The Third Sunday Of Easter - May 4, 2025

Summary

Mother Suzanne reflects on Jesus' post-resurrection appearance at the Sea of Tiberius (John 21:1-19), where he prepares breakfast for the disciples and restores Peter through three questions of love that parallel Peter's three denials. This story reveals how Jesus never gives up on us despite our failures, instead redeeming our mistakes and recommissioning us for meaningful work in the world.

THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                                              John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon 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.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He 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. That 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. But 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.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So 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. Jesus 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. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When 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." A 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." He 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. 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.) After this he said to him, "Follow me." 

Artwork: Jesus showing himself to Peter and others by the Sea of Galilee, by William Brassey Hole (7 November 1846 – 22 October 1917)

Transcript

Mother Suzanne:

After all of this, Jesus says, follow me in the name of the one true God, father, son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated. Well, we are officially in the great 50 days of Easter. It is a time to celebrate, to give thanks and consider the wonder of our resurrected Jesus. On this third Sunday of Easter, we find ourselves in the gospel of John at the Sea of Tiberius, where it seems the disciples still don't know what to do with the startling news of the resurrected Jesus. They are so overwhelmed with that. And so Peter says, I'm going out to fish. In other words, I'm going to do what I know how to do and what I'm really good at. I need to do something that's familiar and comfortable.

And so the other six disciples join in and say, I'm going with you. So all seven of them get into the boats and off they go to do what they know to do what they love and what they have always done die. So they go out at night, which was very common in that time, still is. And they try to fish with absolutely no luck. Daybreak comes and they see someone on the beach. And this someone simply asks them, did you catch anything? All the disciples in unison said, no, this man then gives them instructions. Just let your nets down this time. Do it on the right side of the boat and maybe you'll have better luck.

So they did as this man told them to do, and they caught a lot of fish. Only under this man's direction do they have success. Who is this man? Such great success that they were unable to haul all the fish in immediately. The disciple whom Jesus loved says it is the Lord. It has to be. So they quickly make their way to the beach. And upon arriving there, they were greeted by Jesus. And of all the things that Jesus could be doing, guess what he is doing? He's tending a charcoal fire and there on the fire sits fish and bread.

And in this really strange incidents, he offers breakfast to the disciples and he even invited them to join in with their newly caught fair of very large fish. So what strikes me about this third account of Jesus with his disciples, he is now resurrected, is just how normal this situation is in many ways. So we have disciples who have been out all night working and Jesus, he knows this, and as any good host would do, he's cooked them a meal. He knows they're going to be hungry. So he puts fish and bread on the grill so that when they come in, they will be fed.

When thinking of the gospels, this is the one and only time that I can think of where Jesus is actually the one preparing the meal. We often don't see Jesus in this role, but as I say, if you read the gospels where there is need, Jesus meets it and he knows these disciples are going to be hungry in a very real way. I wonder if this was done so that these disciples remember oftentimes they just don't get it. But I just wonder if in this instance this was done so that they would not have to question whether Jesus was real or if this was some ghost or a figment of their imagination. Jesus was present. He was cooking. He offered them a meal. And so many ways, it reminds me of our Eucharistic feast, which we will have in just a few moments.

What is also interesting about this text to me is the recalling and redemption of events we've seen before in scripture. It's known as typology. It's way the ancients read scripture. It's the way I can't help but read scripture. For instance, let me tell you, the last time a charcoal fire was present in the story of John was the night before Jesus's death. Maybe some of you guys remember that. It was in the high priest courtyard. Peter was present just like he's present. Now, Jesus was warming his hands over this fire because it was cold out. And this is the stage where Jesus asked Peter, well, not Jesus, but Peter was asked three times whether or not he knew Jesus. And it is also here that Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times. And on that third time, you remember what happened. The cock crowed, and here we are again, gathered around another charcoal fire. This time we're on the beach.

Jesus directly asked Peter a much more intimate question in a clever way to mirror Peter's previous three denials. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loves him, and in this moment on this beach near this charcoal fire, Peter's denial that happened in the high priest courtyard will be redeemed as hard and as uncomfortable as it must have been. For Peter, he is asked pointedly three times by Jesus Simon, son of John, do you love me? The third time Peter is grieved just like he was when the cock crowed. I have to believe that this touches a very deep place inside of Peter and he remembers, I have to wonder if it's in this moment, he realizes the magnitude of his previous three denials and has overcome with sorrow, but it is redeemed in this confession of love.

That redemption has happened for Peter. Jesus comes to Peter to offer redemption and he has been forgiven and has been invited to partake in significant work to feed and shepherd the people and to follow him. And if I'm to be honest, this is where the story truly hits home for me. It may seem that the story is half a world away or another time and place. It means nothing to me because I don't sit around on a beach and warm my hands over a charcoal fire. And Jesus certainly isn't there to make me a meal. But what I'm going to ask you to do is maybe see yourself in this story that we too have been commissioned by Jesus at our baptism to do the work of God just like Peter.

But what is significant to me is that Jesus chooses Peter because he knows Peter messed up royally and yet Jesus still chooses him. The story and calling or commission of the disciples in Luke is important. But what we see in the gospel of John, this recommissioning of Peter after he has messed up man, that is gospel. And what it tells me is this, we are never too broken, too spent or used up for God and never God is always in the business of redeeming and making right our wrongs. Why? Simply that Jesus never gives up on us ever.

There is never any waste in the kingdom of God. Let me tell you that. Never rather, the way that I've come to understand it is that after each failure that we may enter into on the other side of that is Jesus inviting us to try again, providing encouragement, providing nourishment for starving people in our eucharistic feast to engage in meaningful work in the world that looks outside of ourself, that sees our neighbor, that sees a hurting world, wherever God has you in the world. That is why our Eucharistic feast is so important because we get fed here so we can go out into the world and do the work that he has for us.

And yes, we are going to mess up sometimes really mess up just like Peter. And if you read the biblical narrative, you'll see countless others, people of faith who have come before also mess up. But again and again, we see the resurrected Jesus telling us to get up and try again and again and again. Each time we mess up, we don't quite get it right is an invitation. It is this invitation that we cannot rely on ourselves. We are in an individualistic society where it's all about me. But we have to be mindful that we are dependent upon one, the one who suffered and died for us and all of our mishaps and all of our shortcomings, but was resurrected so that we might know that death is not the end of the story. Because resurrection is always the winner in the story of Jesus always.

So we have 30 days left in Easter tide, the great 50 days of Easter. We will again see many stories about those encountering our risen Lord. And why do we keep seeing these interactions? It's a reminder for us to engage the world in meaningful ways. And if you're not doing this, simply ask God to show you, God, help me. How can I make this world better? How can you use me? Or simply what I tell people all the time is just open your eyes. Open your heart and your mind to see the wonder of a resurrected God in the world at work promise you He's holding his nail scarred hands open wide, extending an invitation for you to join in. You won't regret it. I promise it isn't good news. It is the best news ever. Amen.