And this is eternal life,
that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3
Have you ever wondered about
your impact on people’s lives? Just how missed would you be if you were to
suddenly get up and leave a room? Would anyone even notice you were gone? Do
you take notice of the changes around you, or do you just let them pass and try
to move on. It’s sad sometimes when we stop to ponder that thought. Coping with
how to get on with life after something has happened is the subject of this
week’s study. Do we live in denial, or do we take notice and let change take
place in us? Maybe God is asking us to change into what He has created us to
be. He can work through anyone, even a fisherman who was once Simon, but became
famously known as Peter.
After these things Jesus showed Himself again to
the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael
of Cana in Galilee, the sons of
Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said
to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.”
They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they
caught nothing. John 21:1-3
Peter had just come from
this amazing adventure. He spent three years following Jesus, saw the most
amazing miracles, had literal God experiences, felt the intensity of his best
friend killed, and denying he even knew Him, and then seeing that friend come
back from the dead. Peter had experienced what all of history has been leading
up to…and what does he do? He goes fishing! Yet, it’s such a human reaction. He
was on his own without an instruction booklet, and what else was he going to
do. He still had family to feed, and Jesus wasn’t there to provide for him
anymore. He needed to go back to work. He made his announcement. This wasn’t an
excursion. It was his intention. He was going back to his old life, just like
we all do once the emotion has gone out of the experience.
Peter had a crew of six. He
could make it happen, pick up where he left off three years before when he and
Andrew were “Jonah and Sons” of Capernaum’s fisheries. His first night out wasn’t
working out like he hoped, but such was the life of a fisherman. Sometimes the
net is cast and nothing happens, sometimes the net is cast and pickings are
slim, sometimes the net is cast and the net is full but the catch must be
thrown back, and sometimes it’s all keepers. The job of the fisherman is to
throw the net. It’s the sea that delivers the haul. God owns the sea. This was
the lesson Peter still had to learn, even after all he had witnessed.
What about that
crew? Why is it we are, as my friend says, lemmings just following each other
about playfully into the holes of ruin? Why is it all it takes is one idiot to
stand up in a crowd and six others will agree to follow blindly? Why does
misery love company? Why do we give misery company? The answer is simple. We’re
fallen. We live in a fallen world. We reason with fallen minds. We need help! Just
know Jesus did promise us help. “And I will pray the Father, and He will
give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—“ John 14:6 Sometimes God needs to step in to help
us from helping each other right off the cliff.
But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood
on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any
food?”
They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the
right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it
in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved
said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the
Lord, he put on his outer
garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other
disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about
two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had
come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus
said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land,
full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so
many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet
none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the
Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise
the fish.
This is now
the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from
the dead. John 21:4-14
If you know about fishing
then you know that once the water warms the fish tend to go deep, and the
fishing is over. The morning came, the fishing was over, and there had been no
catch. Peter’s attempt at returning to what he could do to provide for himself
had been fruitless. It seems whenever we try to do things on our own we have to
learn this lesson as well, yet we keep trying. The world tells us we can do it.
All we have to do is dream it and we can achieve it. Everyone wins! And if we
don’t then it’s because “they” got in your way. My question is who is this
universal “they” that is in the way. I usually fail at things and don’t see a
line of people standing in front of me. It’s just me and the circumstances at the
time. The enemy feeds on these insecurities to divide and conquer. I bet there
was a little bit of dividing and conquering going on in that little boat. Peter
questioned himself. He felt lost and like a fish out of water. He couldn’t even
feed himself anymore. And now there were others depending on him.
Then a voice calls out from
the shore asking if they’d caught anything. If they had they’d be selling their
catch, or at least eating. He receives instruction. What’s crazy is how they
followed it. A man, from the shore, tells them where to fish, and they do it. He
was no less that a football field away and tells them to drop the net on right
side of the boat. It’s not like he could see fish from that distance. But they
obey. Why? They didn’t know it was Jesus. It must have been the authority in
his voice, the fact he called them children. We are missing that in our society
today, the willingness to obey has been undermined by a mistaken idea that we
have the right to question everything. In our continual questioning, we’ve lost
the learning process all together, because we’ve forgotten how to accept
knowledge and move to the next level. We keep digging deeper and all the while
the hole we’re in keeps coming down on us. God needs to reach in and pull us
out.
When they realize it is
Jesus, Peter loses himself and jumps into the water and swims to the shore, but
then has to go back to pull the fish in. He forgot the fish! In his joy he
forgot for one split glorious second, he was all about Jesus. We have to wonder
if he thought Jesus was back for good. He was there, providing for them again.
Breakfast was served! His need was met. He could rest and know that for the
time being all was good again.
Jesus was there, in the flesh, taking care of
Peter’s flesh. This shows us what type of man Peter was, impulsive. We see this
through the scriptures, that Peter was very driven by what was happening at the
moment. He wasn’t a long term thinker. There he sat, eating his breakfast,
content, for the moment. But moments end, and Jesus knew Peter would be in the
same position he’d been in just hours before when he was questioning himself,
at some time in the future, unless something changed.
Impulsive people usually
do impulsively fall apart very quickly. Peter was still in denial when it came
to his ability to stand. He was still sinking into the sea. He still hadn’t
answered the question Jesus had asked so long ago. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord,
save me!’ And immediately Jesus
stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of
little faith, why did you doubt?” And when
they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” Matt. 14:30-32 It was
this doubt that still caused Peter to hold something back from Jesus. And it
was time for Jesus to call him into account on it.
