After Supper - Part 3

The Reconnection

Luke 22v55-62, John 21v1-14

16^th November 2006

Peter must have been heartbroken by way he betrayed Jesus, especially after having promised he wouldn't. He'd told Jesus:

Mark 14:29
Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not."

But as we read last time:

Luke 22v55-62
Then seizing him [Jesus], they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.
A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said.
A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied.
About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!"
Just as he was speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

The resurrection must have assured Peter that Jesus truly was God, and that He had triumphed, and that the Kingdom of God was real. Peter probably believed that the church would be OK. But he probably didn't believe that he himself was OK with God.

John 21v1-3
Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

What are you going to do when you feel like your sin has separated you from the love of God? When you feel like Jesus would never want you back? When you're so disgusted with yourself that you're not even sure you want to go back? You return to what you did and how you lived before you knew Jesus. Peter decided to go fishing.

He was hopeless at following Jesus, wasn't he? He'd betrayed Jesus, deserted Him, even denying that he's ever known Him. He was a failure.

But Peter's friends stayed loyal to him; When Peter decided to go fishing, the others went with him. It's when we feel so useless and dirty that we really need our Christian friends.

And they fished all night, but they caught nothing. Peter must have thought, "I can't follow Jesus, and now I can't even fish properly". When we give up on our discipleship, and go back to our old way of life, we're rubbish at it.

What did Peter think about, that night on the water, while failing to catch any fish? He must surely have gone over in his mind the three-and-a-half years he'd spent with his Lord, remembering the stories Jesus told, the great miracles he'd done, the quiet times when Jesus was just with the 12, or the three. Why had Jesus bothered with a failure like Peter? He even took him up on the mountain that time when he'd been transfigured - let his glory really shine. He'd have remembered the time when Peter - only Peter - had walked on water. Peter had been bold - but he'd sunk.

The rest of them - and we - think it was great that he walked on water. After all, nobody else did! But at this time I think he would have focussed on the fact that he sunk. When things go wrong, it's so easy to think worse of ourselves.

And, surely Peter remembered another unsuccessful fishing trip, transformed by which Jesus, the day Jesus first called Peter into His service.:

Luke 5v1-11
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding round him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

What a sense of loss and failure he must have felt as he remembered the old days.

But Jesus was coming for him:

John 21v4
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.

And Jesus is with every one of His people, watching over us, all the time. But often, we don't realise it.

John 21v5
He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered.

The Greek word translated as "Friends" here is paidion. He's calling them "lads" or "boys" - a form of affectionate greeting between men. Jesus was calling out to them, calling them his mates - but they still didn't recognise their Master's voice. Even in our failures, Jesus is speaking to us, but there are times when we don't even think it might be Him.

John 21v6
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Did they remember when they were called? Was there some echo of past experiences that made them willing to try doing what Jesus said? Maybe it's a long time since you felt the touch of the Holy Spirit. Can you remember what it's like? Do you want Him to stir you again?

They must have remembered learning this lesson the first time: when we work on our own initiative, we fail, when we work in obedience to His leading, we prosper. This doesn't apply to everyone - only to those whom the Lord has called. There's no record that Peter and the others had any trouble catching fish before Jesus called them. There are a number of things that I could do in my own strength before Jesus called me - but now I find that not only does he prosper me when it suits His purposes, he also prevents my success when that suits His purposes.

When we ask Jesus to be Lord of everything, He takes us at our word!

John 21v7
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

John was the first to realise that it was the Lord - he always was the spiritual one. He saw that only the Lord could perform such a miracle. God could really do something with a man like John. But who jumped out the boat? Peter! Peter was a passionate man. Sometimes it got him into trouble. But the church needs passionate people. John was probably a better theologian. His prayers might have sounded more eloquent. But Peter was the one with a heart that just wanted to run to Jesus.

John 21v8
The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.

Peter was living from his heart - just wanting to be with the Lord. The other disciples were living from their hearts too, they were being sensible - after all, they'd get to Jesus fairly soon. They were staying dry, and looking after the boat, and holding on to the fish.

John 21v9
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

The Greek word translated as "Fire of burning coals" is anthrakia. The only other time this occurs in the Bible is in John's account of Peter's denial of Jesus:

John 18v17-18
"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, "I am not." It was cold, and the servants and officials stood round a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

It was no accident that Jesus had chosen to make a fire. He was telling Peter that He knew all about the betrayal.

And Jesus had brought some bread. On the day that things started to really wrong for Peter, Jesus had said "this bread is my body, broken for you".

Jesus could have met the disciples under any circumstances He wanted. He chose to meet them in a way that would remind Peter vividly and painfully of his failures. We can't easily be healed of bad experiences in the past (whether done to us or caused by us) without calling them to mind. Jesus helps us to do this, sometimes without waiting for us to ask. He has reminded Peter:

• Of the day he was first called
• of perhaps the first miracle he saw - the miraculous catch of fish
• Of the Last Supper, when he had argued with Jesus
• Of his three-fold betrayal

Do you find memories of the times you've spent with Jesus coming into your mind?

Jesus knows all about the times we've betrayed him, and he wants us to know that He knows. But He forgives us.

John 21v10-11
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

Again, Peter was the first to respond. Jesus wanted some of the fish, and Jesus was jolly well going to get some of the fish. Here was a chance to do something for the Lord again. Maybe Peter had thought such times were over.

John 21v12-14
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

How like Jesus! He calls to us to come to Him and eat, He calls us back into fellowship with Him, He forgives us, and He wants to do us good.