Easter 3 C

Acts 9:1-6; Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

This is a story about what the disciples were doing after the Resurrection.

Post Easter Sunday / Post Resurrection

Setting for third appearance

• have the disciples run away?
• or just living real life.
• what’s different?
• the world? Not that different.
  • Herod, Pilate, the Emperor all still in charge
  • Chief priests are still the religious experts
• still fish to catch, don’t always cooperate.

The question is how do disciples recognize Jesus now that he has been crucified by a world that, at least at first, barely seemed to notice him? (In all of the Roman records that have survived from the time period of Jesus, there is exactly one record of him, and (this is true): they spelled his name wrong.

• if the world wasn’t immediately changed…how do the disciples recognize Jesus?
• for us? We have almost the opposite problem. A lot of things claim to be Jesus.

It is the abundance of fish that alerts the disciples.

“[Jesus] 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.” (John 21.6–7 NRSV)

153…one of the disciples actually counted!

Not just abundance…not storing up or accumulating, but an abundance of sharing. The fish aren’t meant to be impressive — they’re meant to be shared!

Where is there abundance in your life?

• hospital room example
• when we gather as church we celebrate abundance

But:

• at what point do churches stop being shared celebrations of God and start becoming fancy buildings meant to show off?
• at what point does our Easter worship attendance stop being the number of lives touched by the news of the Resurrection and start becoming a number we use to compare our congregation to other congregations…
• how do we see the gifts in this room as abundance meant to be shared for the sake of the world around us?

The answer is right here in the Gospel and it hinges on love.

This post-Resurrection story has two different purposes to it…the first is as a “Recognition” story…Jesus shares a miracle of abundant love with the disciples and in it — they recognize Jesus.

But then, the story shifts purposes; Jesus takes that love and looks at it from the other direction. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter says, “Yes,” Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.”

In other words, loving the Lord is tied to loving the people the Lord loves.

“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.”” (John 21.16 NRSV)

Do you notice that something must be important about this question since Jesus asks it a second time? From Peter’s perspective, once was too many times to ask. But then Jesus asks a 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.” (John 21.17 NRSV)

It’s embarrassing how often we need to be reminded what love is.

Love is how we recognize God changing our lives — and love is how we change the world.

Even in a world that takes little notice of God, God changes us. God gifts us with abundance. And then we share it with others the way Jesus did.

God’s love is miraculously abundant. There is enough love even for sometimes-crabby, sometimes-stubborn, and always-imperfect disciples, like Peter. Like you. Like me.

When Jesus showed up this third time after the Resurrection in John’s Gospel, the disciples were just out fishing — out in real life.

As we move on from our celebrations of the Resurrection on Easter morning, we, too, may find ourselves out there in some boring, imperfect, or challenging situations.

In a world that can seem totally unmoved by the news of God’s love. This is where we come to know God’s love. And this is where we make God’s love known.