From Ordinary to Extraordinary
The Transformation Began in Amazement…
at what Jesus taught and gave to people – both healing and forgiveness
Amazement Led to Obedience…
even when Simon didn’t think it would make a difference
Obedience Grew Into Faith…
that moved Simon to get out of the boat and walk on water – for a ways
Faith Became Conviction…
that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of God – even though Simon didn’t understand about the cross of Jesus to come
Conviction Hardened Into Pride
He refused to wash dirty feet and then tried to one up Jesus and the others by offering his head and his hands. It wasn’t about washing feet but service and love.
Pride is Broken... when Simon Peter denies Jesus three times before dawn. His bold statments proclaiming his faith and fidelity are shattered in denial and he weeps bitterly.
Now his brokenness becomes humble service... when Jesus restores Peter on the beach
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Let’s Set the Scene
Peter has denied Christ Jesus in the courtyard of the High Priest. Jesus has been crucified and has risen from the dead. He has appeared to the disciples and instructed them to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them.
John takes up the story in verse 1 of chapter 21. Simon has announced (verse 3) that he is going out to fish and the other disciples follow after him.
That sounds like Simon doesn’t it. In fact it sounds like most of us. The last several days have been pretty stressful. Sometimes a guy just needs to go fishing. So they get in the boat and head out to fish.
I see them fishing by rote memory. They would talk in brief bursts about some moment they shared in the last several days and then they would lapse into silence as they set the nets and then gathered them in. Before they knew it dawn was breaking. They fished all night but without success.
They were about 100 yards off the shore when a figure in the dim light of morning on shore shouted across the water “Did you catch any fish”. This is a normal question that people on shore often shout to those coming in from a fishing excursion. But this time instead of holding up a stringer with the fish or holding up the big one that didn’t get away they had to answer, “No.”
Then the person on shore said, “put your nets down on the right side of the boat and you’ll find some”.
Can’t you just feel the electricity of that moment? There was something very familiar about this. Three years ago on this very lake a rabbi had asked them to go out again and let down their nets after fishing all night. When they follow the instructions of the man on shore and pulled up 153 fish in one load it was Simon that literally climbed out of the boat and thrashed his way through the water to Jesus. The other disciples with a little more decorum pulled the boat up on shore to find Jesus with a fire cooking some fish and with bread enough for everyone to have breakfast.
This is the third time they have seen Jesus since the resurrection but it’s probably the first time they were together like this as they had been many times over the past three years as the wandered through Galilee, Samaria, and Judah on the way to Jerusalem.
Simon Peter had just a couple of weeks previous had deny Jesus three times as He was being tried in the Sanhedrin Courts. And now, Peter can’t wait for the boat to reach the shore – he is out of the boat racing to Christ. Why? Wouldn’t the natural reaction been to hide behind the other disciples in the boat? After all he had denied Jesus.
I believe this event shows us several important things that in the next few verses we will see explicitly stated – The first of which is that Peter loved Jesus and wanted to be with him more than anything else in the world.
Before we go on to look at what we learn about Peter and Jesus through this event I do want to point out an important lesson. Jesus had prepared breakfast for his disciples! John tells us (v9) that there was a fire with bread and fish cooking upon it. Yet John tells us that Jesus asks them to bring some of the fish they had caught, at his instruction, as well (v10). Again we could pass over this very quickly but I think we would miss a vital spiritual lesson. The meal would be partly what Christ had provided and partly what they had caught in obedience to His instructions.
Friends, Jesus provided it all – He directed them to the place of the shoal but they had to throw the net over the side and haul it to the shore.
Jesus always provides but our ability to enjoy that provision depends on our obedience and our willingness to work too! Remember that lesson.
When they have had their fill physically Jesus turns to Peter and begins the process of restoring Peter spiritually. Let’s read what John has recorded about this very intimate conversation.
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
John 21:15-17
15 When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John do you love me more than these?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, 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 A third time he said, “Simon son of John do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”
He said to him, “Feed my sheep.
What do we learn about Peter?
Peter Loves Jesus
So Jesus turns to Peter and He asks him three times ‘do you love me Peter?’. In these three questions and their answers a number of things are happening – all at the same time.
First we must notice that Jesus and Peter used different words – Agape and Phleo – to talk about this love. Much has been made of the fact that Jesus and Peter use different words for love in asking and answering the question.
Do you love me more than these?
Jesus is using the agape word describing selfless love and he is pointing to either the fish perhaps representing Simon’s former life or to the other disciples and making a not so subtle reference to the way Simon had in the past proclaimed his devotion to Jesus as higher than all the rest of the disciples.
I think it’s the latter. Simon had already left fishing for Jesus three years ago. Remember the warning of Jesus at the last supper. We talked about it last week. Jesus had quoted Zechariah and said that the shepherd would be killed and the sheep scattered. They he warned the disciples that they would fall away.
Do you remember what Simon had said? “All of the rest may leave you but I won’t!
What does he say today? Yes, I care deeply for you. He uses the pheleo word for love. Simon has learned humility. He cannot use the word agape and he will not say that he is more spiritual than those he has just eaten breakfast with by proclaiming his devotion in such a prideful way. In the past Peter had compared himself to the other disciples in declaring his undying devotion to Christ.
Today he humbly says, Yes Lord, I love you.
Do you love me?
The second time Jesus asks Peter he does not ask ‘do you love me more than these?’ But simply ‘do you love (agapas) me?’
Again Peter answers ‘Yes Lord, you know I love (pheleo) you.’ Once again Peter makes no boast just a simple declaration of love and he refuses to go to that highest love – this is definitely not the same man who watched Jesus heal a man let down through the roof of his house. There has been a transformation.
