Deja Vu Grace

Imagine that you are at the scene

Wait! This is Jesus! Jesus is alive!

Now as readers of the story, we are thinking that Simon should know this is Jesus. But Simon doesn’t, he just think he is a random guy on the beach. But to the readers of the story we are thinking, we just heard this same story in Luke chapter 5. In fact to you hearers, you heard a whole sermon on not to many weeks ago, and so we are screaming, “It isn’t a random guy on the beach, this is Jesus, how can you not know that?”

Then the team of disciples cast the net, and were not able to haul all the fish in because of the quanity of fish. There were so many fish, that they even counted them all; 153 fish. The the disciple that Jesus loved thought, “Wait a second, this story sounds familiar. I am feeling a sense of déjà vu” Then he connects the dots, and remembers the last time their nets were so full that they were breaking and needed another boat to haul the fish onto the shore. This isn’t some random guy on the beach, this is the Lord! Jesus provided another great catch. Jesus provides! Jesus is alive! Jesus is on the beach. And Peter takes off his outer garmet and swims to shore to, left the other disciples to do all the hard work (nice job Peter) so that he could go to Jesus. The great catch of fish is a huge déjà vu moment, they have lived this event before.

Jesus shares a deja vu moment with the disciples

Deja vu. What does that word mean?

Then there is another déjà vu moment. They get all the fish on the shore and the texts says Jesus hosts a meal. He took the bread and gave it to them, and then the fish. It wasn’t bread and wine, but it was Jesus hosting a meal, serving his disciples, the same way he did the night that he was betrayed. Another déjà vu moment. The same Jesus who walked, taught, healed, served, and perfeormed mirales is back from the dead doing the same thing with them again on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias!

Have you ever had a déjà vu moment. I have, and I usually enjoy that feeling of “wait a second, I have been here before or I have said that before or I have done that before” Déjà vu is a French word that literally translates “already seen.” Your body and mind have a reaction that makes it feel like you have an an identical experience before. While the term déjà vu is more tied to phycology term, I think you can use that idea as a good Christian example.

Deja vu in the Law sense.

Deja vu grace

We have déjà vu everyday. Déjà vu can be seen in a Law sense and a Gospel sense. There are sins that we commit often. And I am sure that you have had that moment when you realize that you have committeted the same sin again, and you kick yourself and say, “Why did I do that again.” You get angry and lash out, and you realize that you let youserlf lose control again. You fall for the addiction that you struggle with, whatever addiction it might be, and you realize that you fell again. You gossip again. You steal again. You curse the Lord’s name again. I am sure that at some point in your life you have felt defeated, and asked yourself, “Why do I continue to make the same mistake over, and over, and over again.” You have a sinful déjà vu. You have already seen yourself commit this sin, and you are in the same situation again. It is all to common a feeling, it is not a welcome feeling, but here you are again.

Make others feel deja vu grace!

The disciples were found after Easter in the upper room, and then again we see them on the shore. They don’t feel at peace. They have a lot of guilt over what took place on Good Friday. They had their sinful déjà vu moment, and were sick at the denial and running away that they did to Jesus on the cross. But you will notice something very important. Jesus never brings it up. Jesus never says, “Now Peter, let’s talk about what you did outside as you were warming yourself by the fire and denied even knowing me.” Jesus knows that they have felt the sting of the Law and they were sorry for their sins. Jesus only shows grace! Jesus meets them on the shore, Jesus blesses them with a catch up fish, Jesus serves them breakfast, and in the next text after our lesson he tells Peter to feed and care for His sheep; the church. Jesus only shows them grace.

I call it Déjà vu grace. As we sit humbled and repentant of our sins, we find ourselves in a similar situation everyday. Everday Jesus shows us his grace! Grace only. Not a lecture, not an ultimatum, only grace. He forgives us. And the next day he forgives us again. And everyday we can feel that sense of Déjà vu grace and say, I have had this experience before. I have felt Jesus grace before. This is something I have already seen. And I get to feel it again. I am free! And it feels good! Jesus will show us grace upon grace at all times. He want his grace to feel like a familiar situation that you have been in before. Déjà vu grace.

As Christians we respond the same way to fellow Christians. We don’t hold sins over the heads of others. We don’t lecture or give an ultimatum. We show the truth in love, and then we forgive. When a brother or sister realizes that they sinned against you, you instantly turn to grace. And you offer it again. You want them to feel like a déjà vu moment. Now often times Christians have confessed to me, “You have forgiven me before, and you are giving it to me again, and eventually my chances are going to run out.” You remind your brother and sister that grace has no expiration date. You will give it again and again, and give it with the same unconditional love as you did the last time. Déjà vu grace. Grace that makes you feel like you have had this experience before. We live in the familiar state of grace, and that is great feeling to be able to experience.

It is the Lord! We cry that each time we experience Jesus’ grace. We experience that grace again today. It is the Lord!

Amen!