Questions for Further Thought

1. Based on the sermon, how would you encourage those who think they have sinned themselves beyond grace?
2. Why does Jesus forgive Peter but not Judas, even though Peter denied Him three times, but Judas only betrayed him once?
3. Is it significant that Jesus uses two different Greek words for "love?" Why or why not? Why does Pastor Kenny think it's not?
4. Why is it significant that Peter confesses his love for Christ three times?
5. Are you ever tempted to think that you need to be perfect in your own strength? What truths can you preach to yourself to fight that temptation?

John 21:1-19

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 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 as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on 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 of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out 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, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed 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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved 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 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Financial Update

Thank you so much for your faithful and generous giving this year. We thank God for a church of generous givers. With one week to go in our 2010 fiscal year, we now need about $950k by Friday, December 31, to meet anticipated 2010 Church & Missions expenses. Last year at about this same time, we needed about $800k. God promises to meet our need, according to his riches in Christ Jesus—personally and corporately. God is teaching us things through this about himself, about money, and about us. Please pray for means, pray for faith and generosity, and give as God enables faith and cheerfulness.

Faith Leading to Confession

From the moment of coming into this world at the first Christmas—by his perfect life, by is atoning death, and by his present work as our mediator—Jesus Christ “came …to save sinners” (that’s Christmas). I am drawn to this text because I believe it will benefit at least two kinds of people here today.

1. 1. People who have not received Jesus by faith because they believe they have sinned too greatly to be forgiven.
   2. People who have received Christ by faith already, perhaps long ago, but have lingering doubts as to whether they can be forgiven—again.

So my aim is this: that you might see Jesus by faith today in his self-revelation and his restoration of Peter. And in seeing Jesus, I pray that you might receive his grace for you, and, like Peter, be moved to confess in faith, “Lord, I love you.”

The Need for Restoration

Our text is the account of when Jesus, after his resurrection from the dead, revealed and re-commissioned Peter. Remember, the night before Jesus was crucified for our sins, he was betrayed by Judas, arrested by soldiers, and denied by Peter—just as he had foretold. Peter had denied Jesus, not one time but three times.

Before this awful event, Peter had been the disciple always mentioned first in the list, “Peter, John, James….” Once Peter said to Jesus, “Even though they all fall away, I will not” (Mark 14:29; cf. Matthew 26:33). But now, I imagine, he is pondering questions like, “What’s the difference between me and Judas—‘the son of destruction’ [John 17:12]?” He denied the Lord three times; Judas betrayed him only once.

Jesus had clearly taught, “Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). That is weighty. That is separation from grace. That is hellish. And while Jesus had also said to Peter, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32), that did not make it any easier to live with. It is not hard to imagine Peter being haunted by the guilt of his sins.

Now, this morning if you feel as though you have failed God, this text is for you. While your sin is great, the grace of God to us in Christ is greater. Just as Jesus sought out Peter after the resurrection to restore him, I believe the living Lord Jesus also seeks you out to reconcile you with himself, no matter how grievous or sinful your past has been.

An Appearance of the Risen Christ

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples on several occasions. This (v.1) is the third occasion. Unlike the guy on the radio who said yesterday that it really didn’t matter if Jesus was historical or not, Jesus made a point to prove his resurrection to his disciples by appearing to some 500 people. Here, in addition to his appearing, he has unfinished discipleship business before returning to the Father to continue his work as our mediator.

Peter declared, “I’m going fishing” (v.3). And six other disciples joined him on the Sea of Tiberias. So they drifted off into the darkness for a night of fishing. The scene looks just like the scene when Jesus first called them. Remember, Jesus had said, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). Yet here, we find them not fishing for men but fishing for fish.

The Call and Command of the Risen Christ

Standing on the shore within shouting range, Jesus called to the disciples. Verse 5, “‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’” They didn’t yet know it was Jesus calling, but he gave them a clue. Did you catch it? He called them “children.” Unfortunately, some translations (e.g., NIV) translate the word paidia in verse 5 as “friends.” I think that is a mistake. The word paidia is the word from which we get the word “pediatrics.” It means “children.”

Calling these grown men “children” is not a put down. Rather, we know from Jesus’ teaching that it is impossible to be a disciple of Jesus and enter the kingdom of Heaven (Mark 10:24) unless you turn and become like children (Matthew 18:3) and receive him in humble faith like a child (Mark 10:15).

Despite their efforts, experience and expertise, by the end of the night, the disciples had not caught one single fish. Not one. This same thing happened the last time they went fishing three years before when Jesus first called them to be his disciples. That night, too, they had fished all night with no success. And just like that time, as we will see here, Jesus told the fishermen where to catch fish.

Jesus said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some” (v.6). They did and their nets were so full of fish they couldn’t even pull them up.  Later, they were to count 153 large fish. Sometimes God frustrates us in the thing we feel most comfortable doing in order to move us into his good purposes.

Perceiving the Risen Christ

John figured it out and said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (v.7). The first time Jesus provided the miraculous catch of fish, Peter said, “Depart from me.” Here, rather than speaking words of separation, Peter put on his coat and dove in to the water (v.7). He swam 100 yards straight for Jesus on the shore (v.8). That is a beautiful picture. Where do you go when you have sinned? Go straight for Jesus in faith, not away. Peter knew Jesus and he knew he could be trusted with a sinner. Jesus had said, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).

