John 21:1-19
On Easter, we heard the story of the first witness to the resurrection, and how her encounter with Christ prompted the first Easter acclamation. Last week we heard about a very well-known encounter with the risen Lord, in which one doubts and is given the gift of face-to-face proof that his beloved friend has not been taken from him forever. This week, we have two more encounters- the revelation and conversion of Saul on the road, and the appearance of Christ to some of his disciples at the seashore. In each case, we see how the risen Christ continues to make himself known to people in miraculous and simple ways. Each revelation is particular to the needs of those who receive it, tailored to reach the deepest parts of their hearts and open them to the Good News. And still, although the encounters with Christ are deeply personal, they are not individual. Mary was sent to the other disciples, to bring them the gladdest of all tidings and reveal the defeat of death. The disciples shared their experience with Thomas, and brought him to a place where he could encounter Christ for himself and confess him as Lord and God. Ananaias is sent to Saul, to heal him of his unbelief and open his eyes to the truth of the Gospel. When Saul is baptized, he gathers with the other disciples in Damascus and proclaims Jesus as Lord to all who will listen. And on the seaside, when Jesus has called and fed the disciples from the sea and helped them regain their strength, he commissions them to once again follow in his footsteps.
To encounter Christ can be an incredible, personal, individual experience. And, if it is truly an encounter with the risen Lord, it does not stay that way. No sooner do we become convinced of the truth than we become incapable of keeping it to ourselves. Like Mary we must run to our friends and tell them what we’ve seen. Like Thomas we must cry out “My Lord and my God” for all to hear. Like Saul we may become remade, a new person seeking a new community that understands the catalyst for our renewal. And many of us, like Peter, are called to a feeding ministry. There is no distinction made by Jesus between the ministry of feeding bodies and the ministry of feeding hearts and minds. Jesus provides the miraculous catch of fish, and the warm fire, and the hot meal. He also provides the opportunity for redemption. Both are equally necessary for life and for ministry, and both precede the call to evangelism. The disciples must be fed before they can feed. They must receive the tender care of their shepherd before they can tend his flock.
After a hopeless night of casting nets and pulling them back empty, the encouragement from the voice on the shore to try one more time must have felt eerily familiar to the seasoned disciples. When the nets instantaneously fill, one of them puts it together and cries out “It is the Lord!” Overcome, Peter dresses and throws himself into the water, racing to the Lord as he had raced to the empty tomb. We can imagine this encounter with the resurrected Jesus must have been fraught for Simon Peter. The joy of seeing his friend again clouded by the shame and regret of the remembered denials swirling in his heart. Peter did the one thing he swore he would never do- he abandoned Jesus. He had the opportunity to stand in solidarity with his friend and instead he turned away. When given a chance to make a different choice, to go toward Jesus instead of turning away, Peter does not throw it away. He rushes headlong into the presence of his friend, and brings with him the catch that grounds that presence in reality. Jesus is not a figment or a ghost- he is here, and he’s brought the abundance of heaven with him.
“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
“Feed my lambs.”
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
“Tend my sheep.”
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
“Feed my sheep.”
And so the shame of the denial is redeemed by love. Peter’s forgiveness comes in the form of a commission, an invitation to follow Jesus in a new way. The one who both confessed and denied him, the one who was always missing the point by a hair, the one who loves Jesus imperfectly and with everything he’s got- this is the rock on whom the church was built. A man plagued with inconsistency and guilt and arrogance and sincerity is charged with the care of keeping of Jesus’s own flock. Like all the leaders in the church from its beginning to this very day, Peter was a human being, a sinner in need of forgiveness, and a sheep in need of the Good Shepherd’s care and guidance. He was a follower of Jesus, and that meant he was not called to serve alone. When Peter answered Jesus “I love you,” Jesus responded with a call to action in community. Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. Follow me. To love Jesus is to be a part of the flock. To love Jesus is to serve our fellow disciples. To follow Jesus is to feed one another, wherever there is hunger of the body or the heart. My friends, we are in a hungry world. Let us keep the feast.
Mother A Writes 