Sermon Tone Analysis

Pray

Introduction

If you were here on Monday evening you will have heard the first-person account of the crucifixion from Peter.

What I’d like to do this evening is to continue from where I left off and look at Peter’s interaction with Jesus after he rose from the dead, by way of encouragement to all of us that nobody is beyond redemption - and that despite our weaknesses and failings…

Jesus hasn’t given up on us!

So let’s look at peter...

When I left off on Monday, Peter was in a bad way - everything he had promised Jesus he had failed.

He said he’d stick by him to the end and when the crunch came he dropped him like a wet sponge.

‘Everyone else may desert you, but not I’ - and then he point blank lied and said that he didn’t know Jesus in order to save his own bacon.

And then there was the look - when Jesus turned and looked at Peter, just after he denied Jesus, as if to say, ‘what did I tell you?’

Now we need to be careful not to read too much into that look… We don’t know what kind of look it was.

Was Jesus disappointed?

Was it an ‘I told you so’ look, or did Jesus look at him with compassion?

We really don’t know, but we DO know Jesus, and we know that Jesus had compassion on so many people throughout the gospel, so I reckon there was at least a hint of compassion in that look - as if to say, ‘it’s OK, Peter…I know what you’ve done, but I forgive you.

And I’m not finished with you yet.’

And then Jesus is led away, beaten, whipped, spat on and crucified....

Pause

And then he rises from the dead.

Pause

Now, imagine you’re Peter.

If you’ve let someone down and then they are immediately killed, while you may be down about it and remorseful, at least you don’t have to meet them again and face them.

But now that Jesus is alive, and he knows that you denied him not once, not twice, but three times, how would you feel?

Cos you’re going to have to face him.

Peter is going to have to face the man he denied.

Peter is going to have to face the man for whom he swore that he would fight to the end, but in the end he chickened out.

How do you think Peter would have felt?

Pause

Now, Jesus has revealed himself twice already to the disciples, and we must assume Peter was there when Jesus appeared - but Jesus said nothing to Peter, that we know of, in those encounters.

He spoke collectively to the disciples saying, ‘peace be with you,’ and he spoke specifically to Thomas in the second encounter, but, as far as the gospel accounts tell us, there hasn’t been a one-to-one between Jesus and peter at this point.

But in this third encounter, we see that one-to-one face-off between Jesus and Peter…and it’s awesome.

Let’s look at the text...

So, Peter and a few others go fishing.

You might think, ‘that’s strange - to go fishing’.

But actually the fact that Peter went fishing is really significant.

So they went fishing but caught nothing.

This is significant.

Let’s read on...

So Jesus shouts over to them and tells them to cast their net over the other side of the boat.

Now, I’m not sure what they thought about that - how wide is a boat anyway.

If there aren’t fish on one side why would there be fish a couple of meters away… That’s not the point - the point is that strangely enough the disciples do what this stranger says.

And they catch so many fish that they can hardly haul in the net.

So...

Fishing on their own they caught nothing…but when Jesus became involved they could hardly haul in the net.

Now, hold that thought…Let’s read on...

Peter, when realising it was Jesus he dived into the sea and swam to Jesus.

Peter loved this man - sure he let him down, but how often do we let down our own loved-ones.

Peter wanted to see his friend again, so he dived into the sea and let the others struggle with the net of fish.

And then we see a significant event on the shore - which we can’t miss.

Jesus had made a fire and was cooking fish and baking bread on the fire.

Jesus had provided his OWN bread and fish.

But Jesus notice what Jesus does...

So Jesus doesn’t use his OWN fish, he asks for the fish they HE HELPED THEM CATCH.

Don’t forget they caught nothing all night until Jesus told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat.

But it’s THESE fish with which Jesus feeds his disciples.

Now, hold THAT thought too.

Pause

And then we come to the famous exchange between Peter and Jesus.

This is the one-to-one that we’ve all been waiting for - Peter is coming face-to-face with Jesus, the one he denied, the one he SAID he loved, but dropped like a stone.

And Jesus asks him...

Do you love me?

You KNOW I love you.

Pause

Three times Jesus asks Peter this, once for each time Peter denied Jesus.

Are you one of his followers?

… NO, I’m not… Peter, do you love me?

You are - you’re one of his followers … NO, I’m not… Peter, do you love me?

Yes you are - I’ve seen you with him … I swear to you that I’m not… Peter, do you love me?

And Peter never says, ‘YES, I love you…Of COURSE I love you - I love you more than life itself.’

Perhaps Peter knows that his words are meaningless.

Instead...

Peter simply invites Jesus to look into his heart...

‘Jesus, look into my heart and see for yourself…and you’ll know that I love you.’

Jesus already knows that Peter loves him…but now Peter really and truly KNOWS that HE LOVES JESUS.

Cos to be able to say to Jesus, who knows everything, ‘look into my heart and see for yourself that I love you.’

To be able to say that you must be fully aware that you really and truly DO love Jesus.

You see Peter slipped up, cos he’s human and he makes mistakes…It’s not that he didn’t love Jesus, it’s just that he’s not perfect - and by Jesus asking Peter this question, Peter is now fully aware that he really does love Jesus.

What an assurance to us that even though we may love Jesus, we can still let him down…but when we DO slip up, it doesn’t mean we have stopped loving him.

It might simply mean we’ve slipped up.

What an amazing encounter.

But each time Jesus asked if Peter loves him, and each time Peter replies, ‘you KNOW I love you’, Jesus asks Peter to feed his sheep.

Why?

Cos...

Jesus hand’t given up on Peter.

And Jesus has a job for Peter to do - but Peter must realise how much he loves Jesus in order to do this job - cos this isn’t something you’re going to do UNLESS you LOVE Jesus, because it has consequences.

Peter is now well aware that Jesus has forgiven him.

He is well aware that HE loves Jesus, and Jesus is inviting Peter, that if he really truly loves Jesus then he needs to feed his sheep.

But what does that mean?

Well, remember those two thoughts I asked you to hold.

For those of you with butter-fingers, here they are again...

Fishing on their own, the disciples caught nothing - when Jesus got involved they caught loads

Jesus does use his OWN fish, he uses THE DISCIPLE’S fish

Now, cast your mind back to another time in the book of John when Jesus feeds people with bread and fish...

In John 6 Jesus feeds 5000+ people with bread and fish…not his own bread and fish, but a boy’s packed lunch.

So a boy offers up whatever HE has, and Jesus uses THAT to multiply and feed and sustain a multitude of people.

And AFTER that feeding of the 5000, Jesus says that HE is the bread of life and he says a strange thing...

Now, link that to the catch of fish that was hauled in…153 fish that Jesus provided for them.

Without Jesus they caught NOTHING.

And ALSO link that to the first words that Jesus says to Peter...

And link that to the very last words that Jesus says to Peter...

so...