But the question is asked a third time.
Do you love me?
This time Jesus used the pheleo love word. Do you really love me? This time Peter’s answer is a little longer – verse 17. Peter states the fact that Jesus knows all things (including his heart) and therefore knows that Peter loves Him.
Peter is a called to be a servant
Friends listen to me at this point. There is a direct connection here between loving Jesus and being a servant caring for Jesus’ sheep.
He would be like the hireling whom Christ spoke of – who would run away when danger came because he had no love for the sheep because they are not his.
With each question comes an imperative: With the first question it is to feed the lambs. You are to give the little ones what they need to grow. Milk and the tender care the goes with it.
With the second question it was to shepherd the sheep. Protect them from predators, keep them from harm, nudge them the right direction when they wander off, hunt for them when they are lost, put salve on their sores, bind their wounds, lead them to the still waters and pick them up when they are tired.
With the third question it was to feed the sheep. Lambs need milk – sheep need good forage. Then need green pastures and the shepherd leads them carefully from one hillside to another valley as they travel through a wilderness filled with danger.
The sheep are not Peter’s. They belong to Jesus but unless Peter loves Jesus he will never love the flock of Christ.
That is true of all leadership in the church – it is service to the sheep – the people – who all belong to His flock.
If you do not love Christ you will not love His people. If you do not love Jesus you will not serve his children.
Lack of love for His people reflects your lack of love for Him. Let me say that again. Lack of love for His people reflects your lack of love for Him.
What do we learn about Jesus?
Jesus has forgiven Peter
Isn’t it amazing what Jesus asks Peter given what Peter has done so recently?
Why didn’t he ask him if he was sorry for having denied Him? Why didn’t he demand what Simon planned on doing to restore the broken relationship. After all it was Peter who had broken the relationship and he should fix it – right!
Yet, there is no sense of chastisement, rebuke, correction or “fixing the problem” here, there is just love and the desire to restore the one who had fallen.
Jesus had taught them that they were to forgive and now before the other disciples Jesus shows them again by not prosecuting Simon for his public denials..
Jesus does not consider failure final
Jesus reinstates Peter as one of his disciples. He restores him as the ‘rock’ in the group. Oh, Yes he had failed but that failure was not to be the end.
That failure was not to mean he would never again be a friend of Christ. That failure was not the end to his service for the Lord, nor of his leadership in the church. I think we would all do well to remember that this morning.
When someone fails us we need to gently restore them – predicated upon their love for Jesus –just like Jesus did.
Failure is not final with Christ. Failure is not the end of you relationship with Christ. Even denying Jesus before men is not the end of your relationship with Jesus this morning.
Jesus calls us all to his work
Jesus gives His humble servants His most important work – feeding and caring for his sheep
What do we learn about ourselves?
Our sins are forgiven and our failures are forgotten
Let’s go back to why Jesus asked Simon ‘Do you love me?’ Peter had failed Christ. He had made a declaration that he was ready to die for Christ, even if the others had deserted Him, he would not. That proved to be a false hope on Peter’s part. He had denied Jesus three times and three times Christ asked the question ‘Do you love me?’
Three times so as to wipe away the shame, the guilt and sorrow of Peter’s heart at the three denials. Christ did not gloss over or ignore what Peter had done. He removed the sin of it. He removed the guilt of it. He removed the shame of it from Peter’s heart and from before the minds of the other disciples.
He brought Peter back to where it had all begun – to the lake of Galilee, to a miraculous catch of fish and to a call to follow Him.
Being broken is the critical step that leads to becoming a humble servant
Jesus wanted Peter to understand and to know that his service for Christ would not be based on the strength of his faith or the depth of his faith but on the brokenness of his heart having been restored by love.
It was from the brokenness of denial that he was restored and it was out of his declaration of love for Christ that he was commissioned to leadership and servant hood. Here is where the ordinary fisherman named Simon became the extraordinary servant named Peter.
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
There are some of you and this morning that desperately need to hear what Jesus is saying. You’ve failed. You’ve let him down. You’ve fallen into sin. You have become complacent. And now You have been brought to a familiar place, your nets are empty, you are tired from all the toil and the labor which seems to be in vain.
[Big Smile] Good! Now you are ready for the question!
Do you love Jesus?
Christ this morning has brought you here to open an old wound, one which brings you deep shame and guilt. It’s preventing you from walking closely with Jesus.
It may be a sense of shame and guilt that is stopping you coming to know Christ and entering into his salvation this morning.
Your being here today is not an accident. Jesus has brought you to this place, to this point and to hear this sermon because this morning He would ask each of us this simple question:
He would ask it of you till like Simon Peter you are hurt, you are grieved that He would ask it again. He would grieve your spirit this morning in order that He might heal your spirit this morning.
He does not want to know the strength of your faith or the depth of you Bible knowledge – important and all as they are. He does not want to know what gifts you would bring to Him. He does not want to know what service you would offer.
He wants to know ‘do you love me?’
Let me ask you all this question – and please feel free to respond.
Do you love Jesus? [Response]
Do you love Jesus? [Response]
Do you love Jesus? [Response]
That is enough. That is sufficient. Now feed the lambs, tend the sheep, feed the sheep
Prayer time
Some of you are tired and weary from fishing all night and the boat is empty.
Some of you are feeling overwhelmed in ministry right now – the Kingdom Assignment is heavy. The HG project is too big. The friend who needs to know about Jesus is too intimidating.
Some of you are needing to answer the question and then to accept the call.
Come to the front this morning and answer the question, “Do you love Jesus”. Let us pray for you and encourage you.
