3rd Sunday of Easter April 19 2010 Nancy Meehan Yao
Revelation 5:11-14 p
11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
John 21:1-18 p
21After 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. 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.”
What do you do, when your whole world has been turned upside down? What do you do, when all that you thought that you knew, all that you trusted in, has turned out to be different than you had planned? What do you do when you are so wracked by guilt and grief and confusion that you can barely breathe, much less raise your head?
Well, if you are Peter, you go fishing. Now this is not a leisurely day out on the lake in a boat. No, this is Peter, leaving Jerusalem, going back to the only thing he knows. He goes back to Galilee, his home. Because, as Robert Frost puts it, “Home is the place, where, when you go there, they have to take you in.”
Peter goes home and goes back to the only work he knows- fishing. Jesus has appeared to the disciples 3 times by now—first, to Mary, in the garden. Peter was there, saw the empty tomb, and went back to stay with the other disciples that morning. And then, in that locked room, Jesus appeared to the disciples two more times- saying “Peace. Shalom”.
But my guess is that Peter was not feeling peace. Remember, he denied Jesus three times—just a few hours after saying he would never deny him. And while Peter knows of the resurrection, has seen Jesus in that locked room, knows of the Good News, perhaps Peter doesn’t quite believe it is for him. Because Peter denied knowing Jesus not once, but three times. Peter was passionate in his love for Jesus, but denied him…..
And here he is, fishing—with no success. He has gone home, gone back to the family fishing business, and he is a failure at this as well- fished all night, sweaty and tired, and to pour salt on the wound, some yahoo on the beach yells out to him, in a way that leaves no doubt as to what the answer is: “Children, you have no fish, have you?”
But that voice turns out to be Jesus. And Peter, ever impetuous, ever dashing off in excitement, puts his clothes back on, jumps in the water, and swims towards the beach, where Jesus is.
Now, Peter has seen the empty tomb, has seen Jesus in that locked room- but we have no recorded conversation between him and Jesus since Peter denied him. So Peter, while eager to see Jesus, is also probably wracked with guilt and grief and fear…..because Jesus has risen, is there, with them…..what will Jesus say to Peter? What will Peter say to Jesus? What could he possibly say?
But, at first, it seems Jesus doesn’t say anything. Oh, he tells them to throw their net out on the other side of the boat, and he tells the fishermen to bring in some of the catch, and he feeds them. No questions asked, no discussions, no finger pointing or blame. Like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, there isn’t even time for any apologies or explanations. Breakfast is ready! Come and eat!
And after breakfast, the time Peter has longed for, and has dreaded, is here. Jesus and Peter talk. Again, Peter doesn’t get a chance to say his well rehearsed apology and confession speech. Jesus, instead, gives him his orders, his work.
Feed my lambs, Peter. Tend my sheep- take care of them. Feed my sheep. Just a few short weeks ago, Jesus had knelt down, in that upper room, to wash the disciples feet. “I am among you as one who serves.” Here, Jesus has just fed and served the disciples. And Peter is to follow his example.
But in the midst of giving him his work orders, Jesus asks Simon Peter awkward but necessary questions.
Simon, do you love me? Three times, Jesus asks him this—to the point that Peter is hurt- Yes, Lord, you know I love you.
Now, the three times Jesus asks this question, to the point that Peter’s feelings are hurt, is seen as significant. Remember Peter denied Jesus three times. And in the first century society, saying something 3 times made it so—a man could divorce his wife or sell property by saying out loud, in public, something 3 times—
So Jesus has reversed Peter’s denial of him. And woven in are the things that Peter will now start doing. After every question and answer, are Jesus’ instructions. Peter is now to live a new life—“feed my lambs”.
In fancy theological terms, this is called “justification and vocation.” That is, Peter is now made right—forgiven, cleansed, made whole again. In his own way, he is restored to life. He can live again, breathe again, hold up his head again. And so what is he going to do next? Not go to Disneyworld,--that would be Vacation-- but live a life following Jesus. That will be his VOcation.
The word vocation comes from the Latin “vocare” meaning called out—and we talk about it that way, saying someone has a calling—and we also say, usually, that vocation is the work that you do.
But I want us to think of it less of work, a profession, and more of a way of being. Vocation is the way that people often talk about their profession, but it is also the way the church has always talked about people who follow Jesus. In the monastic tradition, monks and nuns all have work to do. They might be farmers, or wine makers, or dog trainers, like the Monks of New Skete, or scholars and writers. But when the chapel bell rings, they stop what ever work they are doing, put down the rake, put down the pen, and go off to worship and prayer. Because, they feel, that that is their true vocation. To follow Jesus and to worship him.
Worthy is the Lamb we heard from the Revelation text this morning. Worthy is the Lamb to receive blessing and honor. All creation, every creature in heaven and on earth joins in this singing. And so do we- it is our vocation, too.
But that vocation, that call, shapes our whole life. So that we also are called to feed others, to tend lambs, to feed sheep.
Peter might have stayed in Galilee, fishing, and feeding people with his fish. He had been told, after all, by Jesus, “to feed my sheep.” And there was no end to hunger and poverty in Galilee. But Peter went on to Jerusalem, and was the founder of the church there. The early church lived in community, worshipping together, sharing what they had, taking care of the poor, healing the sick, and growing in number day by day.
“Follow me” Jesus says to Peter. Follow me, Jesus says to us. And this is the way it truly is- we, who have been forgiven, we who have been claimed by God and forgiven by God in Jesus Christ, we who have been washed in the water and fed at the Table, we are called by God, and we are called out by God. This is the way it truly is- we respond with our whole lives to the grace that first came to us. Vocation always follows justification- we respond to God, who first claimed us. Gratitude is the response to grace. That is our true vocation—to follow Jesus, to follow in the ways of Jesus, the Lamb who was slaughtered for us, to follow Jesus, the ruler of creation, who shows up on the beach to cook his friends breakfast, and says to us: Follow me.
