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| Today's Gospel lesson is like a hidden scene at the end of an Avengers movie, but even better! |
© Seth Olson 2019
May 5, 2019—3rd Sunday of Easter
At the end of last week’s Gospel lesson—which just so happens to be the text that immediately precedes today’s story—we heard the following words: “But these [things] 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.” Boom! End of story! Roll the credits…But, wait! There’s more! Today we heard another story—an additional bit of the Good News of Christ. Some scholars really think this story was an addition to the Gospel according to John. This makes me think of a hidden scene that happens after the credits in a movie, like the ones snuck into the end of The Avengers franchise. No Endgame spoilers, I promise. I haven’t even seen it. So, what we have today is bonus good news! But, what do we learn from this surprise passage?
This story is rich! It overflows with meaning—that and confusion! It’s a weird passage, and we’ll get to that in a minute. But, if you remember no other detail from today’s story, take this bit home with you: If we are going to fulfill our calling to go out sharing the love and ministry of Christ, we need the risen Christ guiding and sustaining us. Whether we are talking about casting nets for fish in the Sea of Tiberias in 1st Century Galilee or we are describing the modern day mission of All Saints’ Church in 21st Century Birmingham, we must have the risen Christ leading us and feeding us! Now, let’s see how Christ led and fed in this very strange story and how this bonus good news can guide the work we do as we follow Christ.
At the end of John’s Gospel account, after Jesus had risen, breathed the Holy Spirit on his disciples, allayed Thomas’ doubts, and shared peace and bread with his followers, a certain group of disciples went back to their old way of living—hold on, what? This doesn’t make sense! They didn’t immediately go off to share the overwhelming power of the Resurrection? No, not according to John. Isn’t this like winning the lottery and going back to work in a cubical? Maybe, but maybe they just needed something familiar for a few days. Regardless, they went fishing, and honestly they stunk at it!
Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples spent an entire night trying to pull in fish. A preacher I once heard, attested that night fishing is the best time to catch fish in the Sea of Tiberias. Somehow though these disciples had come up empty-netted. Maybe they were distracted by the risen Christ sending them out into the world or perhaps this story is not really about catching fish at all, whatever the case these previously professional fishermen went zero for an entire night. And so with nothing to show for their efforts, they made way for the beach.
Just after daybreak—that is to say right after the sun (Son) had risen (see what I did there? Ugh, terrible Resurrection humor...)—just after daybreak they came to shore, and who did they see? Well, they didn’t know who it was at that moment. So, a stranger yelled out to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” Hanging their heads, they said, “No.” The stranger recommended they toss the net on the right side of the boat. If it had been me, I might have said something snide under my breath, like, “You don’t think we tried the right side of the boat.” But, fortunately for this story, I wasn’t there because when the disciples followed this stranger’s command immediately their nets were filled with so many fish that they had a hard time controlling their nets. John, a.k.a. the disciple that Jesus loved told Peter that this guy on the beach must be the Lord and not a stranger. In this overflowing catch we see that the risen Christ was leading his followers onward, but what happened next is so strange that it deserves some unpacking.
As John told Peter that the person on the shore was the risen Lord, Peter realized he was naked. He didn’t know this before? This seems like a strange enough detail—and we’ll come back to it in a second, but then, Peter put on some clothes and only after this did he dive into the water. There weren’t bathing suits back then, so we’re talking about swimming in some sort of linen garment to the shore. WEIRD, right?! So, let’s jump back now. Why did Peter freak out about being naked in front of the Lord? He was obviously okay with naked fishing with his fellow disciples, but when Christ Jesus is spotted Peter puts on clothes. Why? He was embarrassed, he was scared, he was ashamed…
Peter recognizing his nakedness and reaching for something to cover himself hearkens back to the story of Adam and Eve hiding themselves from God in the Garden of Eden. In both stories the humans struggled with being vulnerable in front of God. Adam and Eve were ashamed because they had disobeyed. Peter was ashamed because he had denied. Even if Christ Jesus had risen from the dead overcoming sin and death, Peter was still carrying around his guilt from denying his relationship with Jesus three times on Good Friday morning. Peter was still stuck in that moment. He had not yet moved on from it. And so, he hid that most vulnerable part of himself—at least for a moment.
Now while Peter may have clothed himself, he did immediately swim to shore so that he could see the risen Christ. After the breakfast in which they had some fish—a few of the 153 that they had caught, which by the way Charles tells me is the number of different kinds of fish in the Sea of Tiberias, which is to say that God wants all of us together in one net—after this fish breakfast of champions the risen Christ went about untying and untangling the knot of denial that Peter had been ensnared in for days. Through a series of questions and callings we see not just Peter’s way forward but our own way. Jesus had fed his followers and now he was leading them into new life by leading Peter into forgiveness and beyond.
The risen Christ’s questions and Peter’s answers appear simple, still there’s more here than just a question and a response. Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Notice Jesus did not call him by his nickname “Peter,” which means Rock, as in the rock on which I will build this movement. Was this rock sturdy enough? The risen Christ was cutting through to who Simon-Peter truly was. Also, the risen Christ wondered if Simon loved him more than these? These what? These other ones on the beach seems the most obvious answer. And, perhaps through this the risen Christ was pointing out that Simon-Peter felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable and even naked around them, but not around him. Do you really love me more than these if you cannot bear your soul to me?
Peter replied to Jesus’ question by saying, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” To this, the risen Christ replied, “Feed my lambs.” In the subsequent questions Jesus’ calling is to tend and feed his sheep. In all three cases we find that connected to Peter’s love of Christ is a call to care. The same is true for us. Jesus led Simon-Peter out of his shame into a place of vulnerability where he was called to fed, tend, and love his fellow sheep. This trajectory, this calling is our own as well.
The risen Christ knows us even in our most vulnerable, naked state. Through Christ all of us were made. God has known us for forever. And in the moments when we like Peter deny Christ, God still sees us and still loves us. It seems no mistake that Peter on that boat had to go through the water and had to be nourished with a meal before he was fully restored with Christ. Doesn’t that sound a lot like Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist?
On this day when we welcome Magnolia Jane as a new member of Christ’s Body through the waters of Baptism, on this day when we are spiritually fed at Christ’s Table, we see that God is ever feeding us and leading us. And, like Peter we are asked, “Do you love me more than these?” If we respond, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” We will also hear the risen Christ calling us to fed, tend, and love our fellow sheep. The risen Christ is ever feeding us and leading us into feeding, tending, and loving one another. When Christ asks, “Do you love me more than these?” Our response then is “No, I love you through loving these!” Amen.
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