The God of Second Chances
A Sermon Based on John 21:1-19
Rev. Deborah Troester, April 16, 2023, STHPC
When I was teaching high school English, I assigned my students to read The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. I wanted them to actually read the book and not just the Cliff notes, so I tried to make it sound exciting: one man’s heroic struggle against nature. Alluding to the movie Jaws, I hinted that it involved dangerous sharks. The next day, one of my most eager students came in, slapped the book down on my desk with a disgusted look said, “Eighty pages to catch a fish!”
Like the old fisherman in Hemingway’s novel, the disciples were also experts at their work. They knew where and how to catch fish, but this night they had had no luck. They had fished all night without catching a thing. But what were they doing there in the first place? After witnessing Christ’s betrayal, death, and resurrection, what were they doing fishing on Lake Galilee, as if none of this had ever happened? One pastor I know titled his sermon on this passage, “Gone Fishin’” and maybe that is just what they had done. I’m not a fisherman myself, but I know plenty of people who enjoy it. I don’t think for most recreational fishers it is the actual catching of fish that matters, but rather the peaceful contemplation of the water, the peace and quiet, fresh air and just being in nature that restores the soul. The camaraderie of friends working together through the night, must have also been a solace to the disciples, even if they did not catch anything. Fishing was a good way for them to take their minds off of all that they had been through, and the hopes and dreams that had been dashed with the crucifixion of Jesus. Despite a couple of post-resurrection appearances, Jesus was gone. Without his leadership, Peter and the others had reverted to what they knew best: fishing. At least it was something they could succeed at, or so they thought. But then, after a disappointing night, they came up empty-handed. Someone on shore called to them: “Friends, haven’t you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied, shaking their heads. “Cast your net to the right side of the boat,” said the helpful stranger. The fishermen knew that, depending on the light, sometimes people on land can see a school of fish better than those on the boat, so they did as he said. Or was it something in the stranger’s voice that they instinctively obeyed? No matter – they let down their net and it filled with so many fish that they had trouble hauling it in. Recognition dawned. John shouted, “It is the Lord!” Peter no sooner heard those words, than he jumped in the water and swam ashore.
How did they know it was Jesus? Perhaps they remembered another miraculous catch of fish, many months earlier, on the same sea. In Luke Chapter 5, a large crowd had gathered on the shore to hear Jesus. He asked Peter to to push his boat out a bit into the water and Jesus stood up on it, so that all could see and hear him. Afterwards, Jesus said to Peter, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter replied, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing.” But they let down the nets anyway and caught so many fish that the nets began to burst and the boat was about to sink. James and John came with their boat to help, but Peter fell to his knees, proclaiming, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” You may recall how that day ended, with Jesus calling Peter, James, and John to follow him, promising that they would become “Fishers of people.”
Yet, here they were, fishing again. It is as if they are being called a second time by Christ, who tells them, “I’m not through with you yet. There is still work to be done. You are not meant to go back to fishing as if nothing had happened. You are still called to be fishers of people. You are still called to follow me.” And, just like that day Jesus first called them, once again, they catch nothing without him. The message here: without Jesus all our best efforts are futile. We need his direction. We need to listen to his voice. We need to cast our nets where he tells us to, and if we do, the results will far exceed our expectations.
But why didn’t the disciples recognize Jesus at first? Well, it was still a bit dark – getting on towards dawn – and they were about 100 yards off the shore. Even when they got to shore, it seems that they were not sure it was him. Perhaps in his resurrected form, he did not look familiar, or they were simply too bewildered to comprehend what was right in front of them. We, too, do not always recognize Jesus, even when he is right there beside us, calling us to come to him, ready to feed us and to meet our deepest needs, then send us out to share his love with others.
Christ did not scold them for going fishing. He didn’t ask, “Why aren’t you out preaching about my resurrection?” Rather he met them where they were – cold, sad, tired, and hungry on the beach, and he gave them what they needed at that moment: “they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.” How many times had they eaten a similar meal together, as Jesus preached near Lake Galilee? I think this fish and bread was comfort food for them. Perhaps it felt like the old days, when they were walking the roads of Galilee preaching and healing with Jesus. The fellowship would have warmed their souls like the charcoal fire provided warmth against the chill morning.
