Our current series is entitled Risen Indeed! We re working our way through the passages that recount the times that Jesus appeared to his followers after his resurrection. We ve taken a look at the Emmaus Road encounter, and recognized that Jesus is with us on our journey. That he doesn t leave us to struggle on our own, but instead walks beside us, breaks bread with us, teaches us. And we ve heard Thomas encounter with Jesus. We ve seen how doubt is not a deal breaker for Jesus - he understands our doubt, and shows up in the midst of it. We can put him to the test, and know that he will pass it. And we can know that our doubt, is a part of our faith. These aren t mutually exclusive - faith and doubt. Instead, we hold them in tension with each other. We recognize that Jesus invites us to follow him even though we doubt. Today, we read the encounter of Jesus and the disciples on the shores of Galilee. This is the longest of the encounter passages that we have. This is also one of the places that I have travelled to in the Holy Land. (FIRST SLIDE - Mrs. McCaig, Sea of Galilee) So of course, I have pictures. This is Mrs. McCaig, standing with her feet in the Sea of Galilee, at the location known as the Primacy of Peter - the place where the Risen Christ encounter happened. The next picture is my parents in that same place. (SECOND SLIDE - Mom and Dad, Sea of Galilee) As many times as I have been there, and as much as I feel I know a fair amount about the Holy Land, I am still amazed to stop and think that we can stand in the places where these events happened. Our faith isn t a fantasy. It s a history. Events that really happened. In a different time, but in a place that is very much part of our world, 1
and accessible to us. In this place, Jesus, after rising from the dead, appeared to his disciples. Right here. Right here. Today Joan read for us the events that took place when he appeared to them. John tells us: 1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called 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. So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 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. 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. I love that every time Jesus appears to the disciples, they don t know it s him. I wonder what it was that had changed about him that they didn t recognize him. In the Two Towers, the second Lord of the Rings movie, when Gandalf reappears after his battle with the Balrog, there is a moment when he is unrecognizable to Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas. What Peter Jackson did in the film, was to overlay Christopher Lee s voice with Ian McKellan s voice - so Gandalf speaks, but at first he sounds like Saruman. Then, as he continues to speak, Christopher Lee s voice fades out and Ian McKellan s voice becomes recognizable. Gandalf s friends recognize him. (THIRD SLIDE - Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White) 2
Still, Gandalf looks different - his hair is whiter than it was before. He almost glows. He s levelled up to borrow a phrase from the video game world. He s gone from being a grey wizard to a white wizard, and has power and knowledge and authority that he didn t have before. And I wonder if that is kind of what it was like for Jesus companions. He was Jesus, but he was risen. He had defeated death at death s own game. And somehow - in some way that the gospel writers never put words to - it changed him. How could it not? So Jesus keeps doing things in these encounters to help his disciples recognize him. In the Emmaus Road encounter, he broke bread and they suddenly knew it was him. For Thomas, he showed his wounds. At the sea of Galilee, he gives them a second miraculous catch. John tells us, 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. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish you have just caught. 11 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 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. The disciple whom Jesus loved, is John. 3
That s how John refers to himself - and just to make it clear, it s not out of conceitedness that John calls himself that. It s not his way of saying I m the best, I m the most loved, I m his favourite. It is John s confession of his own faith. That he knew himself to be loved by Jesus, that s his whole understanding of his identity. Instead of I think, therefore I am it s I m loved by Jesus, therefore I am. To put it another way - the thing that makes me ME, is that Jesus loves me. That s the chief mark of my identity. That s the thing you need to know about me. So John recognizes Jesus in this miracle, and he turns to Peter and says, It is the Lord! And Peter, true to his nature throughout the gospels, gets so excited that he jumps out of the boat. Peter was always the one to rush into the situation. Always the one to leap before he looked. The one who rushed into the tomb, the one who rushed out onto the waves, the one who now rushes ashore to be with Jesus. I imagine Jesus smiling, delighting in his friends. This is just SO Peter, to jump out of the boat. To rush ashore, because Peter was always rushing, always passionate and on the move. I also imagine Jesus delighting in the fact that his friends won t ask him who he is. This is the third time he s appeared to them, and it s as though they are finally starting to GET that he s alive. They don t want him rebuking them yet again, so they don t ask him who he is. Jesus invites them to sit and have breakfast with him, and here s where it all becomes quite interesting. John tells us, 15 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. 4
