TAKE IT INTO THE WORLD

A Sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter
April 22, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry

John 21:1-19
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 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 after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to 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 there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish 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, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared 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." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt 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. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me." (NRSV)

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today, on this Third Sunday of Easter, our Gospel tells us of an experience Peter and a group of other disciples have with Jesus. By this time, they have had several of these witnessing-the-risen-Christ experiences. Last Sunday we heard about how Thomas, who had missed the first appearance but not the second, learned a great lesson about faith. We would think that after these appearances—proof of Jesus' resurrection from the dead—the disciples would immediately have hit the road to proclaim the incredible news of the resurrection—that they would have been so charged up that they couldn’t wait another moment to begin their new lives.

Well, this hasn’t happened yet. In this last chapter of John's Gospel, and only a short time after the resurrection, we find the disciples gathered again on the shores of Galilee. This is exactly where they had been when they were found by Jesus three years earlier. What are they doing back there? Shouldn't they be doing something different with their lives after spending three years with Jesus and witnessing him in his astonishing resurrected form?

We don't know what was going through the minds of those disciples gathered on the beach. They have seen Jesus, they know he is not dead, but instead of doing something about it, they have returned to what they knew best, to what was most comfortable for them. Perhaps they were still trying to come to grips with what’s happened. Perhaps they needed to gather once more in a place that was familiar so they could work out some of their thoughts and questions by doing something they knew by heart: fishing.

Here the story sounds like one we have heard before. The disciples spent the night fishing but caught nothing. Just after daybreak they had heard someone call them from the shore, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" A strange question. Evidently the person standing on the shore knew they had no fish. "Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some." A strange command but, again, one we have all heard before. We know the rest of the story. They hauled in a boatload of fish, the net did not tear despite the weight of the catch, and suddenly they recognize the Lord.

Jesus is on the beach with breakfast ready for them. He instructs Peter to add a few fish from the catch they had just brought in. And as they share this simple breakfast on the shore, their lives change radically. In this moment captured in the Gospel we see them sharing a meal with Jesus, similar to the last supper they had with him before he died. This meal launches them into action to go out and begin spreading the Good News.

Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?”

Peter responds, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

Jesus says to him, "Feed my lambs."

Just when you think the conversation is over, Jesus asks him again, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter insists, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

Jesus says to him, "Tend my sheep."

But, my goodness, Jesus asks poor Peter the question a third time, “Do you love me?"

By now, Peter feels hurt because it seems like Jesus doesn’t believe him. Exasperated, he says, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."

Jesus says again, "Feed my sheep.”

Now, I must admit, this part of the story has always bugged me. It just reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom would use this scripture against me. She would interrupt whatever I was doing and say, “Laura, do you love me?” and I would say “Yeah, Mom.” And she would say, “Clean your room.” And, believe me, this little routine of ours would usually go on more than three times until I would eventually be worn down and I would finally stop what I was doing and go clean my room.

So why does Jesus ask Peter that question three times? Is he trying to wear him down like my mother did to me? Doesn’t he believe him the first two times? Does it have to do with the fact that, at the time of the crucifixion, Peter denied Jesus three times? What?

Jesus, it seems, has a mission here. He knows that Peter is a sinner, an imperfect disciple who got going when the going got tough, but he also knows that he can use him to proclaim the gospel. But he demands of Peter that his love be not simply a warm feeling—but that his love be transformed into action to “feed my sheep”. Jesus’ work of sheep feeding has just begun. Now, it is up to Peter and the other disciples to take over the job. Following is about feeding.

We, too, are charged with the same commission he gave the disciples: continue the work begun by Jesus. We too must realize that the good news is not just for me—it is for everyone. Remember, last week Jesus said to the disciples, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." We are part of that blessed group who have not seen Jesus in the flesh, and yet we do believe and want others to believe, too.

We have just been through the season of Lent and have celebrated the great Sunday of Easter. Lent is a time when we, like the early Christians, should consider the promises we have each made in our Baptismal Covenant. Have we been living out those promises? Where can we begin again to live them more faithfully? The eyes of our faith still need to be opened as we work on sharing Jesus' message with others.

The disciples had a long road ahead of them. They couldn't begin to imagine how their preaching and teaching would continue through the centuries. They couldn't imagine how society would change and how people would have to change with it—while still keeping the message of God's love constant and true.

We have many opportunities to further the reign of God today in our church and our world, to feed God’s sheep—but many things to distract us from it. We are called to continue in the apostles' teaching, to persevere in resisting evil, to proclaim by word and example the Good News, to serve Christ in all people, to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being. In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, many people are searching for hope and meaning. We wonder how we can find our humanity again when such barbarism occurs. We wonder how we can find peace in a violent world. Jesus says to us, “Feed my sheep.” Reach out to the hearts that are hurting and give them my love. Don’t keep it to yourself.

Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, the story goes, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn't able to buy it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner's home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked. Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector's emotions were deeply stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It's yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it." 

This is what Jesus says to us: My love is yours. You can enjoy and and find peace in it, but you can’t keep it to yourself. You’ve got a bigger call than that. You must take it to the world. Take it into the world, and let people hear it. 

And now, may the peace which passes all understanding keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

© Laura E. Gentry 2007