Third of Easter 5-4-25 Gospel: John 21:1-19
1 After [he appeared to his followers in Jerusalem,] Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 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.
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.
9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 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. 12 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. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 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.” 16 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.” 17 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. 18 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.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Grace is the love we can never earn but it is given to us by our Lord Jesus so we may also share it with others.
We can see that things are not yet back to normal for the disciples. They were commissioned by Jesus to go out, to share the good news of the empty tomb, to embrace the peace He offered and to spread it around. They had received the fresh breath of the Spirit so they could believe that Jesus is risen! [ ] Yet we can tell that they are still grieving not only the experience of Jesus crucifixion but also the loss of the way it had been for them during those last three or so years. They are stuck in the ways things were and maybe doing some reminiscing. Peter, so often the leader and the one who voices his ideas, decides to go fishing! Afterall it is what he knows best. Several other of the disciples join him for a night of unproductive toil and waiting on the water. They have returned to the very place that many of them were first called by Jesus to follow him, there at the Galilean Lake, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. At this point that call must have seemed ages ago. They don’t know what to do with themselves, they cannot find the direction that Jesus had provided them. They are relying on comfortable memories.
Now there is a guy on the shore who seems to know they have had no luck on this fishing expedition. He tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat, promising them a successful catch. Why would they listen to him? They are the experienced fishermen, and they know you don’t put out nets on the far side, away from the shore. They know this body of water; it is Galilee that has a well-earned reputation for sudden squalls that can make for a treacherous ride. But they had no results all night so have nothing to lose; it seems, they are discouraged and desperate for something, anything, to happen, so they do it. With their net straining at the amazing haul of fish, one disciple wakes up to the fact that it is actually Jesus who has given them these directions, that produced amazing results. He tells Peter, “It is the Lord!”
The others have looked to Peter as their leader and he has demonstrated many such traits that make him a good choice. I can’t help but wonder if we aren’t being told that even faithful leaders can be a bit goofy and uncontrolled at times. We can be quite sure that Peter was not feeling confident about what their next steps should be. It becomes clear that they can’t go back, there is nothing to be gained from that. They feel catch between fear and a lack of direction at this point. They don’t know the way to go forward. Peter puts his clothes on, jumps in the water, and swims madly to shore, to get to Jesus. I’m not going to touch the revealed fact that Peter had been naked in the boat, I’ll leave that to you!
What the writer, John, is leading us to see is that none of us have all the answers for creating a plan to move forward. We must put our trust in the word of our Lord. We are to listen to him. We work together, we share in common meals – like a good pot luck, and we strive for patience as we are being directed by our Lord. We learn This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (Jn 21:14) We, like the disciples, know that Jesus is risen! [ ] Yet that faith does not immediately clarify what are next steps in life are to be. It doesn’t magically create the path for a good leader to take, in the church or outside of it. We need to listen to Jesus’ admonition of Peter. “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Three times he asks him, so that Peter felt hurt because of the need for such repetition. To follow Jesus is not ever automatic, not for Peter and certainly not for us. It will take love that blossoms into forgiveness for the sheep of the flock and for the lambs yet to come into the flock. Let us answer with Peter: “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” And “Tend my sheep.”
It can be painful, the realization that we will be confronted with the question numerous times in our life. Yet, like Peter, there are times when our answer has not been the affirmative expression of our love but more like the denial of Peter, to even knowing Jesus. Thank the Lord we are also given opportunities to start again, to be washed clean as we jump back into those waters of Baptism, and are found to be given a brand new day.
The Connections publication has shared an interesting ancient tale about this life, how it unfolds, and how it can be changed. You will see how it illustrates our relationship to our Lord, who comes to us with grace.
Harun al-Rashid was one of the world’s great Islamic rulers, a caliph of great power and influence, who ruled over what is now Iraq and Syria.
According to one story, King Charlemagne gifted the caliph with a most perfect rose. Rashid turned the precious plant over to his master gardener who planted it with great care. When the gardener was about to cut the first blooms to bring to the caliph, a crow swooped down and ate the rose bush. The terrified gardener went to the caliph. He begged his master’s forgiveness for what had happened. Rashid assured the gardener that he would not be punished. “What happened, happened,” the caliph said, “but the bird will meet the same fate as the rose.”
The relieved gardener returned to his work. Days later, while planting new flowers, he found the crow dead in the grass. The bird was half-eaten by a snake. Amazed, the gardener reported his find to the caliph. “This is the way of the world,” Rashid sighed, “but the snake will meet the same fate as the crow.”
The gardener returned to his work in the garden. A few days later, the gardener suddenly encountered the snake. In a panic, the gardener struck the snake with his axe, killing it instantly. When the gardener told the caliph what had happened, Rashid again sighed, “Watch. One day you will have to deal with what you did to the snake.”
Sometime later, the caliph’s guards arrested the gardener for a serious crime. The gardener was brought before Harun Rashid who sentenced the man to death. The gardener pleaded for his life.
“Remember, my lord, what you told me about the rose, the crow and the snake, and I find myself in the same position, Now, you will deal with me. But, my Lord, when you have executed me, what will become of you?”
The all-powerful caliph was stunned. Should he kill the man and deal with the consequences — or release him and perhaps change the future for the better?
Harun al-Rashid relented and pardoned the gardener. “Real strength and nobility,” the caliph later said,” is to choose forgiveness when it is your power to exact revenge.”
(Connections, May 2025)
Jesus offers Peter the chance to start again, to make amends, to repair the fissure in their relationship — not for Jesus’ sake, but for Peter’s. Unlike the caliph’s story, our Lord willing even died for us, to permanently break that cycle of punishment, fear, and death. We have been forgiven because of Jesus’ love and now we are to pass that along to others.