There was once a young man who seemed to have a promising future. But one day his uncle called up his grandfather to let him know, your grandson is in the newspaper. And not in a good way. This young man with the bright future, began to head down the wrong path, so it seemed. And more incidents occurred, so much so this young man was labeled as bad, or as no longer able to make something of himself. It was too late for that. He’d done too many bad things. He needed to wear the label, of one who was unworthy, the bad one. Of course I refer to my own story.
This is the 7th of our 7 part Resurrection series. We first looked at the raising of Lazarus, how Lazarus shined as a bright example of Jesus power, so we too shine as an example of Jesus power today. 2nd we looked at the triumphal entry of Jesus, and saw how a gathering can form a revival, and we too sought the Lord to revive us as a church. 3rd we studied the death of Jesus, and saw how as Jesus died, we too must die to self. 4th we looked at the resurrection, how Jesus raised us to new spiritual power. 5th we looked at the Emmaus road, how lost dreams can be replaced by new dreams, 6th we saw how Jesus gives us perfect peace to heal our doubt. Now today, we tie it all together, with the concept of loving restoration.
We will be in John 21:1-19 today.
This would be the last time the disciples would see the resurrected Jesus.
Three years earlier, there was a man named Simon, a young man, working as a fishermen on a lake in Galilee. He must’ve felt like he was called to something more. But he did his best to make ends meet for himself and his wife, and sick mother in law. Yet one night he fished all night, and caught nothing.
That day a mysterious rabbi approached his boat, telling him to cast his nets one more time. Simon was struck by this man’s words and threw his net, and the catch was so huge, they could barely pull the net from the water.
This was his first meeting with Jesus. After this miraculous catch, Jesus commanded Simon to follow him. Three years later, we come to our scripture today, which deals with Peter’s last meeting with Jesus.
From John 21:1-3: Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.”
This is where Peter, James, and John made their living. They grew up on the lake. And Peter decides he’s going fishing. Just like what he used to do. We never see Peter fishing from the moment he started following Jesus, but now, here he is, going back to what he used to do before following Jesus.
What is going through Peter’s mind? Has he given up? More so, perhaps, does he feel he is not worthy?
“I failed Jesus at the critical moment, when he was arrested. I’m not worthy to lead the disciples anymore. I’m going back to my old life of fishing.”
Sometimes I think we too, after we’ve had a personal failure, think, well, I’m not worthy to follow Jesus. I’ve failed him too many times. But… the story doesn’t end there.
We keep seeing in this series, Jesus’ resurrection is not confined to himself alone. His victory keeps getting applied like balm to the hearts of others, whether it’s Mary at the tomb, or the two disciples on the Emmaus road, or Thomas in the house, this resurrection life keeps flowing from Jesus to others.
Second part of verse 3, “So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.”
They fished all night, not a single one. Have you ever gone fishing and caught nothing? It’s pretty frustrating. Just one, even a little one would be enough! But nothing at all is tough.
It feels like Peter goes back to what’s familiar here. It is so easy to cling to what’s familiar in our lives. For better or for worse. If we’ve developed a pattern of faithful prayer and worship attendance and evangelizing, and that’s what’s familiar, and we keep defaulting back to it, that’s amazing.
But what happens when what’s familiar isn’t God’s will? This is the great struggle for someone who was raised in abuse. A child raised in an abusive home may often end up in an abusive marriage, because it’s what they’re used to. It’s so familiar, they default back to it.
Same with drug addiction or alcoholism, their life was rewritten over years, to center around the use of a substance to feel safe. And any attempt at escape from that lifestyle is so hard, because it feels so unfamiliar.
Peter, I believe, goes back to what he knows.
How often do we do that as believers? We’ve been transformed, made new, but, we sometimes drift back to old ways of doing things that aren’t of God.
Next, verses 4-5: 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
At dawn, Jesus shows up. The sun is rising barely, still so dark. Yet they can make out this figure on the shore calling out to them.
Jesus could’ve said well, Peter let me down, so I really can’t trust him anymore. Time to move on, put someone else in charge. But instead, Jesus comes to the water’s edge, with a plan to take action in Peter’s life.
Jesus does the same thing for us, when we’ve failed in some way, he calls to us.
Next, verse 6: He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Jesus is doing something very special here. He is replaying the original incident in which he called Simon Peter. But it’s also symbolic of something much bigger.
Next, verses 7-8: 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
Simon Peter’s response here to jump into the water, is so Peter in every way! It just matches his personality. But I think more so, it reinforces the narrative we’re seeing, of Peter thinking perhaps he was unworthy.
But suddenly he’s filled with hope, and takes off toward Jesus. For those who feel unworthy today, God hasn’t left you, he’s coming right toward you.And I encourage you to join Peter in his response to the incredible restorative love of Jesus, by running, swimming, crawling, whatever you gotta do, toward Jesus.
Don’t let that lie of “I’m not worthy” keep you away from your savior. Run toward Him.
