Farewell Peter
John 21.1-22
We come this morning to our final sermon in our series on Simon Peter. I hope you have found them of benefit to you spiritually.
The Scene.
Peter has denied Christ Jesus in the courtyard of the High Priest. Jesus has been crucified and has risen from the dead. He has appeared to the disciples and instructed them to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them. John takes up the story in verse 1 of chapter 21. Simon has announced (verse 3) that he is going out to fish and the other disciples follow after him. They fish all night but without success. Simon is always one for activity isn’t he? He is never content to sit and wait. The Lord had told them to wait and it would appear that Simon decides to make some profitable use of the time. I don’t know if Simon was being disobedient or whether it was a case of going back to the familiar. Maybe, just maybe Simon decided to go back to where it all began for him – the call to follow at Lake Galilee. Here he is again back where it had all begun. It had begun with a miraculous catch of fish after a fruitless night and that was to repeated here again. Maybe there is a lesson there for us all. After we have fallen and denied our Lord the place to go is back to where it all began, back to where He first called us to follow Him. Certainly for Simon and the other disciples Lake Galilee and the surrounding area was full of memories of times spent with Christ. I think I would err on the side of going back to the familiar – there is a sense of security in this for them, especially at this confusing time.
Whatever the reason here they are once again toiling all night to no avail. Then just as they are heading in to the shore a voice calls out to them asking how it had gone. They reply they had caught nothing all night. Here again we will see the provision of the Lord for His disciples. It was no accident that they had toiled all night and caught nothing. A hard nights toil and empty nets brought them to a place where they were ready to listen to the instructions of the Lord concerning casting their net one more time. They needed empty nets to respond positively to the instruction to cast their net over the right side of the boat. They needed again to learn the lesson of total dependence on Christ for their needs – both physical and spiritual. He then instructs them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat and immediately the net bulges (v4-6). Immediately John recognises that it is the Lord Jesus. He is quick to recall the miraculous catch when they were first called and here again it can only be the Lord. He recognises Jesus by His Word and by the fact that it brought about the miracle of the catch. It is as Jesus had said in John 10 ‘my sheep hear my voice and know my voice and obey my voice.’ He tells Peter (v7) and Peter is quick to act. Peter wraps his outer garment around him and climbs out over the side of the boat and swims to Christ..
Again I think there is a simple lesson for us all there. Stop and think for a moment who this is that climbs over the side of the boat and swims to Christ. This is Simon Peter whose last conversation in the presence of Christ was to deny Him three times. Peter cannot wait for the boat to reach the shore – he is out of the boat racing to Christ. Why? Wouldn’t the natural reaction been to hide behind the other disciples in the boat? After all he had denied Jesus. He had promised to die for Him but had ended up denying Him. But friends does this not show you two things?
Firstly the love that Peter had for Jesus and secondly, and more importantly, that the presence of Christ (even after you have failed Him), is irresistible. I think we should remember that when we fail. It wasn’t Peter’s love for Jesus hadn’t failed it was his faith (resting in his own strength) which had failed. This is important because in restoring Peter Jesus will ask not about his faith, nor his strength, nor how sorry he is for having denied Him – but about his love for Him. Don’t you find that yourself with Jesus? When you have failed Him He still loves you. When you have denied Him He still loves you. Maybe this morning that is actually what you need to hear more than anything else. He loves you this morning and what He wants to know of you this morning is ‘Do you love me?’
Peter Restored.
When the disciples reach the shoreline with the huge haul of fish they notice that breakfast has been prepared by Christ. John tells us (v9) that there was a fire with bread and fish cooking upon it. Yet John tells us that Jesus asks them to bring some of the fish they had caught, at his instruction, as well (v10). Again we could pass over this very quickly but I think we would miss a vital spiritual lesson. The meal would be partly what Christ had provided and partly what they had caught in obedience to His instructions. Friends Christ provides it all – He directed them to the place of the shoal but they had to throw the net over the side and haul it to the shore. He provides but the other side is obedience and labour on their part and ours. Christ provides the sustenance and the nourishment but obedience and hard work are not left out of the equation. Remember that lesson.
When they have had their fill physically Jesus turns to Peter and begins the process of restoring Peter spiritually. The provision of physical sustenance after a hard toil in the darkness of the night to no avail sets the background for the restoration of the dark night of the soul that Peter had experienced in denying Jesus. How Peter needs this restoration. Every time a rooster crowed, every morning in fact, he was reminded of us denial and the guilt and shame just got heavier. Every rooster crow was another twist of the knife in his soul. In order to be restored the wound would have to be reopened.
So Jesus turns to Peter and He asks him three times ‘do you love me Peter?’ Much has been made of the fact that Jesus and Peter use different words for love in asking and answering the question. I am not sure it is justified. John uses each word Agape and Phileo interchangeably in his gospel. I believe the key is actually what Jesus is asking and Peter’s response.
Look at verse 15 – READ. Jesus, and no doubt Peter also, remembering how Peter had compared himself to the other disciples in declaring his undying devotion to Christ, asks Peter if he loves Him more than the other disciples do. I truly believe we see humility here in Peter. In his answer he does not compare himself to anyone else. He simply states ‘Yes Lord, you know that I love you.’ He simply states that Jesus knows his heart. Jesus knows he denied him but he knows Peter’s heart – and his heart is of love for Christ.
The second time Jesus asks Peter he does not ask ‘do you love me more than these?’ But simply ‘do you love me?’ Again Peter answers ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Once again Peter makes no boast just a simple declaration of love and of the fact that Christ knows his heart.
