If you love do something!

John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

  

As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

  

After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know 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 replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

‘I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.’ In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’

Food for thought

Today's gospel is very revealing. It says, "Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night."

Why did Peter and his friends catch nothing that night? The answer is simple: they were fishing in the wrong place; Peter and his friends were just in a wrong place. And it was Peter who lead the others into the wrong place. He himself was already in the wrong place. In the beginning, Peter had made his boast that he would never forsake the Lord, (Luke 22:33-34). Yet, when the time came and Jesus was arrested, Peter, like all the others forsook Jesus and fled, (Matt. 26:56-58). That same night that he denied Jesus, Peter decided to follow the Lord and see what would happen. The gospel says that Peter was following Jesus "from a distance", that is, from a wrong a place. When Peter found himself surrounded by the Lord's enemies, it became hard for him to stand by his earlier boast. Eventually, Peter denied that he even knew the Lord Jesus, v. 69-74.

Like Peter, instead of staying as close to the Lord as we should, we begin to follow Him "from a distance." Such distance may begin as simply as missing Sunday (Thomas of last Sunday) a few times. It maybe that the Bible isn't opened and read as frequently as it ought to be. Wherever and however it begins, following the Lord from a distance eventually leads to wrong place. As if not bad enough, Peter lead others to a wrong place: Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

No one can catch fish if he is in a wrong place. Peter and his cronies fished all the night long and did not catch a single fish! Most of these men had been professional fishermen before they met the Lord and this must have been a devastating thing to have to deal with. They toiled and labored all the night and produced nothing of value!

After a long night of failure, Jesus stepped onto the scene and in a few minutes turned everything around and made things like they ought to be. He started to put everybody where they belong. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ And when they were eating, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. And there was a reason for that. It was three times that Peter denied his Lord, and it was three times that his Lord gave him the chance to affirm his love. Jesus, in his gracious forgiveness, gave Peter the chance to wipe out the memory of the threefold denial by a threefold declaration of love.

We must note what love brought Peter. (a) It brought him a task. "If you love me." Jesus said, "then do prove it by doing something for me." We can prove that we love others not by words but by actions. Love does not exist except in action; love without deeds is dead. (b) It brought Peter a cross. Jesus said to him: "I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go." The day came when, in Rome, Peter did die for his Lord; he, too, went to the Cross, and he asked to be nailed to it head downwards, for he said that he was not worthy to die as his Lord had died. Love brought Peter a task, and it brought him a cross. Love always involves action, and it always involves sacrifice. We do not really love until we do something for the loved; and the ultimate act of love is sacrifice, for as Jesus told us: no one has greater love than sacrificing one's life for the loved (John 15:13). 

The last things Jesus does is to give Peter this command, "Follow Me!" The last call is the same as the first. When Jesus found Peter and called him the first time, this was His command. When he re-commissions Peter, He issues the same call. This tells us that the Lord hasn't changed His mind about Peter, even when Peter denied him. The same with us; Jesus' love for you and me is unconditional. Jesus gives the same command to you and me today that He gave to Peter then, "Follow me!" All Jesus wants from you and me is following him, for no one goes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). To him be glory and honour and praise, for ever and ever. Amen.