Let me tell you something: Easter Week 3

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Easter Week 3

Psalm: Psalm 30
Acts: Acts 9:1-6, 7-20
Gospel: John 21:1-19
Epistle: Revelation 5:11-14

In the Gospel of John today we have another story about Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection. In fact this is the third and final appearance that John relates. We have all no doubt heard countless sermons on this text. Generally the ones I have heard focus on two elements. The first one is the idea of the "charcoal fire" that Jesus had ready on the shore and comparing that to the charcoal fire Peter stood around on the night Jesus was arrested. Similarly, sermons have often also focus on Jesus asking Peter three times, "do you love me?" Especially expounding on Jesus use of the word "agape" the first 2 times, and finally using, "phileo" the third time. Hopefully you all are tracking here and can recall sermons or reading something about these points. They are definitely great places to go and reveal a lot about Jesus, the disciples, ourselves, and even the author of the text.

I however want to focus on a slightly different theme and one which I can't recall a sermon on. In the Gospel of John there are only two times where the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias as John calls it, is mentioned. The first incident occupies the first half of chapter 6. First, Jesus is said to be on "the other side of the Sea." (vs. 1) And it is on this beach where Jesus feeds the five thousand. You might remember that John's telling of this event is different than the other 3 Gospels. (This miracle, other than the resurrection, is the only miracle found in all three Gospels.) Jesus involved his disciples, particularly Philip, "to test him," to see if they would find the food. (vs. 6) They find a little boy with some fish and bread, and Jesus turns those two simple ingredients into enough to feed the great crowd.

After that we read of Jesus walking on water out to the disciples in a boat. The significant line is Jesus saying to them, "It is I," fear not. The Greek word there is "I Am;" a testament to Jesus confessing his divinity. Finally, after Jesus and his disciples arrive on land again on another beach, Jesus and the crowd engage in a discussion of the food Jesus provided the previous day. Jesus delivered the line that he is "bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger." (vs. 35) Jesus will deliver a bread from heaven that is even greater than the manna that Moses gave the people.

After these verses, the next time we see Jesus or the disciples on a beach is here in chapter 21 after some of the disciples were fishing again. Apparently there were 7 of the 11 there and even after seeing Jesus twice after the resurrection they had returned to their normal livelihood. The first two times hadn't affected their lives enough to prevent them from returning to the comforts of their former profession.

However, just like last time they were on the beach, Jesus provided them with food. "Throw your nets on the other side of the boat," he tells them. They bring in so many fish they're not even able to haul in the net! When they get to the land, Jesus had already laid out a breakfast for them. And guess what, it was bread and fish! It is as if both Jesus, and definitely the author of John, wanted to draw the disciples and the readers attention back to the events of the feeding of the 5,000.

The words of Jesus that he is the "bread of life," seem to be a big deal to John because in the closing scene of his Gospel he evoked the events of ch. 6 and has Jesus providing food to his disciples. I think this works on 2 levels. First, Jesus provides for our physical needs: bread, fish, the warmth of a fire. But also Jesus provides for our spiritual needs: Simon Peter, do you love me...then shepherd my sheep. Jesus is all we need. (Notice now also that at Jesus' third and final appearance there is a commission and a potential change in the disciples.) In the closing verses of ch. 6, Peter gets it right, and if we can truly understand and live his words we would be OK: