Easter 3 Year C

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

The gospel story that we heard last week from John’s gospel had a very strong sense of finality to it. In case you don’t remember, it ended with this line “These signs are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”1 What a great ending! It really felt like the entire gospel was tied up with a pretty bow.

But wait there’s more!

“Our gospel story continues like a play when the curtain comes down and an actor steps out on the front of the stage to deliver an epilogue, a postscript to the drama that has unfolded before us. There seems to be some fear that we might have not gotten the meaning of all that we saw and heard, and so, one more unforgettable story is offered.”2

Our gospel text today starts with some of the disciples fishing at the Sea of Tiberias. This sea may sound familiar to you because it is the same sea by which Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed a crowd of more than 5000 people. The disciples fished all night, but did not catch anything. Then Jesus enters the story, but they do not realize that it is him. After some discussion, Jesus tells the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat and they catch a multitude of fish. It is in this moment that Peter realizes that the man who told them where to fish is Jesus. I imagine that when Peter saw the net full, so full that it was about to burst, that he had a flashback to the day where Jesus fed so many people with just a few loaves and fish.

When the boat reaches shore Jesus offers the disciples breakfast. Just as Jesus did before his resurrection, Jesus cares for his disciples and feeds them. While they are eating Peter and Jesus have an exchange in which Jesus acts Peter three times if Peter loves him. I believe that this happens for two reasons. The first is so that Peter can have another chance to proclaim his relationship with Jesus. Remember back to when Jesus was put on trial, Peter was asked three times if he was a follower of Jesus, and out of fear Peter denied his association with Jesus all three times. Now Peter has a chance at redemption. The second is so that Jesus can remind Peter, and the other disciples, that it is not enough to say that you love Jesus but that you have to take care of his flock.

Throughout the New Testament we, the people of God, are referred to as sheep. This is not a surprising analogy because Jesus was intentional about referring to things that the people could identify with.  Given the region’s dependence on an agricultural economy sheep, goats, and other farming analogies would resonate with the people.  The challenge for us is how do we relate to the story coming from a 21st century perspective.  For most of us, farming metaphors carry little meaning and are not very relatable, but I think that we can identify with the command from Jesus to Peter to take care of his flock. In order to better understand this commandment, we need to examine this metaphor more closely and pull apart the layers so that we can see that this commandment is still relevant today.  

What do we know about sheep?  They are docile creatures that live in herds.  They are used for their fur and for meat. They scare easily and need constant protection from wild animals. They also need protection from themselves, because they will wander far from home without knowing how to get back. While a shepherd leads them, it is being in community that gives them an identity.  For us, we too gather in community to seek comfort and support from one another. As part of this community we have a dual role to be both sheep and shepherd. We must be shepherds helping others along the way; we must pray for and give support to those whom we encounter not only outside these walls but inside as well. We also must be open to being shepherded as well.  We have to be willing to be led even it means being led somewhere that we are unsure of.  We believe that Jesus is the great shepherd.  He is the one who will search for us when we are lost and bring us back into community.  It is clear that Jesus wanted all of us to help. The disciples and eventually clergy act in the public role of shepherd, but we, disciples, laity and clergy alike are all shepherds that are led by Jesus.

We are entrusted with the mission of the church. That mission, given to us by Jesus, is to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. We do this by participating in the various ministries of the church, and by reaching out to our wider community. Like Peter and the other disciples Jesus, we are called by God to look after one another, even when we are not sure if we can do what is being asked of us. Near the end of our gospel reading, we hear Jesus say that when we are younger we are able to go where we want to go, to do as we please, and that when we grow older we will have to go where we do not want to go. I do not hear this as Jesus saying that we will be resentful as we grow older and have to do things that we do not necessarily want to do, but rather that there will be times in our lives where we must do things that are for the good of others instead fulfilling our own desires.

I believe that when we are taken places where we do not want to go, as our gospel puts it, we are taken to the edges of our comfort zone. It is at these edges were we are most able to hear the call of Jesus to follow him; to follow him into unknown territory so that we can grow. Think back to when each of the disciples were called. They had jobs they had to leave, they had family responsibilities that they gave up, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. And yet they followed.  They gave up the comfort of the routine that was their daily lives.  They could have easily said no and went about their business, but instead they followed and allowed themselves to be led into experiences that they might otherwise never have imagined.  Their journey to the edges allowed them to grow, to challenge what they already knew so that they could continue to grow deeper in faith and in love and strengthen the bonds of community that bound them together. They did this because they followed the call of Jesus, at whatever cost to themselves.

So what edge are you being pulled toward? Where is Jesus calling you to lead? Where is Jesus calling you to follow?

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John 20:31 2

Feasting on the Word Year C Vol 2, 421.