Resurrection Sermon

This sermon was prepared and presented for my final preaching assignment in The Church at Worship: Preaching class at Drew Theological School.

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 Win, 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 I t 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 years 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 shore, 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 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 not 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, “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.”

The fishers of men have returned to their boats- and they can’t catch a single fish. It would seem that they are trying to move on with their lives. It is interesting that John never really identifies the disciples as fishermen like the authors of Matthew, Mark and Luke do, and yet this epilogue to John’s Gospel echoes the accounts found within the synoptic gospels where Jesus calls those first disciples away from their nets, away from the sea- when he calls them to fish for people. Perhaps, the disciples feel that, after the events leading up to and during the crucifixion, the people don’t want to be caught. Perhaps, even though they have seen the risen Christ at least twice now, they feel as if their work is done. Despite the fact that Christ has risen, perhaps they feel like his works and teachings are still buried in the tomb. Maybe this is why they go back to their boats.

I think moving on with your life can be a tricky thing. Whenever we experience great loss or disappointment, if we ever go through a traumatic experience, we need time. Time to move through stages of grief, from shock or denial, to anger, to bargaining, depression, and, finally, acceptance. I think all too often people don’t allow themselves the time to go through these stages; instead, they sometimes throw their energy into something else, be it home renovations, aggressively advocating for an unrelated cause, or even going fishing. I don’t know that the disciples really had the opportunity to fully experience and work through their grief. It really doesn’t matter if you know death is coming or not; even when a person is in their nineties, or have been struggling with a terminal illness, their death still seems to come as a surprise. You never seem ready for it. It doesn’t matter that Jesus continuously told the disciples he was going to die and rise, that he was going to suffer; they never really seemed to understand it. And then it happens.

Betrayal.

Public torture.

A political execution.

The death of a friend, a teacher… the death of a mission.

Mission? Impossible.

Where could God possibly be working in all this pain, and fear, and despair?

The disciples gather together and hide, afraid, and I imagine try to fathom the events that have just transpired. But before they can even begin to work through their grief Jesus is with them! Jesus is standing among them! He blessed them, and anoints them with the Holy Spirit, and sends them out… to what?

Maybe this is all too much for Peter; he hasn’t had time to think, or feel, or figure out what all this means. Wouldn’t it much easier to just go back to the boat? How often do we think it would be better to just get back in our boats? To go back to the way things were before?

The thing is, even when the disciples couldn’t understand, or when we feel like we’ve been given a burden to heavy to carry, or when it feels like the Jesus we know is ripped away from us and replaced with a Jesus we’re not sure we understand or even like, Christ comes to us.

Christ comes to the disciples, but only half way. He doesn’t appear in the boat with them, and at first, they don’t even recognize him. Sometimes Christ comes to us on the sidelines while we’re running, not putting himself in our path but rather asking, “How’s that working out for you?” And when we realize that it’s Christ, when they realize that it’s Christ, Peter throws his clothes on and jumps the ship he was so eager to re-board, swimming to shore to meet Christ where he and the others are welcomed with hospitality and a warm meal. This is a special breakfast, a reunion breakfast, a sacramental breakfast. And we may think that making it to the table is enough; that meeting Christ in the breaking of bread is the goal. But it is after we have eaten that the real challenge comes.

“Do you love me?” The question is asked, three times; I imagine Peter coloring with shame as we remember his three denials of Christ. “Yes, Lord, I love you. You know that I love you.” Yes, Jesus, we love you with all our hearts, and all our minds, and all our souls, and with all our strength we cry, trying to erase those times that we too have denied Christ. Then feed my sheep. Tend my flock. 

And the mission continues.

Feed. 

My. 

Sheep. 

You have been fed, so that you might feed others.

It is on the beach that Jesus once again calls his disciples to ministry. On the beach they learn that their work, Christ’s work, is not finished. All the work that had been done, all the trouble they had gotten into, all of the revolutions that had been started- it had all seemed to disappear when Jesus said those final words, “It is finished.” But it is in the resurrection that we learn, no, it is not. And it never will be. As followers of Christ we will always be called to heal the sick and feed the hungry. We will always be called to give voice to the voiceless and show those in power that there can be a different way to live. We will always be called to tend the least, the last and the lost. Even when all hope seems to be lost, we can find the strength to go on, because even death cannot destroy God’s great love for us and the mission we are called to by Christ. Christ is alive, and continues to live, in us.

 AMEN.