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, “Simon, son of
Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love
You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” John 21:15
Jesus had met his physical
need, his immediate need, but there was still an issue to be resolved within
Peter’s spirit. The first part of the issue was for Peter to define his
priorities. Was Jesus his priority? Jesus asks him if he loves Him more than
these. What was the these he was talking about? These guys, these fish, these
things, this life was all Peter knew. Did he love these more than Jesus? Peter
says that he does love Jesus, so Jesus tells him “feed my lambs”.
“Feed my lambs” has
all kinds of theological implications, especially coming from the Great
Shepherd. Considering that Jesus just fed his little lambs I think Peter got
the gist of the action. To feed means to meet the immediate need of someone,
the sustaining necessities of the very young and most vulnerable, thus the use
of the words lambs. It was a way of saying, “be a man and do what men do,
protect those who can’t protect themselves. Step outside yourself and look for
those you who need you.” Jesus began by having Peter look around at those
around him. Peter did have a concern for others, but was it because he was
worried about what others thought of him?
Many times, as
Christians, we fool ourselves into thinking we are concerned with others, when really
our concern is for our own perception of what others think of us, or how we can
get others to comply with what we feel they should be doing so they can fit
into the Kingdom of God. If they would just do what we think a ‘good’ Christian
would do than they’ll measure up and all would be well with the world. In truth
it’s not our standard they need to measure up too. It’s ourselves that needs to
measure up to a standard. But we fail to do so, so God had to do it for us. All
we are called to do is love Him, and feed His lambs. Give what we can, what He
has given us to give. Employ our gifts.
16 He said
to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love
You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” John 21:16
The immediate needs have been met, and Peter’s attention has
been drawn. Jesus asks a second time, and Peter responds a little more
vehemently. This probably echoed through Peter as he became a little defensive.
It was reminiscent to Peter that he was being questioned about his relationship
to Jesus. In his ears rang the haunting words he’d spoken, Now
Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not
also one of
His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” John 18:25 How often Peter had struggled with the
guilt of that night, of running off and not defending the One he had confessed
and received praise for just months before. He said to them, “But who do
you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you,
Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who
is in heaven. Matt.16:15-17 It appears there were moments when Peter’s
faith shined, but it had been sorely tried and found shaking on shifting sand.
This second question was troublesome to Peter.
Jesus knew Peter’s heart.
He knew the problem. It wasn’t a lack of love, it was a lack of identity. Just
how did he fit in God’s economy? He was just a fisherman. Yet Jesus told him to
tend his sheep. This was more than just a little thing. To tend was more than
feeding. To tend is an investment. To tend is to go long, head for the end
zone. The word sheep implies bringing the lambs into maturity. It was time for
Peter to think ahead and grow up. This was no longer about having his needs
met, but to lay aside everything, give it all up, and see to the needs of
others before himself. He was moving him from laborer to partner in the
business. Jesus was asking if Peter was sure he loved Jesus enough to buy in. A
shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep. “I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” John 10:11 Peter had to be willing to
give his life for the sheep. Peter didn’t see himself as a shepherd. He saw
himself as the sheep, a follower. He wasn’t supposed to do the work. He was the
work. Now, Jesus was telling him he had risen in the ranks to take on the work.
I imagine the fear that appeared on Peter’s face was very real as he was
beginning to understand the magnitude of why Jesus was asking him the question.
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, 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, “Feed My sheep. John
21:17
Peter grieves because just as three times he denied Jesus, he is
three times asked to confess his love for Jesus. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also
confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also
deny before My Father who is in heaven. Matt.10:32-33 This third confession left Peter knocked off his
shaking platform, he was once more pulled from the sea and lifted back into the
arms of safety. This time a commandment was given. “Feed My sheep.”
Jesus called Peter into covenant with him. The command given
of feed the sheep was the idea of a continual looking after of the flock of
sheep. Peter was no longer to go back to his old life. He was now married to
the ministry. We know he didn’t go back to the fishing business. He may have
fished from time to time, but he also worked as a tanner, and did what he had
to do to feed his family and others through some difficult times. He became the
shepherd Jesus called him to be, just as Jesus prophesied.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, when you
were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are
old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This
He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken
this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Then
Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also
had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who
betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to
Jesus, “But Lord, what about this
man?” Jesus said to him, “If
I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” John 21:18-22
Can’t you just see Jesus cupping Peter’s face with that last line
of the encounter and staring like a father just inches, nose to nose with
Peter, then giving him a gentle little slap followed by a rustling of his hair
and a hug? Jesus had said it twice before and He said it once more for good
measure, three times in all. “Follow me!” Jesus’ only desire for Peter, and for
us, is that we follow Him into His Kingdom, where our relationship with God can
be restored. God did not create us for destruction, but to have life in unity
with Him. Following means whole heartedly, without a second thought, stepping
out in the vast unknown. It’s ultimate trust, ultimate faith, ultimate love.
When Peter said, “Yes, Lord, I love you!” not once, but three times, he was
sealing the deal. It would and did cost him his life. His covenant with God was
made. The encounter with the Resurrected made a new man out of him.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. 2 Cor.5:17
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