John 21 1-14 2004
Easter 3
John 21:1-14
April 25, 2004
“Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”
Introduction: Many people look at life simply as a dog eat dog existence. Life to them is simply a matter of survival of the fittest. Christians, however, understand that God is intimately involved in our daily lives. He is with us yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That makes all the difference in the world. Even as we strive, fruitlessly like Peter and John, fishing without a catch, we know that with the Lord we will be given not only what we need but also the abundance of His heavenly warehouses. Perhaps, in our fruitlessness and empty strivings, we see most clearly that “It is the Lord” who provides.
The disciples had worked hard all night and had caught nothing. As they rowed the boat back toward the shore, they were tired, they were hungry and they were discouraged. After all, they had seen the risen Lord. They had been given some bold and audacious promises by him. They had been called to a high service for him and the world. And yet, day after day crept by and nothing had happened. As they rowed toward shore on this calm morning, they were discouraged and silent. Each person seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as someone standing on the shore called out: "... have you caught anything?" And when they replied in the negative, the person on shore called out: "Throw your nets on the right side and you will catch some."
When they followed this advice, they caught so many fish they could barely haul them into the boat. It was at this time that they recognized it was the Lord. Impulsively, Peter jumped in the water and waded ashore. The others brought the boat ashore and Jesus invited them to a breakfast along the shore of Galilee by saying, "Come and have breakfast." Apparently, Jesus had prepared this meal with his own hands. He had used hot coals to build a good fire. He had baked some bread. He used some of the fish they caught and Jesus cooked a breakfast for these tired and hungry disciples. He fed their bodies and nourished their souls.
I. The Lord is with us.
A. The Disciples toiled fruitlessly. Waiting for Christ's appearance in Galilee, the disciples returned to their vocation as fishermen. A night of fishing proved fruitless. So often life is like that. We do not seem to get ahead. Reverses like sickness or unemployment cause us to go backwards. We become anxious and ask, "Where Is God?"
Often we are like the disciples when they were on a boat with the Lord Jesus and were being tossed about by a storm, to which they looked at Jesus and said, “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?”(Mark 4:38).
B. Jesus comes to His disciples. He knows about the disciples and He knows what they need both for body and soul. Our loving Lord knows about us, too as he reminds us that He is our Good Shepherd that promises to be with us always and through all things. If God knows, we can take comfort, for He also has power to help.
II. The Lord Is with us with His power.
A. Jesus performs a double miracle. In the gospel lesson He gives the disciples 153 large fish. He prepares a table before them. Jesus often proved his power: lepers were cleansed; the blind received sight; the lame walked; the dead were raised.
B. Christ's power Is available to us, too. He supplies our daily bread. He helps us in every need. At times He removes our trial. At other times, He gives us strength to bear our trials. Our Lord tells us through Isaiah, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand (Is 41:10). What power we have available! Hence we pray. As we pray, we trust, and whatever we ask in prayer, we will receive through faith (Matt. 21:22).
III. The Lord Is with us with His grace.
A. It was love that brought Jesus to the seashore. He came to provide for the immediate needs of the disciples. He came to strengthen them for their future work
as fishers of men. There on the sea shore He reminds them of the great commission given to them to go into the world and preach the gospel, to be fishers of men rather than fish. Perhaps this is why they didn’t catch any fish on their own. This was not the work that the Lord had called them to do. By grace Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples, supplied them with what they needed and set them on a course to change the world.
B. Jesus is with us with His grace, too. He showed His love for the world, for us, by His sin-atoning death. His resurrection guarantees His victory for us over sin, death, and hell. We can say as the Apostle Paul did, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:55-57). Christ’s love attends to us too. It guides us in this life, satisfying the needs of our bodies and souls. Finally Christ’s love brings us to our final destination and our heavenly home.
Conclusion: The story this morning reminds us that after the resurrection nothing can ever be the same. Peter and the disciples may try to return to their boats, but they cannot for they have become fishers of men. They may go back to the same place. But they are not the same people. For the resurrection has changed them. Three years with the Master has changed their lives. Too many cripples walked. Too many graves were made open. Too many hours were spent listening to his Word and witnessing his power. Oh, this may be the same lake, the same boats, the same failure to catch fish, but these are not the same people. The resurrection has changed them. Nothing can ever be the same.
And perhaps that's what John wanted to tell us when he wrote the last chapter of his gospel. After the resurrection nothing can ever be the same. That's why Jesus appears to Peter and the disciples again -- to remind them of that. It is God's grace for sinners, God's forgiveness for the fallen, and God's love for you and me. There on the shore of the Lake of Galilee we see how God treats us -- with love and respect, with kindness and forgiveness. For just as Jesus stood on the shore and called to Peter, so he stands near us and calls to us as well. For his promise to us is the same. "Lo, I am with you always."
John cries out “It is the Lord” He is with us. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, He is truly with us. Therefore, we can live in humble dependence on Him, grateful for the blessings He daily gives, and trusting His love to provide for our future as He sets our course into the world with His life changing, life resurrecting gospel.