Lent Guide 3

Scripture: John 21:1-19 (ESV)

After [his resurrection] Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 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 will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

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, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him 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, “Tend my sheep.” 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Reflection: 
Second only to Jesus, Simon Peter is mentioned in the Gospels more than anyone. The first time they met, Jesus gave Simon the nickname “Peter,” which means “rock” (John 1:42). Like a great coach, Jesus was in the habit of affectionately giving out nicknames that stuck. This was also in keeping with the scriptural tradition that when people chosen by God for key leadership positions encountered Him, they received a new name signifying their new identity as someone marked as an instrument for God’s special purposes.

In the wake of his encounter with Jesus where Simon Peter was given his new name, many more memorable moments would follow. He received three calls: first to discipleship, next to evangelism, and then to apostleship. Three times on the night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied him. On the morning of his third resurrection appearance to the disciples, St. John remembers above, Jesus asks Peter three times, “do you love me?” And three times Christ recommissions Peter in front of the others, charging him care for his flock and “Feed my sheep.”

Of all Peter’s momentous moments with the savior this one may be the most significant for us believers today. Why? Without this encounter and without this reinstatement to apostolic leadership, there would be no church. Without this encounter, the disciples, though saved themselves, would have drifted back into their previous lives as fishermen rather than as fishers of men. Without the church that Christ builds upon the rock of Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Messiah,” the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:18), there is not a vehicle for future generations to hear his call to “Follow me.”

Appearance on Lake Tiberias – Duccio (c. 1255 – 1319)

In the panel above, a detail from the altarpiece at the Cathedral of Sienna in Italy, one of the greatest painters of the Middle Ages depicts this final scene in John’s gospel. Like stained glass, paintings were once used in churches not only for decorative purposes but also for didactic purposes. To the largely illiterate masses of mankind in the congregations of previous centuries, artists “translated” the scriptures into a language that all could “read.”

Here we see the others remain in the boat, hanging on to a sudden, amazing catch Jesus produces after a fruitless night of work. This miracle confirms the man on shore is no mirage; it really is the risen Christ calling to them. Heading towards him, they are reminded of another morning three years earlier when he provided similarly, also after a long night with no harvest.

This time, Peter doesn’t wait for Jesus to invite him to “come and see.”  As if dressing in the robes of rebirth in preparation for baptism, Peter quickly puts on his cloak, jumps right into the water, and makes straight for Jesus. In this moment, some have pictured Peter swimming; others have shown him wading (John records they were close to the beach). Notice above that in Duccio’s interpretation of the scene how he seems to include a visual reminder that the same Peter who disgraced himself with his denials of Christ is still the one who once walked on water with Jesus.

However you picture it, Peter goes into the water as someone who, when tested, couldn’t even bring himself to claim to know Christ. When he comes out of the water and is questioned again, this time, he confesses his love.

Once again warming himself by a fire, his life’s story is re-written. Once again, over a meal, Jesus will break bread and invite Peter to “take and eat.” While serving the same meal of fish and loaves that he once fed to 5,000 hungry souls in search of a shepherd, Jesus gives Peter back his commission to build the church, saying, “Feed my sheep.”

Perhaps it was this encounter with Jesus that Peter remembered many years later as he wrote to the new churches spread throughout the Roman Empire, encouraging them not to give up their race of faith in the face of worldly opposition and testing, saying, “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (1 Peter 2:25).” Perhaps it was this memory that stuck in his mind as we wrote to these words for you and me:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Contemplation & Prayer:
Close your eyes. Picture yourself coming to Jesus. Walking. Running. Wading. Swimming, if you like.

Pray:
Father God, thank for having mercy on me a sinner. Thank you for calling me out of darkness and into your wonderful light.  Thank you for making me your special possession.

Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd and Overseer of my soul, I love you. Thank you for calling me and for choosing me to take care of your sheep. Thank you for making me a part of your body, the church. I declare your praises, and I am humbled to be a part of your royal priesthood.

Holy Spirit, enable, empower, and equip me for my commission today. Grant me the supernatural strength and stamina to endure and to joyfully follow Jesus this week.

Amen.

Action & Invitation:
Today or throughout this week…

• Listen to I Got a Home In-a Dat Rock performed by The Moses Hogan Singers, selected by our Director of Music, Greg Hobbs, as a musical accompaniment to this devotion as you continue to wonder at God’s goodness.
• Read the Biblical book The First Letter of Peter (only five pages). This is one of Peter’s legacies left to the faithful to encourage and instruct us. If you are a believer in Christ, then you are one of the “elect exiles” to whom Peter is writing.
• Journal about what you hear God saying to you in this letter that the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to write.  As a member of God’s “royal priesthood,” reflect on how Christ is commissioning you to feed his sheep this Lenten season.

Additional Resources for Going Deeper

Continue to explore the spiritual practices with Dallas Willard’s definitive book, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. Willard helped re-awaken protestant evangelicals to the spiritual practices which he calls, “God’s time-tested measures for spiritual growth.”

*While we recommend these specific resources, this is not a blanket endorsement of everything these authors have written. We encourage you to read with discernment, always measuring insights against Scripture.