Jesus said, Feed my lambs. This seems simple enough - Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, and when Peter affirms his love for his Lord, Jesus gives him his instructions: feed my lambs. Jesus is saying, Peter, if you love me, you have to do something about it. Love is not just a feeling - a warm regard for another. It s a verb. It s action. It s a thing that must be done, and it s a thing that must be done over and over. Love, real love, is not counted in moments, but in years and decades of steadfastness. Action over and over and over again. There s this cartoon of an old couple that I love - (FOURTH SLIDE - cartoon) they re in the rain and clearly mad at each other, but the man is still holding the umbrella over his wife. It says - just because you are mad at someone, doesn t mean you stop loving them. Because love isn t just the emotions you feel - it s the actions you take. Emotions come and go. Sometimes what you feel isn t love. Sometimes what you feel is anger or hurt or shame or embarrassment or boredom. But love is what you do - holding the umbrella even when you re angry with the person you re holding it for. Feeding my lambs whether I am here in person or not. Doing the things that loving me calls you to do. It s a good conversation between Jesus and Peter. Short, and simple, but with great depth. But Jesus isn t done with this conversation. John tells us, 16 Again Jesus said, Simon son of John, do you love me? 5
He answered, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said, Take care of my sheep. It sounds odd to us - because this is essentially the same conversation they ve just had. Jesus asked, Peter answered, Jesus gives him his marching orders. So why the repetition? Is Jesus just trying to be REALLY SURE that Peter gets it? Maybe. The disciples often missed the point, you can t fault Jesus for wanting to make sure this sticks. But the words are slightly different. Jesus has said, feed my lambs" - which in essence means build up the faith of new converts. Then he says, Take care of my sheep. Which, if we aren t really paying attention, sounds like the same instructions as the first time. But the use of lambs and then sheep is intentional - as all things are with Jesus. He is saying, care for my followers, care for the church. That is, don t focus only on the newbies, provide care for those who are more mature in faith. Again, Jesus isn t done yet. John tells us, 17 The third time he said to him, Simon son of John, do you love me? 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. 18 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 6
you do not want to go. 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, Follow me! I love that Peter is hurt that Jesus would ask him three times. Days - mere days ago - Peter has denied Jesus three times. And not just a sort of shrug-off, low-key denial. He denied Jesus so intensely that he called down curses from heaven. That s like swearing on the grave of a loved one. You don t do it lightly. And yet, Peter is hurt that Jesus would ask him three times? I have to tell you, I m glad it was three times. There s a symmetry here. It s as if these three affirmations undo the denials. This time, Jesus responds with not only instructions, but a foretelling of what will happen to Peter. In essence, he says - it will not be an easy road, following me. Someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. Sometimes, following Jesus leads us down roads we cannot expect, and yes, into places we do not want to go. I am glad Jesus says this, because it s so real and honest. I m glad Jesus doesn t say - follow me and it will all be sunshine and fields of daisies and puppies. Jesus is honest, that sometimes our faith will cost us much. Sometimes we ll be led where we do not want to go. But Jesus went to the cross for us, he showed us the way to live sacrificially, to give all that you have for what you believe. It is good that we read this passage on Pentecost. This is the birthday of the church. And in many ways, this is Jesus giving the core values of the church to Peter. Feed my lambs - as the church, build up the faith of all the believers. Take care of my sheep - as the church, care for each other; serve each other as brothers and sisters in me. 7
Feed my sheep - even when it takes you to places you do not want to go. Follow me - wherever I lead you, for we are on this journey together and I will never leave you or forsake you, even when it feels like you are being led where you do not want to go. Let us pray. 8