As John ends his gospel, we see Jesus commissioning the disciples toward a larger picture of what the community of God will now look like as they carry on the ministry that Jesus has passed on to them. [as the Father sent me so I send you] The catching of the 153 fish shows the fruitfulness of our work when Jesus is with us. John starts out chapter 21 showing the restlessness of the disciples. Peter being impetuous, leads the others out to go fishing. They fish all night and they catch nothing. By now our having read through John should send alarm bells off when we see John use "dark" or "night." This is John indicating our activity when we are not in relationship with God. We fumble around, spend long hours at fruitless work, come home unsuccessful, tired and exhausted from having gone at it on our own.
Early in the morning - at daylight - Jesus is on the shore. Again this is very significant. Right from chapter one we see Jesus as the light that comes into the world of which the world does not understand and of which darkness cannot overcome. He's built a fire on the shore and he tells the disciples to throw the net on the other side of the boat. The disciples do and they catch 153 fish. It was a mammoth catch for a small fishing boat and a few men. There are many interpretations of what 153 may mean but the bottom line is that it was large and it was memorable. Such work when we work with the guidance and advice of Jesus brings exponential results. This story parallels the story of the Sower sowing the Seed in the other gospels. The point of both is that when the seed catches or when the net is in the right spot then there is exponential return!
John's message to the reader is that our work will be effective when we do it in cooperation and under the guidance of Jesus. There is exponential return for the discipline and obedience of doing it Jesus' way - not our way. Cultivating a relationship with Jesus - having Him in our lives -letting Him feed us, guide us and lead us is the desire of the Father. This is the way that the Father leads His community on earth. It walks in the light and life of Jesus and lives out that life with openness and humility listening for the voice of the Father out in the street where the lost and lonely are. As we encounter them in their hurt and alienation our love and openness accompanied by grace and truth will draw them in and give them a glimpse of the Father's heart. That glimpse will cause their heart to come alive and believe that there is a God who desires to rescue them and restore them.
As John continues the chapter, he then shows Jesus reinstating Peter to the call of being a "fisher of men" [as is mentioned in the other gospels]. The question Jesus poses three times [Peter, do you love me] is a call to Peter to base his relationship with Jesus not on his past history of denial but on the reality of Jesus' love for him. There is no doubt that Jesus loves him otherwise Jesus would not be reinstating him. The question is will Peter love back? Peter is consistent with his answer. [Yes - you know I love you] This will then become the basis for Jesus then directing Peter toward feeding and loving his sheep. The reality for the reader in this part of the chapter is the question of how will we go about the activity of reaching out to others to bring them to the Father? Will we do it on our own groping in the dark - unsure and insecure - or will we do it based on our loving relationship with Jesus of which the fruit is to flow into the lives of others and feed their hearts and restore them to the Father.
What we get from John is the clear desire of Jesus to present a much larger picture to the disciples of what he desires the new community of God to be doing in his absence. With the Spirit to guide them, Jesus desires this community to go find the lost sheep and love them back to the Father. They are to do this by feeding them - leaving a trail of nourishment that leads back to the Father's house. Jesus emphasizes to Peter that he will give his life for this - the indication that Peter will be lead around against his will. This becomes a very profound call to the reader regarding what this community is and what its mission is. We will see in Acts that the Spirit leads the church into a global endeavor as God's goal is for the community to reach all of humanity - right from their backyard in Jerusalem to the courts of Caesar. May we hear the call and follow with the Spirit empowering us to do the same and continue spreading the word about the Father to those in our sphere of influence and relationship. Our love for them will speak of God's love and our embrace will speak of His embrace. It will feed hungry hearts and lead them to the Father. Jesus is waiting on the shore for others to come and eat the bread and fish [throw back to the five thousand]. The food he gives will satisfy us for eternity.
Well - I wrote all this because the recording of my lecture on chapter 21 did not record at all. I thought I would leave you the highlights then of what I covered in that chapter. Below are the other recordings from our last lecture:
Portico John Lecture - Chapter 18-19 Arrest, Trial, Crucifixion, Death and Burial Part III
Portico John Lecture - Chapter 20 A New Family
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