Easter 3

Preparation

    Please begin by reading John 21:1-19 in your Bible. If you do not have one at hand, we have provided that text for you at the end of this reflection.

Reflection--Follow Me!
  
   As with many educational pursuits, you spend a lot of time in seminary wading through hundreds of books with countless pages of often less than exciting prose. Once in awhile, though, you come across a shining jewel that stays in your mind long after the rest is forgotten.

    Albert Schweitzer was an incredibly accomplished person; a philosopher, physician, and renowned classical musician who gave up a life of comfort to found a hospital in what is now Gabon in the early 1900s. He spent most of the rest of his life serving there as a medical missionary. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 for his work and life of service to others.

    Schweitzer also established his reputation as a theologian with a 1906 volume entitled The Quest of the Historical Jesus. It’s heavy going; not a book I would recommend for pleasant fire-side reading. I’ll confess I never read nearly all of it, but I did find one of those shinning jewels toward the end of the book where, after much discussion of Jesus’ world and how little we really know of him as an historical figure, Schweitzer pauses to give us a glimpse into his own soul. He draws on the lake-side scene from today’s passage from John.

    “We can find no designation which expresses what [Jesus] is for us. He comes to us as one unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lake-side, he came to those who knew him not. He speaks to us the same word: "Follow thou me!" and sets us to the tasks which he has to fulfill for our time. He commands. And to those who obey him, whether they be wise or simple, he will reveal himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in his fellowship, and, as an ineffable mystery, they shall learn in their own experience who he is.”

    Once we have become disciples, Jesus still asks the same question: “Do you love me?” He gives the same commands to those who can answer yes: “follow me,” “feed my lambs,” “tend my sheep,” “feed my sheep.”

    The following is risky. Like many who came after him, Peter paid with his life. At the very least, expect complete disruption of old patterns. Figuring out what “feed my sheep” means for you, and how you carry that out is difficult too. But there can be no other choice for the fullest life than to obey. Schweitzer is right. It is in the obedience to Jesus’ call to follow that the deep places of God are discovered. It is here where we see Jesus’ smile -- and touch the nail prints in his hands.

revclay

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John 21:1-19

    After these things 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."  [NRSV]