Text: John 21:1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 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 as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on 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 of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards* off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out 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, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed 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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved 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 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers* that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

How does St. John the Apostle end his gospel? Does he end the gospel with a story of rousing evangelism? Does he end his gospel with a “lived happily ever after” story? No. Instead, St. John ends his gospel with a fishing story (typical of a fisherman!) and with Jesus speaking these words: “Follow me.” The Gospel of John ends with a call to commitment that hinges on Jesus’ question: “Do you love me?” Only those who love Jesus can truly follow Him in obedience.

Even after Jesus appeared miraculously to the disciples and revealed the truth of the resurrection, the disciples still faced the temptation to return to their old lives, the lives they knew before Jesus called them in the first place. We often express disappointment when new believers attempt to return to their lives as they knew them, but remember that Jesus’ disciples did this after His crucifixion and resurrection. What else were they to do?

This fishing trip, however would be their last. They should have realized that some things apparently aren’t like riding a bicycle; you can forget how to do old tasks. Of course, we could also surmise that Peter and his new fishing buddies had apparently remembered most of their fishing habits, because at least they fished at night when the fish usually rose to the surface of the cooled water. Unfortunately, fishing at night didn’t work this time.

Imagine Peter’s frustration; he hadn’t fished in years, and now when he fished again, his night went empty. No fish! Once the sun rose, the fishing trip was over. Everyone knew the fish retreated into the deep water to avoid the heat of the rising sun.

However, a man on the side of the lake called out to Peter, “Children, do you have any fish?” if you’ve ever fished with an avid fisherman, you know the last question they want to hear when the nets return dry. I suppose that all Jesus heard was, “No;” I imagine Peter thought a few more things to shoot back at this interloper on his failure?

Then the man said what Peter knew was senseless: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” Why would fishing on the right side in the morning make any difference?

Fortunately, Peter’s habit of obeying a familiar voice kicked in before his mind sent a retort from his mouth. The disciples threw the net overboard — and caught so many fish the crew couldn’t haul in the net. At this point, Peter’s memory finally processed an eerily familiar scene on the Sea of Galilee; however, it was John — the author of the Gospel — that first voiced the common realization: “It is the Lord!”

Peter had tried to return to his old life, but Jesus had found him. Once Peter accepted the call to follow Jesus, there was no returning to the old life. Jesus would later tell St. John, decades later, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). When Jesus comes into our lives, everything becomes new; the old no longer fits as well as it did.

The disciples managed to make it back to land (without Peter, who had jumped in the water and swam to shore and left the others to manage the overload of fish). Jesus already had breakfast waiting for them. After they ate, Jesus had a question for Peter: “Do you love me?”

Imagine Peter’s surprise when he heard this question. The answer came immediately: “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Then came Jesus’ command: “Feed my lambs.” Peter had received a new commission, a new life goal: To feed the “lambs” of Jesus. Remember how the Psalmist said, “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3). The sheep would need guidance, protection, and provision. Peter was to provide for the sheep.

However, Jesus’ wasn’t finished with Peter. Twice more He asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Each time, Peter responded, “you know that I love you.” Peter had denied Jesus 3 times; Jesus asked Peter of his love 3 times. I’m certain Peter caught the implication.

Why is it so important that Peter love Jesus? Peter needed to realize that Jesus had placed a calling on his life. Once Peter received that calling, his love for Jesus could no longer express itself only in a mushy emotion or in mere words and phrases. Peter’s love would express itself in his actions. If Peter truly loved Jesus, he would obey His call. Also, if Peter truly loved Jesus, he would follow Him to the death. Jesus actually told Peter how he would die. Church tradition tells us that St. Peter would face crucifixion by the Romans, but that in a show of humility, he asked to be crucified upside down as not to die as his Lord died.

We don’t know why Peter turned to John and asked, “what about him?” Why did it matter to Peter how John would die? Jesus’ reply applies to more than the matter of John’s death: “What is that to you? Follow me.”

I feel that we all need to hear these words again. We all need to consider whether we love Jesus and whether we show our love to Him with more than our words. We also need to realize that only by following Jesus do we demonstrate our love for Him. St. Peter was called to feed the flock of Christ; his obedience is demonstrated by our presence here tonight. Do you truly love Jesus? What has He called us to do?

First, Jesus calls us to surrender to Him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German martyr who died in World War II, once said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Have you surrendered your life fully to Jesus, for Him to do with you as He wills?

Secondly, we are called to trust Jesus in our surrender. Know that the love of Christ goes both ways. “We love Him because He first loved us,” St. John would write in a letter (1 John 4:19). Jesus loves us enough that He will always call us to tasks that are for our good.

Lastly, we are called to demonstrate our love for Jesus and our surrender to His will through our lives. This means more than faithful attendance at worship, but it includes faithful attendance. This demonstration also includes the way we treat others (especially those closest to us) and the way we react to the circumstances of life. We can respond differently from those with no hope because we know we can trust Jesus to do what is best for us.

“Do you love me?” This question continues to haunt us. Your response to this question will determine your response to the command, “Follow me.” Will you love Jesus enough to follow Him wherever He leads?