Dearest e-votees,
For this week's e-vo we'll be looking at the gospel text appointed for this coming Sunday. Thanks, again, to colleagues and text study folks for many of the points throughout this devotion.
Peace,
Karl
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21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 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. 3 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.
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.
9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 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. 12 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. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 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.” 16 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.” 17 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. 18 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.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
John 21:1-19, NRSV
If I were to ever make a Jesus movie (which is highly unlikely) there would be a point in which the fire over which Peter is warming his hands while denying Jesus (John 18:18) dissolves into the fire over which Jesus is making breakfast for Peter and the other disciples (John 21:9). The word in Greek is the word anthrakias (which is the root for "anthracite" one of the stages of coal formation). It only appears twice in the Bible--once at Peter's denial and the other at Peter's reinstatement. Such a powerful linguistic bookend which can get lost in the translation.
Consider some of the other parallels and connections:
3 denials and 3 "Do you love me"s? (although in Greek the word for love changes around, lost in translation again).
Jesus being hung out naked and exposed on the cross as a result of the denial, Peter hanging out naked and exposed at the reinstating.
Jesus feeding the disciples bread and fish (a familiar meal shared with 5,000 + and 4,000 +)
Jesus being led where he didn't want to go but he went willingly being glorified (John's sense of "glorify"), Peter being led where he doesn't want to go and glorifying God (church tradition holds that he was crucified upside down out of respect for Jesus not deserving to die as he did which is connected for many with Peter stretching out his hands).
The call of the disciples to leave their nets and follow Jesus in the beginning of some of the gospels, the call of Jesus on Peter, post-resurrection, to follow Jesus.
This scene at the beach is the echo and resonance of so many other significant moments throughout Jesus' ministry. But perhaps most important in all of it is that Jesus is the prime actor and initiator. The disciples revert to familiar fishing. Jesus meets them there. The disciples fail to find success in their own strength. Jesus gives them direction and encouragement and they find abundant results. The disciples had scattered and denied. Jesus gathers and reinstates. Jesus continues where he left off stepping into the fearful huddle of disciples from last week and breathing into them the Holy Spirit by feeding, sustaining and granting vision and purpose to them this week.
God, come and find us. Feed and equip us. Send us and sustain us. Amen.
For this week's e-vo we'll be looking at the gospel text appointed for this coming Sunday. Thanks, again, to colleagues and text study folks for many of the points throughout this devotion.
Peace,
Karl
------------
21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 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. 3 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.
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.
9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 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. 12 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. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 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.” 16 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.” 17 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. 18 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.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
If I were to ever make a Jesus movie (which is highly unlikely) there would be a point in which the fire over which Peter is warming his hands while denying Jesus (John 18:18) dissolves into the fire over which Jesus is making breakfast for Peter and the other disciples (John 21:9). The word in Greek is the word anthrakias (which is the root for "anthracite" one of the stages of coal formation). It only appears twice in the Bible--once at Peter's denial and the other at Peter's reinstatement. Such a powerful linguistic bookend which can get lost in the translation.
Consider some of the other parallels and connections:
3 denials and 3 "Do you love me"s? (although in Greek the word for love changes around, lost in translation again).
Jesus being hung out naked and exposed on the cross as a result of the denial, Peter hanging out naked and exposed at the reinstating.
Jesus feeding the disciples bread and fish (a familiar meal shared with 5,000 + and 4,000 +)
Jesus being led where he didn't want to go but he went willingly being glorified (John's sense of "glorify"), Peter being led where he doesn't want to go and glorifying God (church tradition holds that he was crucified upside down out of respect for Jesus not deserving to die as he did which is connected for many with Peter stretching out his hands).
The call of the disciples to leave their nets and follow Jesus in the beginning of some of the gospels, the call of Jesus on Peter, post-resurrection, to follow Jesus.
This scene at the beach is the echo and resonance of so many other significant moments throughout Jesus' ministry. But perhaps most important in all of it is that Jesus is the prime actor and initiator. The disciples revert to familiar fishing. Jesus meets them there. The disciples fail to find success in their own strength. Jesus gives them direction and encouragement and they find abundant results. The disciples had scattered and denied. Jesus gathers and reinstates. Jesus continues where he left off stepping into the fearful huddle of disciples from last week and breathing into them the Holy Spirit by feeding, sustaining and granting vision and purpose to them this week.
God, come and find us. Feed and equip us. Send us and sustain us. Amen.
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