But the charcoal fire may have had less pleasant associations for Peter. After all, it had not been that long since he stood around a charcoal fire outside the high priest’s house. One of the women servants there asked him, “You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” And Peter denied it. Twice more he was asked if he was a follower of Jesus, and twice more he denied it. Then, in the distance, a rooster crowed, reminding Peter of what Jesus had said at the Last Supper, “Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.” Scripture says that Peter “went out and wept bitterly.”
Peter must have wondered if Jesus would ever forgive him. After breakfast, the conversation Peter had feared occurred. Jesus asked him “Simon Peter son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter must have felt ashamed, thinking about his unfaithfulness to Christ, that terrible night, but he answered, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus replied, “Feed my lambs.” Again, Jesus asked him, “Do you love me?” Maybe Peter was hurt that Jesus asked him a second time, but he answered, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Tend my sheep.” A third time, Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” Peter must have been in agony that Jesus would ask him this three times. “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Once again, Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep.” What is happening here? You will have noticed the number three: Three times Peter denied that he even knew Jesus. Three times Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to proclaim aloud, before the other disciples, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Of course, Jesus had already forgiven Peter, but he wanted Peter to know that. He wanted Peter to have the chance to make up for denying him before others; now, sitting around a different charcoal fire, as morning dawned, the risen Lord gave Peter a second chance. To make it clear that he forgave him, Jesus gave Peter a task – something that would allow Peter to actually show his love for Christ – shepherding his flock, tending his sheep. In this way, Jesus acknowledges Peter’s role as leader among the disciples, and shows that he still trusts him.
Theologian N. T. Wright tells how a friend offered to help wash up after a dinner party. Wright told him to sit and rest, but he insisted.
Then it happened – the friend broke a new crystal water jug that they’d just been given. He was apologetic. Wright and his wife were devastated. It was a special gift and not easily replaced. Later, although they had been angry about the broken jug, they decided they would invite him again for a meal. Afterwards, they asked him to help wash dishes and, once again, handed him a towel. Wright says, “He looked at us with a stare of disbelief. We smiled. He helped. It was fine.” Wright concludes, “The most remarkable thing about [this interchange between Jesus and Peter] is that, by way of forgiveness, Jesus gives Peter a job to do.” Jesus shows that he trusts Peter to do it. At the end of their conversation, Jesus says once again what he said that first day they met on the Sea of Galilee, “Follow me.”
Christ forgives us as well. Like Peter, we may think we have done something that can never be forgiven, but this story shows us that God’s love and forgiveness are always available. God gives us a second chance, and a third, and a fourth. We also need to give others second chances as well. If we claim to follow Jesus, we, too, must forgive.
As Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” He taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” Of course, that doesn’t mean that we must continue to allow someone to abuse us; we can remove ourselves from the situation and still forgive; we can pray for that person and wish them well; We can refuse to hate, no matter what someone has done. God does not expect us to stay in an abusive relationship, but God does expect us to forgive.
Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves and give ourselves a second chance. During the depths of the pandemic there was a phrase trending on Instragram #giveyourselfgrace. It means give yourself permission to forgive your mistakes, lapses in judgment, and hurtful behavior, because no one is perfect. Of course, we may need to take an action, such as repairing a relationship, apologizing to someone or taking responsibility for our actions. But if God gives us a second chance, and more, we need to give ourselves a second chance as well. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Take some time to sit with Jesus, confess your sins, and ask forgiveness. Imagine you are with him, there on the lakeshore, sitting around the fire, sharing fish and bread. What is he saying to you?
Like those disciples on Lake Galilee, early that morning, we might not always recognize that the risen Christ is with us, but he is. He is ready to feed us spiritual food. He is ready to forgive us the ways we have failed him. He is ready to give us work to do. And he still calls to us, “Follow me.” Amen.
© Deborah Troester, 2023