Based on a sermon preached at First Baptist Church of Glasgow, MO on July 27, 2014.
This is not an exact transcription.
Background: The 11 disciples had already gone to Galilee as Jesus had commanded (see Matthew 28:10). Nothing seems to have happened in the meantime so some of the disciples decided to follow Simon Peter and once again begin fishing. But they saw Jesus another time and that changed everything, at least for one disciple!
Introduction: The text for today’s message is John’s gospel, chapter 21. I won’t be reading the whole chapter at this time but we’ll take a look at different “chunks” or sections.
The first several verses deal with what we might call the Futility of the situation
1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
I. Futility, verses 1-8
How many of us have ever heard the phrase, “Do something, even if it’s wrong!” Some of us remember the Popeye the Sailor ™ cartoons, and we just know that a situation is going to arise. Popeye’s lady friend, Olive Oyl, would be in a more or less desperate situation and would exclaim, “Oh, Popeye, DO something!” and expect him to save the day. And we’d watch Popeye get his can of spinach (better him than me—and if you need some spinach, I’ll trade you for a roast beef sandwich!), consume the stuff, and—you guessed it—he would save the day (until the next cartoon, that is!)
A. They didn’t wait for the Lord’s leading.
The Eleven Disciples were in a situation where they may have not known exactly what to do. According to the text, they had followed our Lord’s command—namely, to go into Galilee—but apparently hadn’t seen Jesus by this time. We’re not told when Peter made his decision to go back to fishing, but it was probably during this period of time. Some of the commentators state that there was nothing wrong per se in doing this, as though they’re commending these men for not completely following Christ’s command!
It’s possible these men relied (too much?) on their training or previous experience. Peter himself was there, as was James and John, plus Thomas and Nathanael, and two others who aren’t named. I remember reading the text of a sermon on this passage some years ago, and the preacher mentioned something along the lines of “Do you wonder who those other two disciples were, in the boat? Maybe that was you and me in the boat”.
They may have indeed known the routine, but that’s not any guarantee of success. Wouldn’t you think that these men remembered the time when Jesus asked Simon Peter to launch out into deep water, so he could catch a load of fish? Luke chapter 5 has the story (we looked at that passage last week), where Peter replied, “We worked hard all last night and didn’t get anything—but, if You say so, we’ll give it another try (paraphrased)”. He followed the Lord’s directions and do you remember what happened? The nets began to break, the boat began to sink, and Peter almost begged Jesus to leave (Depart from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!)
B. They received nothing for their efforts
And again, this time they caught no fish at all. Maybe there are times when the Lord speaks to us, not only in our successes, but in our failures. The times when we have people cheering for us, rejoicing in the good things, the accolades and “atta boys!’, sadly, might well drown out the voice of our Lord. But when we don’t have these praises, when we don’t have the cheers and noise from the crowds, then we hear the Lord’s voice, clearer than before.
I remember preaching a message based on this text a few years ago, in another church a good ways from here. I made mention that sometimes we hang on to programs and strategies that aren’t working, and simply mentioned that any program used without God’s blessing would be about as effective as a broken coffee cup. Needless to say, several people took issue, almost immediately, and promptly began to send the non-verbal messages my way (folding arms, solid frowns, and so forth). Needless to say, I was never invited back to that church! The idea was simply to show that when we do things our own way, without God’s blessing, we dare not expect much in the way of results. That’s what these eleven disciples discovered during a wasted night.
C. They heard the voice of Jesus Christ
Even so, Jesus was there, right where they needed Him. I can’t get over how much He loves us, even when we get in a hurry and start to do something that He never actually told us to do. Now, He knew these men were hungry, tired, cold, and who knows what else, so He’s preparing a fellowship meal for them. The text tells us that Peter jumped into the sea after John exclaimed, “It’s the Lord!”, then those in the boat pulled the net to the shore.
II. Fellowship, verses 9-14
9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.
A. Jesus provided refreshments
We need not forget that Jesus, being God in human flesh, knows exactly what it was like to be hungry, cold, tired, and so on. These men had been on the lake (sea) all night, apparently, and had nothing to show for it. Some of us can relate to this, as wooden boats probably aren’t the most insulated items on the water! Any kind of breeze, the waves, if they were higher than the sides of the boat: goodness, there was any number of things that could have made it absolutely miserable on that boat. And all night, too, besides all that!
Now, since they had no catch, and nothing from their labors, they obviously had nothing to eat, either! There were no supermarkets, not even a convenience store, so if they had no food, they weren’t going to be able to eat anything. What were they going to do?
B. Jesus provided a reminder
Not only did Jesus have the fish and bread on the fire, He encouraged the disciples to bring some of the fish they had caught. Just moments before, it seems, the disciples heard the voice of Jesus telling them to throw the net on the right-hand side of the boat and they would get a catch.
They certainly did! It’s interesting, too, that the nets didn’t break this time, as they did in Luke 5, and the boat didn’t start to sink, but the net held 153 large fish. John was careful to add that detail (under the Holy Spirit’s direction, of course) because on the other two occasions when Jesus fed multitudes (once, 5000; another time, 4000) He used small fish: sardines, goldfish, minnows—you get the idea! These were, as someone observed, like large sea bass, plenty of meat for the diner! And 153—that meant at least 10 fish and some left over for each of the eleven disciples (more, if the other four weren’t there at the beach).
