St. John 21:1-14
Dearly beloved,
The Easter season brings forth a mixture of feelings and
thoughts. On Easter Sunday the church rejoices. The difficulties and
heaviness associated with Lent die, giving way to the jubilance of rejoicing
and the singing of alleluias. Easter day is certainly the highest point in
the church year. Ironically, we find that as each Sunday in the Easter
season passes us by, the rejoicing seems to decline just a bit as we find
ourselves “getting back to normal.”
Here we are in the 3rd Sunday of Easter and the festive
attitude subsides just a bit, and we get back to the daily tasks that keep
us occupied. In fact, many may have forgotten that there even was an
Easter, as the cares of the world seem to overwhelm once again. We set our
sights back on our work, our family, seeking employment, and thinking about
doctor appointments. It sounds strange to say, but these subsequent Sundays
in the Easter season reflect more the tone of our daily, earthly lives,
while Easter Sunday, itself, reflects more our coming existence in heaven.
Being a Christian and dealing with the struggles of this
world also reflects how the apostles felt after Jesus’ death and
resurrection. First the apostles were sad, then scared. After Jesus shows
His resurrected body to them, they are then able to relax, finding joy and
peace. What next? The gospel lection for today shows that we are not much
different from the apostles.
After Jesus showed Himself to the apostles in the closed
room, it seems as if they were unsure what to do next. How shall we live?
What shall we do now that Jesus has accomplished His victory over the grave?
They did not understand the Lord’s presence with His church, thereby showing
human frailty and sin. We are unable to fully grasp the depth of our Lord’s
love for us and what it means for our lives.
Well, Peter, James and John, along with a few of the
apostles went back to their vocation that they had before Jesus found them.
They decided to go fishing. The irony of it all is that Jesus pulled them
away from fishing at the beginning of the gospels in order to make them
“fishers of men.” Not having Jesus around to lead and direct, left them
struggling to pick up where Jesus left off. This is often how we feel. We
talk about the Christian faith; we go to church; we listen to the
proclamation of the scriptures as we ponder Jesus’ salvation, but we are
left wondering. What should we do? How should we feel? How should we live
out our lives in the knowledge of Jesus’ victory over the grave?
The apostles were God’s appointed men to publicly preach and
teach. They were to lead and instruct the church. Jesus had pulled them
away from their vocations in order to preach and baptize. They needed
reminding. There are these men fishing at the sea of Tiberias. Jesus sits
on the shore and asks them if they have fish. The reply is “no,” just like
before. Jesus does what exactly what He did when He grabbed Peter for the
apostolic ministry. Jesus said, “Cast the net on the right side of the
boat, and you will find some [fish].” The result is just as it was at the
beginning: The net was so full of fish that they could not haul it in.
Jesus was reminding Peter and the others that they had been
called to be “fishers of men.” They were to preach and teach about all that
they had seen concerning Jesus. Those fish in the net symbolized that these
men were to save people from hell through the gospel net. It is even
mentioned by John that “although there were so many [fish], the net was not
torn.” In other words, there are no holes in the gospel that snatches
people away from the depths of hell.
Jesus appearing to these men a third time made the statement
that these men were to get on with the apostolic task. The church was to
grow. There would have to be preachers ordained to carry on the task of the
apostles and to fulfill those divine commands by Jesus to baptize,
administer the Lord’s Supper, and preach the gospel. The answer to it all
is found in the book of Acts and then the rest of the New Testament. The
explosion of the gospel takes place at Pentecost.
But this, then, leaves us wondering. What does this mean
for us? We are reminded in this gospel that we are those fish in that
net. There
is a certain continuity to the whole account. Your salvation is reliant
upon the faithful proclamation of the apostolic scriptures. Your salvation
is reliant upon the faithful administration of the sacraments. In other
words, your baptism and the gospel that you hear and read ultimately have as
its source those men who were talking with Jesus by the sea of Tiberias on
that day after Jesus’ resurrection.
Those men took the hint from Jesus. They were not to go
back to catching fish in the sea. They were to use the gospel net to draw
in people. One thing leads to another. Peter, James and John are going
about in Galatians preaching to the Jews and they meet the apostle Paul and
give him the right hand of fellowship. Paul then is sent to the Gentiles
and continues on the mission started by these “pillars of the church.” Then
St. Paul ordains pastors, Timothy and Titus, and they continue the work that
Paul started, and the gospel just buds and blooms in different directions,
ultimately leading to you, with me as God’s ordained pastor carrying on what
Peter, James, John, and Paul had started and continued.
What does this gospel mean for you? You are the blessed
recipients of the gospel. Not only has the gospel net brought you up from
the depths of hell, but your refuge is in Jesus. You will leave today and
go back to work. You will have doctor appointments this week, meetings,
responsibilities and maybe even some frustrating days along with the
good. Young
moms will wrestle with nurturing their kids, and dads will continue to work
at instructing and teaching those kids. As you do all of these things in
the next week, remember that you are God’s baptized child.
The mission and victory of Jesus has come to you. This is
the point. And while your days may feel more like the 3rd and 4th Sundays
of Easter, your coming existence will be more like Easter Sunday. You have
the promise of salvation and heaven is your home. All of your sins are
forgiven and you stand as Jesus’ holy children. So, as you go forth into
your tasks, remember that the love of Jesus covers you. He is the Lord and
He is over all creation. This means that the Lord resides with you and will
bless you dwelling in your lives and giving you strength just as He has
given you salvation. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
