The Third Sunday of Easter
In Summary… Christ is risen! (He is risen, indeed!) Alleluia! Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen. Three things happened in today’s Gospel, which are especially important to notice. Each of these things happened before. First, the Lord Jesus provided His men with a miraculous catch of fish. After that, Simon Peter left the boat and entered the water in order to be with Jesus. Finally, the people of the Lord ate the meal that the Lord Himself had provided – and “*they knew it was the Lord*.” Dear Christian friends: At the end of a trial or legal proceeding, the lawyers will often summarize the most important details of the case that was presented. The lawyers will not feel concerned with minor points or small details; in the final moments of the trial, only the most important details matter and get mentioned! These are the things the lawyer wants to stick into the jury’s mind. These are the things that will help the jury to move forward toward a decision. When a pastor preaches his final sermon before leaving his congregation, he concerns himself with the most important things. He might remind the people of what he had attempted to teach and accomplish in their midst; he might suggest things that should addressed in the future; he might rebuke and warn the people of certain sins or struggles. Whatever his topic, the pastor will not be wasting anyone’s time in his final sermon. Only the most essential things will be discussed in the final moments before his departure. Perhaps these things should stick in the mind. Perhaps these things will help us to move forward. Today’s Gospel comes from John chapter 21, the very the last chapter of John’s book. At this point in John’s book, our Lord Jesus has already · accomplished the main point of His Incarnation by suffering and dying for us and for our salvation; and · risen victorious over devil, death and the grave, thus destroying all the power these ancient enemies once had over us. Now in John chapter 21—now in today’s Gospel—it is time to wrap things up a bit. Like a lawyer offering a summation of her case, like a pastor preaching his final sermon, today’s Gospel reviews the most essential things. Perhaps these things should stick in the mind. Perhaps these things will help us to move forward. · First, there was a miraculous catch of fish: Jesus 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. By hauling these nets full of fish, the disciples of the Lord are acting out for us the purpose and the power of His Word, which He had given these men to preach. This was not the first time Jesus filled the disciples’ nets (Luke 5:5-6). The first miraculous catch took place when Jesus called Peter to be His eyewitness and His messenger and His fisher-of-men. In the same way that Peter and the others cast their nets at the command of the Lord, so also did these men go out into the nations, casting the net of the divine Word, proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation. In the same way that our Lord Jesus had miraculously filled their nets in today’s Gospel, so also did the risen Christ prosper the preaching of these men, gathering all Christians in the holy net of the Christian Church. So the preaching of the Word is a main point—a summation point—that today’s Gospel would have us keep in our minds. The miraculous catch of fish in today’s Gospel reminds us of the important role that the teaching of the apostles must continue to play in everyday our lives. We are not the fishers of men, but the New Testament writers still are. We are the fish in the nets, gathered in by these men so “*that by believing you may have life in His name*” (John 20:31). Therefore we should take their Word seriously—read, mark, learn and take it to heart—and never allow for any replacements. · Soon after the nets were filled, Peter jumped into the water with all his clothes on. This was not an accident, but a deliberate act. “*When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped [to the waist] for work, and he threw himself into the sea*.” Peter might have gone crazy, but putting the best construction on everything, it is better for us to think of Peter as demonstrating to us the benefit and power of our Baptism into Christ. By clothing himself before entering the water, Peter brings to mind that Word of the Lord, which states “*For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ*” (Galatians 3:27). And again, “*not that we would be unclothed, but clothed*” (2 Corinthians 5:4). And yet again, “*He has given me a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair*” (Isaiah 61:3). By entering the water in order to get to Jesus, Peter also reminds us of that earlier, Baptism-like event, when he got out of the boat to come to Jesus in the midst of the sea (Matthew 14:28-31). And Jesus grasped Peter by the hand in the water. And Jesus delivered His servant from death through the water. In today’s Gospel, Peter acts out for each of us the blessing and benefit of our own baptism in to Christ. Peter shows us that wet clothing—that is to say, baptismal clothing—is the single best way for us now to approach our crucified and risen Lord, so that we may stand in His presence and participate in His gifts. · Finally, there is the nourishing meal that had been prepared and laid out by Christ Himself. The aroma of our Lord’s cooking smells a lot like the Holy Communion. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread… They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. If this bread-and-fish breakfast reminds you of how Jesus had earlier, miraculously fed the 5,000, then you are headed in a good direction. Add this thought: When Jesus fed the 5,000, He deliberately acted in terms of the Holy Communion: And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people (Mark 6:41). So what are we supposed to do with today’s Gospel, and meal that the risen Lord miraculously provides? We are supposed to think of the blessed Holy Communion, the best meal of the day, wherein our Lord Jesus serves us the benefits of His crucifixion and the glories of His resurrection. The preaching of the Word for the forgiveness of your sins, whereby you are gathered into the apostles’ nets, as it were; the Miracle of Baptism, the washing away of sin; whereby you pass through the water to be with Jesus; the Holy Communion, given shed for you for the forgiveness of sins, whereby you eat and drink in the presence of the Lord: with these things, today’s Gospel wraps up the case for our Christ, so speak. Like a lawyer offering a summation of her case, like a pastor preaching his final sermon, today’s Gospel reviews delivers to us the most essential things. Keep these things stuck in your mind. These things will help you to move forward. Above all, diligently guard yourselves against any and all things that would · offer to help the preaching of the Word or the administration of Baptism and the Holy Communion—for these things need no help and no simplification; · get in the way of the preaching of the Word or the administration of Baptism and the Holy Communion—for anything outside of these things will only cloud and block your view of the crucified and risen Christ; · replace the preaching of the Word or the administration of Baptism and the Holy Communion—for such replacements will lead you only away from Jesus and back into death. Christ is risen! (He is risen, indeed!) Alleluia! In the Word, in Baptism and in Holy Communion, the resurrection now comes to you—and you join Peter in coming to Jesus.
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