We read (v17) that Peter was hurt or grieved when the Lord asked him a third time ‘Do you love me?’ This time Peter’s answer is a little longer – verse 17. Peter states the fact that Jesus knows all things (including his heart) and therefore knows that Peter loves Him.
Isn’t it amazing what Jesus asks Peter? He did not ask him was he sorry for having denied Him? He did not ask him what he was going to do to restore the broken relationship. After all it was Peter who had broken the relationship and not Christ. There was no sense of chastisement here, just love wishing to restore the one who had fallen. Jesus had taught them that they were to forgive and now before the other disciples He shows forgiveness to the one who had denied Him so publicly. But I want to stop you there for a moment. None of the other disciples were present when Peter denied Jesus. None of the other disciples knew anything about it – only Peter and Jesus knew. So Peter had to have told them and so Christ restores him publicly before them. He reinstates Peter as their leader. He restores him to the position of ‘rock.’ Yes he had failed but that failure was not to be the end. That failure was not to mean he would never again be a friend of Christ. That failure was not the end to his service for the Lord, nor of his leadership in the church. I think we would all do well to remember that this morning. Failure is not final with Christ. Failure is not the end of you relationship with Christ. Even denying Jesus before men is not the end of your relationship with Jesus this morning. He may bring you to a place, a familiar place, where you have toiled all night and ended with empty nets – so that He can open an old deep wound in order to heal it and restore you to a right relationship with Him. I will come back to that at the end of this sermon.
Each time that Peter answers in the affirmative to Christ’s question concerning love Christ commissions him to a task within the church. Firstly he is to feed the lambs, the young and vulnerable of the flock. Those new in the faith who need the milk of the gospel and who need constant nourishment if they are to grow. They are unable to seek out their own food at present and rely on the shepherd providing sustenance for them.
Secondly he is to ‘tend the sheep.’ That is he is to look after the more mature in the faith. They will need guidance and protection. There are occasions when they will have wandered off and need rescuing from the dangerous situation they have found themselves in. There will be occasions when they will have got totally lost and he will need to leave the 99 and go in search of the one that has lost its way.
Thirdly he is to ‘feed the sheep.’ He is supply the needs of the mature members of the flock. This will require hard work of searching out green pastures and still waters. It will mean being a leader to them and directing them according to the voice of the one true Shepherd. John 10 says that the sheep of Christ recognise His voice. Peter was to feed the sheep – by speaking the Word of God to them.
Whilst each time Jesus asks Peter about his love for Him the questions descend the commissioning ascends. Friends listen to me at this point. If Peter did not love Jesus then he could not and would not feed lambs, tend sheep or feed the sheep. He would be like the hireling whom Christ spoke of – who would run away when danger came because he had no love for the sheep because they are not his. The sheep are not Peter’s they belong to Jesus but unless Peter loves Jesus he will never love the flock of Christ. That is true of all leadership in the church. It is true of all leadership and service within Holy Trinity. If you do not love Christ you will not love His people. Lack of love for His people reflects your lack of love for Him. Let me say that again. Lack of love for His people reflects your lack of love for Him.
Conclusion
I want to finish this sermon by going back to why Jesus asked Simon ‘Do you love me?’ Peter had failed Christ. He had made a declaration that he was ready to die for Christ, even if the others had deserted Him, he would not. That proved to be a false hope on Peter’s part. He had denied Jesus three times and three times Christ asked the question ‘Do you love me?’ Three times so as to wipe away the shame, the guilt and sorrow of Peter’s heart at the three denials. Christ did not gloss over or ignore what Peter had done. He removed the sin of it. He removed the guilt of it. He removed the shame of it from Peter’s heart and from before the minds of the other disciples. He brought Peter back to where it had all begun – to the lake of Galilee, to a miraculous catch of fish and to a call to follow Him. He wanted Peter to understand and to know that his service for Christ would not be based on the strength of his faith or the depth of his faith but on the brokenness of his heart having been restored by love. It was from the brokenness of denial that he was restored and it was out of his declaration of love for Christ that he was commissioned to leadership.
Friends this morning that is so true for many of you here today. There are some of you and this morning you have been brought to a familiar place, your nets are empty, you are tired from all the toil and the labour which seems to be in vain. Christ this morning has brought you here to open an old wound, one which brings you deep shame and guilt. One which this morning is hindering your walk with Christ. One which for some of you is actually hindering you coming to know Christ and entering into salvation this morning. Christ ahs brought you to this place, to this point and to hear this sermon because this morning He would ask each of us ‘Do you love me?’ ‘Do you love me?’ ‘Do you love me?’ He would ask you that question for everyone of the times you have denied Him by your sin, by your silence, by your actions, by your words, by your thoughts and by the attitude of your heart. He would ask it of you till like Simon Peter you are hurt, you are grieved that He would ask it again. He would grieve your spirit this morning in order that He might heal your spirit this morning. Peter knew the joy of being restored that morning on the shores of Galilee. That same Jesus stands before you this morning and His desire is that you too might know that joy of restoration this morning.
He does not want to know the strength of your faith or the depth of you Bible knowledge – important and all as they are. He does not want to know what gifts you would bring to Him. He does not want to know what service you would offer. He wants to know ‘do you love me?’ The answer to that question my friends is the very heartbeat of your relationship to Him and with Him this morning. The truth is that is the deepest question we all long an answer for. When I turn to Christ and ask Him ‘do you love me?’ He stretched out His arms on a cross and said ‘I love you this much. Do you love me Alan?’ This is the truth not that we first loved Him but that He first loved us. ‘Do you love me?’ How will you answer this morning?
