May 5, 2019 - Third Sunday in Easter - Jesus' Third Appearance to the Disciples

This week there was a pulpit swap between Pastor Ray and Reverend Becca Farrester of St. Paul's United Methodist Church - Milwaukie, Oregon. So Pastor Becca led worship and gave the sermon this Sunday at Creator.

The service started with Kelly Carlisle's composition Come As You Are. The song contains these lyrics "...Satisfy the thirsting of your soul, you don't need to be afraid, you don't have to be ashamed. Just believe that there's a a way for you - to come as you are". Words that both called to mind Creator's expansive Affirmation of Welcome and dramatically underscored a message in today's Gospel reading.

John's account of the third appearance of Jesus to the disciples who were night fishing is nothing short of astonishing. The strange details included definitely point to a higher meaning than might initially be attached to the story.

For example, why record that Simon Peter was naked and put on some clothes and jumped into the sea? Or that there were exactly 153 fish. Or that the net was not torn?  Why, when the disciples did not know that it was Jesus, they caught nothing but when he said, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." they were not able to haul the net in because there were so many fish. Nets don't normally work that way when fishing. A miracle, yes, but...

Pastor Becca mentioned that there were 153 nations known to the Greek/Romans at that time. Given that meaning, this appearance / miracle foreshadows Peter's dream of unclean food as recorded in Acts where Peter was taught by this vision that God has removed the barriers once erected to separate God's people from the surrounding nations. The gospel that the disciples now shared was meant for all people. And, of course, this emphasized even more that this passage can be about something more than the disciples' night fishing work.

Especially when focusing on Simon Peter, this is more than a simple appearance account centered around the disciples fishing on a certain night. This passage takes place by the Sea of Tiberias or the Sea of Galilee. The language here is reminiscent of when Simon Peter was first called to follow Jesus while he cast his fishing net into this same sea. At that time Jesus said “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” This was also the place where Jesus walked on the water. During that moment Peter tried to get out of the boat, started to walk, and became afraid. As he began to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me." and Jesus stretched out his hand and held him.

Something special happens for Simon Peter in this Gospel reading when considering those past experiences. He is naked in the boat and, in the Gospel, this is an important detail. Certainly he is not only without his clothes but without the physical presence of Jesus as he knew him in life. Peter previously relied on Jesus' physical presence to sustain him. After the fish are caught and hearing  "It is the Lord!" now Peter puts on his own clothes and jumps into the sea. He is no longer afraid of leaving the boat and is not relying on the physical Jesus he knew that held him when he tried to walk on water in faith.

Jesus says to Peter, "Follow me." and this describes Peter's post-resurrection way of following his God. Peter, in this account, begins to recognize that Jesus is beyond a physical body as his presence on earth.

Pastor Becca preached about this being a story about the disciples changing from their initial perspective to a perspective Jesus gave them when calling from the shore. This may be why Thomas, being among those disciples at both the second and third appearances, becomes important. How Thomas reacts helps with an understanding Pastor Becca's suggested perspective change

Think about Thomas, during Jesus' second appearance. when he declared to Jesus "My Lord and my God!!" . Contrast this with this third appearance where none of the disciples,, including Thomas, dare to ask Jesus, "Who are you?" 'because they knew it was the Lord". Why include this detail and why would the disciples, particularly Thomas, now be reluctant to identify Jesus if this is simply eye-witnessing Jesus as they fished?

There is an explanation if this is deeper than the disciples fishing. This could be about the disciples telling the story of Jesus early on when they were first "catching people" on their own They may not, at this stage in presenting Jesus to the world, have dared to testify themselves about Jesus' resurrection when they talked about Jesus' life and teachings. They may have feared that those first listeners would hear it like the disciples first received the women's news from the tomb - as an idle tale.

Following up on this idea they could have told the story from what Pastor Becca identified today as a "Good Friday" perspective. Bearing witness to an abbreviated story of Jesus, without the miracle of his resurrection, would still have been a powerful story for the disciples to tell.

If the disciples finally overcame their fear of how others would take the good news and shared their "Easter" perspective and appearances they experienced, then these details take on incredible meaning. Those that heard this gospel did not treat the disciples' good news as an idle tale. The net becomes a metaphor for the faith that held all of them to the Gospel and the net did not break. Everyone was held by and had faith in, the resurrection of Jesus. This becomes a different, more powerful story. People hearing this full story willingly take up their own crosses as they become followers of Jesus.   

This flows seamlessly into what Jesus next teaches, "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 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.)"

This comments on Christianity right up to this day. At first we choose to believe what we believe based on how we encounter the world. This was true of Peter when he was fisherman before he was a follower of Jesus. When Peter fastened his own belt he was acting from his faith in Jesus as a man who called him to follow. This Gospel is about how he is being called to a new faith in a post-resurrection Jesus. This is made clear as the account continues with an invitation to breakfast.

After the breakfast / communion by the charcoal fire. (with every appearance meal after the last supper calling up images of communion), Jesus questions Simon Peter. I normally shy away from how Bible texts are translated because I don't know the ancient languages firsthand. In this case, however, I do know there are at least three different words in Greek to express love, like agape and phila.

I remember a teacher, who was fluent in Greek, pointing out once that there are two different words being used for love in this passage. The teacher defined these as conscious, or chosen love, versus mechanical or relational love which was based on the role someone plays in your life. An example of this kind of love would be the love of a child to a parent which is partly society defined and duty-bound.

This is how that teacher identified in English the two Greek words used in this passage:

"Simon son of John, do you love me (consciously) more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. (mechanically) " Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me? (consciously)" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. (mechanically)." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me? (mechanically)" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?(mechanically)" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.(mechanically)".

This has stuck with me over the years as another example of Jesus meeting people where they were in their spiritual lives, at the moment, and affirming them there. As Jesus said in Matthew "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". Everyone comes as they are

What I marvel about in scripture is the expansive language like this and references. There are other reasons why Jesus may have asked Peter "Do you love me?" three times. Some associate the three questions to the three times Peter denied Jesus and that absolutely works to explain why Jesus would ask the same question. There can be a both / and acceptance of what is meaningful in a passage and, whatever the reason, both lead to a restoration of relationship after the denial.

This whole both / and acceptance may be applied to this entire passage. This may be taken as a report of the disciples returning, at least at first, to their previous vocation. I have heard many inspiring sermons based on reading this passage in exactly that way. Either interpretation provides the means to truly encounter, find meaning in, and respond to this story. These ways to find meaning actually compliment each other. Your heart can make the choice that calls you at the moment or you can follow both.

Whatever that choice is, as Pastor Becca preached in her sermon, the story for Peter, and for us, moves from some prior cold night with a lonely charcoal fire of denial to a charcoal fire of hospitality and an invitation to breakfast by Jesus.

To quote Diana Butler Bass, “This is what Christians say in the face of death and despair. Sit and eat. Partake of God's endless abundance. The table has seats for those gone before, those sitting on the beach even now, and all those yet to be born. Come and feast."