At the same time, scripture does command us in numerous places, to live in a way worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1, Phil 1:27, 1 Thess 2:12). So, we do want to make sure, by God’s help, we are living a lifestyle matching our calling.
Yet Peter lived unworthy of the gospel, you might say, by denying Jesus, but, Jesus still comes to him.
Next, verse 9: “9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.”
This moment, of breakfast with Jesus, it calls back to the last supper moment, where Jesus told Peter, you will deny me three times. Yet despite that moment, and what happened after…
There is now a new meal. Breakfast.
It reminds me of that scripture from Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
It also brings to mind the marriage supper of the lamb. Revelation 17:18, “For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.”
Next, verses 10-11: 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.”
Many have wondered at the meaning of the number 153. Could it symbolize the number of nations that the gospel would go out to? An early church writer Jerome indicated that Greeks had a listing of 153 types of fish, symbolizing completeness, the gospel going out to all peoples everywhere.
Whatever it may mean, I think it must symbolize the spread of the gospel throughout the nations.
Next, verses 12-14: Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.”
They were now sure of it, no question remained, this is Jesus, he is Lord, and he is risen. They eat breakfast by the water, with the sun rising in the east.
This is pure love. He comes and serves them breakfast. It shows us how much Jesus loves us, and particularly Peter, the one who had failed him. Yet Jesus did not view him as unworthy, he viewed him as worthy of redemption. This is divine restoration.
Next, verses 15-17: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “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 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
In front of the other disciples, Jesus begins to question Simon Peter, asking him a simple question: Do you love me the most of everyone here?
Peter answers yes. Jesus asks him a second time, do you love me?
Peter again answers, Yes Lord, you know that I love you.
Each time Jesus reminds him his leadership role: Feed my sheep. What does he mean? Feed them fish and bread? No, he means to feed them his word, to engage them in discipleship, like Jesus did.
Who fed the sheep while Jesus was on Earth? Jesus did. Now, as Jesus departs, Peter will feed the sheep.
A third time, Jesus asks Peter, do you love me?
Second part of verse 17: 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.”
Why did Jesus ask him three times? Because while Jesus was arrested, three different times, when Peter was asked about Jesus, Peter said, “I don’t know him.”
He denied his savior three times. And Jesus here, does not ignore that sin, he doesn’t condemn Peter either, but, he draws Peter toward repentance, toward changing his actions, by asking him such a simple question, “Do you love me?”
Peter answers three times, I do love you. This is Peter’s act of repentance, to turn away from the three times when he said he didn’t know Jesus. Which is a major thing, really. We’re told in scripture one of the worst things we could do as a Christian is to deny our Lord and Savior.
Yet here we see such deep love from Jesus, to restore Peter to his role of leadership. Not by avoiding the sin issue, but by walking him through it to repentance, and complete redemption.
If you’ve felt unworthy, maybe the devil has been lying to you. Because God has called you for a purpose.
But, maybe if you’d felt unworthy, there is something God wants to redeem in you. Something he wants to restore in you. Come running to Jesus. He’s waiting at the shore to meet with you about it. And to set you free.
We see Peter go on to live a life of victory, never again denying his savior, but standing boldly for him, to the very end.
Next, verses 18-19: 18 Very truly I tell you, 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.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.”
Jesus gives Peter a hard word about his future. It sounds like Peter used to love going for walks, long walks, such a feeling of freedom. And Peter is told, one day, you will be taken forcefully somewhere you don’t want to go. You’ll be killed, and this death will glorify God.
Let me ask you this: Is everything perfect once you’re a Christian? Everything goes great once you give your life to Christ? Of course not! We go through terribly difficulties and problems. These trials test and refine our faith. We walk through a world that does not know us, because it didn’t know Jesus. Life isn’t easy. And for some like Peter, they will be called to make the ultimate sacrifice, to die for Jesus.
Some of you maybe already have been martyred in a way, you’ve been through such horrible sufferings, it was like a sort of spiritual or emotional death. Life is very hard sometimes. And Jesus knows that.
I love how God knows our whole story. He tells Peter I saw you when you were young, going for your walks wherever you wanted, and he sees the end, where Peter would be arrested and killed. He sees it all.
Lastly, second part of verse 19: Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
I’ve heard it said, I think it was on the Chosen series, “I’ve only got one thing to do today: Follow him, the rest will work itself out.”
I think that’s true. We’ve been restored by God’s love. We know we who overcome, are worthy in Christ to receive all things as our inheritance, says the word of God (Rev 21:7).
And now in loving restoration through our failures, we understand our identity: Loved completely. Worthy to be called children of God. Worthy of redemption. Worthy of Restoration. Worthy of Divine Love.
And now today, tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, the goal is “follow Jesus.” Follow the one who loves us. Take up our cross. Listen for His voice. Obey His voice. And live and walk the way Jesus did. We do it gladly, because his love for us is so complete. This is discipleship, to follow Jesus.
And that is also, what our next series will focus in on, the lifestyle of discipleship, following Jesus through the leading of the Spirit.
