Why do people pledge their faithfulness to just one other person for life, a person they really don’t know all that well? Because of love. Why are some people willing to give themselves up in service to the needs of another? Because of love.
A young boy, named Johnny, learned that his sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease he had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was an ideal donor. When asked by the doctor if he would give blood to his sister, Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.” Soon the two were wheeled into the hospital room – Mary pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny’s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, Johnny, his voice slightly shaky, asked, “Doctor, when do I die?” Only then did the doctor understand the trembling of Johnny’s lip – Johnny thought that giving up his blood meant giving up his life. And in spite of that, He was willing to give blood for his sister! That is the essence of love!
Jesus asks each of us this morning, “Do you love me? Do you love me enough to bleed for me, to give up your life for me? Do you love me above everything else?” How about it? It is so easy to say “Yes, Lord, you know I love you!” But do you? Are you willing to completely restructure your life so you can follow Jesus? Hebrews 12:1 instructs us to “...throw of everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles...” Do you love Jesus enough to turn away from your sins? Do you love Jesus enough to get rid of anything that stands in the way of loving Him above all else, no matter how good it might be? Do you love Jesus enough to change your way of life even if it means new friends, a new job, a new location, a new lifestyle? Guys – if you really love a woman, what are you willing to do to show your love? Gals – if you really love a man, what are you willing to do so show your love? What about Jesus? Do you really love Him? How do you show it? Is it any wonder that Jesus summarized God’s law by saying we must love him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength? Release your past; then restore your present by remembering Jesus is with wherever you are and loving Him with all your heart soul, mind, and strength. Give your very life blood to Him.
The third facet of getting a grip on life is that WE MUST REFOCUS OUR FUTURE. It is one thing to say we love Jesus – but do we love Him enough to be obedient? I have married many couples. At every wedding I wonder if the bride and groom really mean what they proclaim in their vows. Is each of them really willing to, as Paul commands in Ephesians, submit to the other out of reverence to Christ, to lose themselves in their mate, to cast of all self-centeredness for the sake of the one they love? Jesus wondered something similar about Peter’s relationship to Him. Verse 18: Jesus said to Peter, “I tell you the truth, 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!"’ Jesus had graciously forgiven and restored Peter so he could obediently serve. So we are freed so we can obediently serve. WE ARE NOT SAVED TO BE A SENSATION BUT TO BE A SERVANT! It is one of Jesus’ most frequent messages. “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt. 7:21) “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (Jn. 14:15) “If you obey my commands you will remain in my love...” (Jn. 15:10) Jesus has forgiven you; what will you do with your freedom? If we truly love Him, we will obey Him.
And that all sounds good, even easy – until Jesus calls us to dosomething we do not want to do, or something we feel is unfair. Such was the case with Peter. Verse 20: “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" We need to learn what Peter learned: WE ARE TO FOCUS ON OUR CALL, NOT ON THE CALL OF OTHERS. All that matters to Jesus is our submission and obedience. Whatever the situation or call of someone else, my concern is my situation and my call. Whatever the situation of call of someone else, your concern is your situation and your call. Too often we compare ourselves and our situations with that of others and feel we’re getting gypped, or God is unfair because He’s asking more of us. At such times Jesus says to us, “Read my lips – the call of others is none of your business. Now follow me!” Are you ready to follow Jesus – anytime, anyplace, anyway? Do you love Him enough to say “Yes, Lord?” Whatever your plans for the future, refocus on the plans of Jesus.
Marilyn Morgan Helleberg wrote of a day when everything went wrong for her. A barking dog woke her up before dawn; her vacuum cleaner bag split open; she had an argument with her husband; at the end of the day she reached in her cupboard for a bowl and her favorite red glass vase fell on the floor and broke. Sadly, she put the pieces in the wastebasket. The next morning there was a note on her kitchen counter from her daughter who was both a night owl and an artist. The note said, “How do you like the mobile I made out of the pieces of glass I found in the wastebasket?” Hanging in the window was a gorgeous piece of art, glistening like rubies in the sunlight. The risen Christ can do the same with our lives. He can take the broken, shattered pieces and fashion them into a radiant new, more glamorous design. Do you love Jesus enough to bring him all the pieces of your life and let Him do His work, so you can be the person, the servant God wants you to be? As Jesus piercingly asked Peter, so he asks us: “Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? Then follow me.”
