Do You Love Me?

This was the last sermon I preached at my field site on April 28, 2010. The lectionary passage from the Gospel of John was full of images and ideas. So many that I think I tried to do too much. But in the end, the message, I think, is a good one.

John 21:1-19

¹After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. ²Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. ³Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered
him, “No.” ⁶He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. ⁷That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. ⁸But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

⁹When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. ¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

¹⁵When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸Very 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.” ¹⁹(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

When we see Peter in this passage, we have no idea how much time has gone by since they last saw Jesus with Thomas. Peter has returned home to the Galilee, perhaps near the village Tiberias. Thomas and Nathanael, James and John, and two other disciples are with him. None of them seem to have any direction or purpose; perhaps they feel as if they are failures, not knowing what to do, where to go, or how to be now. They seem to be at loose ends. To keep busy, they have started up their fishing business again.

In addition to the loneliness and grief the others are feeling, Peter must have been feeling some serious guilt. He’s been rebuked for thinking of worldly things instead of God’s intentions. He’s been rebuked for sleeping in the garden. He’s chastising himself for denying Jesus. And he wasn’t noticed at the resurrection; Jesus singled out his mother and brother there.

His betrayal, especially, his three-fold denial has been eating him up inside. He hasn’t been able to apologize, to take it back, to offer some kind of atonement. Peter just hasn’t been feeling the love lately. Jesus showed himself on Easter morning to that Mary person…of all people. He appeared to all of them that Easter night and issued a general commission – they are sent as he was sent; they are to forgive as he has forgiven – and he gives them all the Holy Spirit. And then eight days later, he appears so that Thomas might also believe. But Peter, Peter who so desperately wants to be the beloved disciple, who so desperately wants to be what he can never be, seems to give up. Jesus hasn’t recognized him like he does the beloved disciple, or even Thomas.

So the disciples sit around looking for something to do. “Peter, what do you wanna do tonight?” “Oh I don’t know. What do you wanna do?” We’ve all been there, right? This goes on for some time. And finally, Peter says, “Let’s go fishing.” So they go out in the boat that evening to fish. Their luck is dismal. They catch nothing. Not even an old sandal. They are tired and hungry when they decide to return to shore at dawn. The beloved disciple looks up – Look, there’s someone on the shore! And the stranger calls out, “Hey Kids! Have any luck? How’s the fishin?” They holler out, “Nope, no luck today. The fish aren’t biting” And the guy on the beach says, “Throw your net over to the right. I bet you’ll catch a bunch over there.” Having nothing better to do, they figure “what the heck” and cast their net over the right side of the boat. Suddenly, the net is filled with fish – so many they can’t even get it on board. And in that moment the beloved disciple realizes who the guy on the beach is. He realizes there is only one person who can bring such abundance.

He whispers to Peter, “Hey! That’s Jesus over there.” And Peter, ever the impulsive one, the competitive one, jumps out of the boat to get to Jesus first. He leaves the other six behind, letting them struggle with getting the catch to shore.

This competition thing is not only an issue for Peter; it is an issue with many of the disciples. John Pilch of Georgetown University, in his article “The Cultural World of Jesus” talks about this competition – as a group, they are all bonded to Jesus, recognizing that they are more powerful, more capable with him, than without him. Put Jesus among them and they are jockeying for position, competing among themselves, seemingly forgetting the ideas which the group is supposed to lift up and support. Who will sit at his right or his left hand? Who will be his rock? Who will be the greatest among them? Who will lead this merry band in the next stage of their growth and development? Without Jesus as the leader who holds them all together, they are only loosely bound as friends and companions. This competition today, this kind of self-seeking and one-upmanship, we might call politics. It’s not like teamwork, where there is no “I”. And yet, Jesus has an ability to keep them focused and keep them on task. But it must be exhausting. Perhaps that’s why he calls them children.

When they all finally get to shore, there is a fire ready for them. Bread and fish are grilling, breakfast is ready. Jesus tells them you might want to bring a few of those fish you caught, over here…And who goes to get them? Peter, of course. He hauls the net ashore singlehandedly, so full of fish, so full and yet it doesn’t break. No one dares to ask who this person on the beach is. They know – instinctively. Jesus feeds them just like he used to – blessing the bread and passing it out; dividing up the fish. It was so familiar and so comforting. It was a routine they felt blessed to enjoy one more time. Jesus has met them where they are – when they needed him most; when they were without direction and without purpose.

But then Jesus astounds them all. He singles Peter out. And here is where it gets interesting.

Peter has had some time to think about what he’s done. He is back in Galilee at work fishing. Perhaps he feels that he is a failure. Jesus never expresses hurt or disappointment though he must have felt doubly betrayed by Peter. Jesus doesn’t rebuke Peter. He never asks Peter for an apology. He never asks him why. He doesn’t ask him if he’s learned his lesson or changed his ways. He doesn’t say, “What were you thinking?” He never, ever, says, “I told you so.” But Jesus unmistakably makes his point – he’s sneaky that way. Instead Jesus gives Peter an opportunity to redeem himself in the same manner in which he had denied Christ. A three-fold affirmation following Peter’s three-fold denial. Jesus asks him the hardest question one human being can ask another, and he does it not once, but three times.