But one thing to remember: Jesus was providing reminders for these men. Notice the charcoal fire: this was quite a bit similar to the last time when, perhaps, Peter had been near a charcoal fire. Just a matter of days or weeks before, Peter had followed Jesus and the captors at a distance, and wound up in the midst of his enemies (see John 18:18 and following). Jesus didn’t have to say a word: Peter must have gotten the message loud and clear. The major difference: this was a welcoming fire, to have fellowship with Jesus. He didn’t have to “hang out” with his enemies.
In fact, the late Dr. Oliver Greene, on one of his radio messages, said something like, “If you have to warm your feet by the devil’s fire, then freeze for Jesus!” What fellowship, really, and what business did Peter have, warming himself near his enemies, and the enemies of Jesus? But now, here is a fire, with fish and bread, reminding the disciples, I’m sure, of the times when Jesus had provided for those in need.
One other thing about these fellowship meals: in that culture, the meal times weren’t so much about the food as the fellowship. It must have been a very intimate time, when the group or family would take some time and enjoy the company as well as the cooking!
III. The future, verses 15-25
After the fellowship meal, something still wasn’t right. Simon Peter had never, apparently, asked Jesus for forgiveness. Did He take Simon Peter aside? Or did He speak in low tones, which Peter alone could hear? I don’t think Jesus would publicly humiliate Peter, although frankly He had the right to do it. After all, hadn’t Peter denied Jesus publicly?
In this last section, we have three things: the restoration of Peter, the revelation to Peter, and a rebuke for Peter. Let’s take a quick look at each of these:
A. The Restoration of Peter, verses 15-17
Three times Peter denied the Lord: three times, Jesus restored him. The text says,
15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs." 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep".
Something we miss in our English translations is the different words for “love” in the original. Jesus used the word for agape, the same kind of love God has for us. Unconditional doesn’t even come close to the depths of this love but it’s about as strong as we can get in our language. Peter didn’t use that word in response; rather, he used the word phileo which means “I’m fond of you” or “I love you like a friend”. It’s weaker, not so intense as phileo and why Peter used that word is something we may never understand.
Then Jesus used the same word, and we could paraphrase His words as “Are you really My friend? “ or “Are you really fond of Me?” Peter was grieved, John records, when he heard Jesus use that phrase, and I would be, too, if I had to stand before the Lord and truthfully answer as to whether or not I loved Him! Notice, too, the boundless love our Lord gives anyone who honestly accepts His offer of restoration. Peter, after all, could have begged off, or walked away, but he stood and faced, not the music, but the Master, and was restored!
Now, after Peter was restored, Jesus gave him a glimpse of the future:
B. The revelation to Peter
The text says, in verses 18 and 19,
18 "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." 19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"
Peter was certainly no stranger to death—after all, he knew that Jesus had died, and others, and I’m sure he knew he wasn’t going to live forever. None of us, I think, know when or how we’re going to move from this life to the next. I for one hope the Rapture happens today and none of us would need to go through the valley of the shadow of death, but if it is God’s will for me to come home to Heaven before the Rapture, Jesus my Lord will be there every step of the way!
Now Jesus pulls back the curtain for Peter and gives him a glimpse of his own future. Jesus, in so many words, told Peter he was going to be crucified. Our Roman Catholic friends believe (so I’ve been told) that Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same way Jesus did. Whether that’s true or not, we can’t say, but we do know that Peter never denied the Lord again. In his two letters or epistles, he knew the day of his death was coming, but he was prepared for when that day was coming.
C. The rebuke for Peter
But that wasn’t the end of the story. The next few verses tell us of the rebuke Jesus gave Peter when he asked a question that was really none of his business.
20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" 21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!" 23 Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?" 24 This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.
Frankly, I don’t know why Peter asked this question. Jesus had given him, and him alone, a glimpse of his future. Now Peter asks, perhaps, something like, “Uh, Lord, what exactly do you have in mind for John?” Odd that he didn’t ask about the other ten disciples, either. At any rate, Jesus cuts the conversation short with a “None of your business!” type of remark. Jesus then added, “You follow Me!” and that is something all of us, myself included, ought to work at better. True, it’s good to be concerned about other believers and people we know, but let’s remember, each one of us will give an account of our own deeds, not someone else’s.
Let’s try to pull it all together. Peter and the others experienced futility, trying to do something, like fishing, they used to do but didn’t bother to ask the Lord’s will in that regard. They caught nothing, and we’ll accomplish nothing, if we trust in our own strength and abilities, etc. Then they heard Jesus on the shore, inviting them to fellowship. We’re not told how long the actual meal lasted, but that memory of having breakfast with the Lord—they couldn’t have forgotten that, even if none of them ever referred to it in their sermons, writings, and so forth. Then there’s a glimpse of Peter’s future, where he was restored to fellowship and given a foretaste of what was going to happen to him. I pray that we, too, will be faithful to the Lord, even as Peter was.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. http://www.lockman.org