The disciples still in the boat came to shore, bringing with them the catch of 153 fish (vv.8, 11). When they arrived, Jesus was on shore beside a charcoal fire, cooking fish and warming bread (v.9). Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught [and] …Come and have breakfast” (vv.10, 12). Verse 13-14, “Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.”

The Restoration of a Disciple

After breakfast, Jesus questioned Peter three times.

1. 1. “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (v.15)
   2. “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (v.16)
   3. “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (v.17)

What does the word “these” refer to in verse 15? It is ambiguous. If it refers to the multitude of fish it means, “Peter, do you love me more than your old vocation?” But if that is the point, why single out Peter and not the rest of the disciples? On the other hand, I think it is more likely that Jesus is referring to the other disciples; “Do you love me more than these other disciples?” Peter, after all, was the one who had said, “Even though they all fall away, I will not” (Mark 14:29; cf. Matthew 26:33). Is Peter still promoting himself as superior in loyalty to Jesus over the other disciples or has he learned a measure of humility required to serve Jesus in leadership? If so, Jesus could be promoting the humility it takes to effectively serve him.

Is there some significance in Jesus referring to Peter as “Simon”? Perhaps. The text doesn’t say. “Simon” was his given name. “Simon” was his name when Jesus first called him to be a disciple. “Peter” was the name Jesus had given him, meaning “rock.” However, “Simon the fisherman” was back to his old job, not his Christ-given calling.

The Response of a Disciple

Peter responds, each time to Jesus’ question by affirming his love.

1. 1. “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” (v.15)
   2. “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” (v.16)
   3. “Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time …and [Peter] said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’” (v.17)

One more detail, the word Jesus uses for “love” is the word agape. And Peter answers with a different word for love, phileō. In other words, “Peter do you ‘agape love’ me more than these?”  Peter replies, “Jesus, you know I love (phileō) you.” Agape is used 142 times in the New Testament; it is the word used for the love of God for the world in John 3:16. On the other hand, phileō is used only 25 times in the New Testament; it is the word from which we get the name “Philadelphia.” It refers to love, fondness, and affection.

Many have inferred that Peter is intentionally using a weaker word for love in his answer, trying to be honest with Jesus. In that sense, Peter would be saying, “Jesus, I love you like a brother,” or “I am very fond of you.” Rather than, “Jesus, I love you like God loves the world.” But, I would caution us from thinking that Peter’s word for love is (phileō) is too weak. It is the same word Jesus uses in John 5:20 when he says, “The Father loves [phileō] the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing” (John 5:20, NASB).

More interesting is how the Apostle John, in the previous chapter, uses the two words interchangeably (see also John 11:3, 5). John 20:2, “[Mary] came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved [phileō]” (NIV), and 21:7, “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved (agapao) said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’” (NIV). So we can say that Peter clearly affirms his love for Jesus, although he uses a different word. It is just unclear in the Gospel of John if the difference is significant or not.

Peter was grieved by Jesus’ three questions. The word means “cut to the heart.” It is no coincidence that Jesus asks three times, paralleling the three times Peter was asked if he knew Jesus. Three times Peter denied Jesus. Three times Peter here affirms his love for Jesus.

The Commissioning of a Disciple

Each time after Peter answers Jesus' questions, Jesus speaks a word of commission:

1.  
   1. “Feed my lambs.” (v.15)
   2. “Tend my sheep.” (v.16) Or rather, “Shepherd my sheep.”
   3. “Feed my sheep.” (v.17)

Feed the flock and tend or shepherd the sheep. In other words, Peter is here commissioned to do the apostolic “rock” work of building the church, which is recorded in the Book of Acts.

What are we to take away from this text?

1.  
   1. The Historicity of our Faith. Jesus was born, lived life, died his death, rose from the dead, and appeared to Peter and hundreds of others. It matters. Our faith is in the historical Jesus.
   2. Forgiveness. No matter how badly you have sinned, return to Jesus. Affirm your love for him. He will forgive you as he forgave Peter. His first question to you in assessing your repentance is this, “Do you love me?”
   3. The Incarnation and Reconciliation. In this text, there is something very beautiful about the incarnation, Jesus taking on flesh. Jesus came after Peter, his guilty, back-to-fishing-for-fish disciple. We can infer from this that we need to do this for one another as the “body of Christ” now here on this earth.
   4. Consequences for Sin? Peter does not dictate to Jesus the consequences of his sin. Rather, Jesus reinstates Peter. Peter does not reinstate himself. Likewise, when we have sinned, we need the word of Jesus to decide our timing for reinstatement to our ministry—we need one another as the body of Christ. “Confess your sins one to another….” No consequences? Let others decide.
   5. God Will Humble the Proud. “Peter—you who denied me three times—do you really love me more than these other disciples?”
   6. Jesus Asks Us a Key Discipleship Question. The question Jesus asks you today is not do you love Christmas, your presents, or your time off work? It is not do you love the church or your ministry? His question is, “Do you love me?” His aim is to capture our hearts. No matter how close to you Jesus may have appeared to be, no matter how long you have claimed to trust him, no matter how religious you appear on the outside, no matter how many times you have gladly been to church, no matter how long you have taught others, no matter how zealous for the Lord’s cause you have been—this question is fitting for Jesus to put to you and me. “Do you love me?”

Let the Lord search your heart today and give Jesus an honest answer. You know the reasons Jesus asks you today. You know the reasons he questions your love for him. Jesus, the one who knows all things, asks you right now, “Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?”

May God, by his grace, allow each one of us to answer with all honesty and sincerity and truth.