Do you love me?

Now the children can tell you what a hard question this is to answer, especially with a straight face, when we play “Honey, do you love me?” in T.O.W.N. And anyone who has put their feelings on the line for another person, knows how hard it is, not only to say “I love you,” but to respond to it.

Peter responds, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus nods, and says, “Feed my lambs.”

Jesus asks again, “Peter, do you love me?” And Peter, probably wondering what is going on, responds in the exact same way, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus responds, “Tend my sheep.”

A third time, Jesus asks “Peter, do you love me?” This time, Peter is upset. He’s hurt, he’s puzzled. His brows furrow. Why is he being singled out this way? Does Jesus doubt him? So he says to Jesus, “Lord, you know everything about me. You know I love you.” And Jesus finally smiles – a small smile – as he says, “Feed my sheep.”

What’s happened here? This exchange, on the surface, recalls Peter’s denial of Christ; but is there something else going on here?

Because of the way these questions are asked, we learn that two types of love, both agape and philos are important. Usually, we’re taught that agape love is somehow better, more Christian-like, more unconditional than philos. And philos is love for friends, love for family and community. Yet here, Christ begins with agape and ends with philos. In Peter’s confession he expresses both kinds of love for Jesus…becoming once again Jesus’ friend as well as his disciple. Frank Crouch says that Jesus calls Peter not just to love but to love others and love them to the end. Peter’s restoration to renewed relationship is also the beginning of a new kind of leadership. He isn’t a fisherman any longer, he is called to feed Christ’s sheep:  Jesus has forgiven Peter, but there’s more. Peter must love his lord more than he loves his friends, more than he loves the fish they caught, more than his old life.

Jesus, in his responses to Peter’s confessions of love, has charged him with caring for their followers. He charges him not only to feed but also to tend his sheep and his lambs. Peter is to step up, to man up, to stop feeling sorry for himself, to leave Galilee and become the leader, but also the servant, of Jesus’ followers.

Well, what are we to take from this? What does this mean for us? Again, Frank Crouch tells us that love is as love does. Whether we think in terms of agape or philos, this love is courageous. It takes risks. It is unwavering, regardless of what we are called to do. Christ calls Peter and through Peter he calls us, as individuals and as communities of faith, to follow him even where we would not otherwise go, even where we might not want to go. Today, we don’t have time for “we’ve never done it that way before.” There’s no time to go back to what we are used to. Today, we are called, more than ever, to have the best love for God, friends, neighbors, and yes, even our enemies that we can muster.
Today is crying out for the love to which God calls us and that God will bring to life within us for the sake of others.

Peter’s responses indicate, also, that Jesus has two types of knowledge. Of course Jesus knows that Peter loves him. He knows this through his own perception, his own realization, his own understanding and comprehension. And he knows it through his close relationship and his recognition of Peter. These two kinds of knowledge are at the heart of our faith. Our faith seeks understanding; we struggle with what it means to believe in someone greater and more loving than ourselves. And we also know what comes from our close relationships, when we recognize the child of God in each other.

Peter is us and we are Peter. Peter struggles in his faith. He struggles in his commitment. He’s been focused on personal priorities, on what he wants. He has been way too concerned with how important he is. He’s been an attention seeker, looking for approval and affirmation. There are times where Peter seems to get it; times when he seems to understand what Jesus is getting at. And then moments later he’s going in the opposite direction. We are Peter and Peter is us.

And if Peter is us and we are Peter, how does Christ approach us? Jesus meets us where we are – when we’re on the beach, when we’re at work or school, when we’re at home, when we’re hungry, when we’re with friends or when we’re alone. Jesus loves us, just as he loves Peter. He loves us even when we don’t feel at all loveable – in the midst of our sin and sorrow. And as he lifts up Peter, he also lifts us, giving us the same charge he gives to Peter. For Jesus knows us, knows us better than we know ourselves. And he knows that we are a people who need purpose; we are a people that need to be reminded of the love we must have for our neighbors and ourselves. That love which demands we care for others as we care for ourselves.

That Christ forgave Peter whose sins were cowardice and pride and selfishness is reassurance for us, as well. Peter is redeemed only by the love of Christ. As Lee Koontz says, Peter’s “second chance comes not through some penitential act of his, but through the sheer grace and love of Jesus himself.” How much more then are we graced in the love of Christ? It is in our declaration of our love for Christ, through our faith that his forgiveness, love, and grace are freely given to us. They are poured out for us as water from a well or wine from a jug; we are loved unconditionally and we are loved as family. We are known in our actions, done or undone. We are perceived and understood just as we are known in our relationship with Christ.

These are Christ’s gift to us: forgiveness, love, and grace. And all we’re asked to do is to follow him; to feed and tend his sheep.          – Amen.