I AM - 7...based on John 15:1-8

 

I AM – 7

I AM THE VINE

… based on John 15:1-8

My home Church, the one I grew up in, was very mission minded.  For every $ spent on themselves, they gave an equal amount to missions.  And as a result, we regularly had missionaries come & speak.  One, I remember, lived in a little cottage next to the Church.  Because there was no electricity in the village, he had a small generator that supplied current for his home.

One day some natives from an outlying mission came to visit.

He invited them into his house, & as they were talking, they noticed the electric light bulb hanging from a cord in the ceiling of the room.  When evening came, they watched wide-eyed as he flipped a switch & the light bulb began to shine!  They had never seen anything like it.  

As they were leaving one of the visitors asked if he could have a bulb.

The missionary, thinking he wanted it as trinket, gave him one.

On his next visit to that remote village, the missionary stopped at the hut of the man to whom he’d given the light bulb.  To his surprise, he saw it hanging from an ordinary string in the middle of the room.  To the native’s disappointment, the bulb wasn’t shining.  Obviously, it needed to be connected to a power source so that the electricity could flow into it.

I remember as a kid thinking how silly that native was.  

But, pondering that story now, 

I wonder if some people today are doing a similar thing … spiritually?

In our Gospel lesson Jesus tells a story concerning the importance of being “connected” to the true source of life.  

Our Lord uses the analogy of a vine & branches.

Just as electricity provides the power necessary for a bulb to produce light, so the vine provides the flow of life necessary for the branches to produce fruit.  Jesus is giving another of His “show-n-tell” illustrations to teach an important spiritual truth.  

So, listen now to Good News from Jesus, as recorded by John, 

to us who have gathered here for worship.

Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

“I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit.  You have been made clean already by the teaching I have given you.  Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you.  A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can do so only if it remains in the vine.  In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine, and you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.  Those who do not remain in me are thrown out like a branch and dry up; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, where they are burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, then you will ask for anything you wish, and you shall have it.  My Father’s glory is shown by your bearing much fruit; and in this way you become my disciples.” (John 15:1-8)                                                                                                    

Jesus said, “Heaven & earth will pass away, 

but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen

Jesus said, “I am the real vine & you’re either connected to me, or you’re not … & if you’re not, then spiritually speaking, you’re dying, or dead.

And if you don’t watch out, the time will come when you’ll be completely cut off & thrown into the fire.”

A couple of introductory comments about this,

the last of the 7 “I AM” statements.  

It was made while Jesus was on the move, 

& He made it to His closest followers, 

unlike the other 6 “I AM” statements which were said to large crowds.

Jesus & His disciples had just finished eating the “Last Supper” in the Upper Room.  They’ve stepped out of the house & are passing through the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem.  They’re going down a ravine to a familiar place where Jesus has gone before … a garden, Gethsemane, which was located at the base of the Mount of Olives. (Mark 14:32) This is not a long walk, about the distance from the Hotel Nashville to CVS.  And as they go through a vineyard Jesus says to His disciples … “I am the real vine.”

Then the 2nd thing, by way of introduction, this is the only I AM statement in which Jesus draws His Father into the imagery. 

“I am the real vine, & my Father is the gardener.”  

It’s another way of saying, “the Father & I … we’re the God-team.”  (People who insist that Jesus makes no claims about being God are just missing it.)

So, with that as background, we’re going to be looking at this passage 

by way of a promise … a challenge … & a warning.

1st of all, the promise.  When reading a passage of Scripture, we can discover the author’s major theme by noting any repeated words or phrases.  

If the author writes something again & again & again, he wants to make sure that we don’t miss his point.  So, as we think about our Gospel lesson, 

what word was repeated 7 times in those 8 verses? … (fruit)

In fact, Jesus even says that we’ll bear “much fruit.”

So, the question is, would we like to bear fruit? …

Do we want to bear much fruit? …

“Well, I’m not sure, what does ‘fruit’ mean?”

When Scripture uses the word “fruit” in this way, it has 1 of 2 things in mind.  It’s either talking about character … the “fruit” of our personality, (Matthew 7:16) or the “fruit” we produce in the lives of other people … the influence that we have on others.  Jesus is saying that He’s the source of life that produces character & makes an impact upon others. 

So, would we like to be fruitful like that? …

The Apostle Paul writes that when we come to faith in Jesus,

His Spirit takes up residence in our lives, & that will begin to produce certain character fruit.  It’s what God wants to see in us.    

“The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, & self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

That’s the fruit that God wants to work into the fabric of our character.  

If we remain in the vine, connected with Jesus, He’ll produce His character in us.  So, can you see that happening in your life? … If Jesus is our Lord & Savior, if we’re connected to the vine, there should be a sense of His peace in our life … a sense of joy … a kindness … a goodness … faithfulness … love … patience … humility … That’s the character fruit that Jesus is speaking of.

2ndly, fruitfulness also indicates the impact we have on other people.  

Later Jesus will say to His disciples … I chose you & appointed you to go & bear much fruit.” (John 15:16) In this instance, He’s not talking about character fruit, but rather the impact we have on the lives of others.

Evidently Jesus’ early followers took Him seriously, because less than 30 years later the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church in Colossae, writes …

“This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world.  

It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives.” (Colossians 1:6)

This brings another question, have you ever been “fruitful” in this sense of the word? … Have you ever helped someone discover who Jesus really is? … Because there’s nothing in this life that holds a candle to the significance of having that sort of impact.  Nothing!  

In fact, Jesus on one occasion underscored this truth to His disciple Peter.

When Jesus 1st called Peter to follow Him, He used “fisherman” language … 

because Peter was a fisherman.  Jesus said, “Peter, leave your nets & come & follow me, don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10) 

“Instead of fishing for fish you’ll now fish for people.”

And so, Peter & Jesus, for the next several years spent time together throwing out the net & drawing people in.  Peter saw people healed, 

he saw people forgiven, he saw people restored in a relationship with God,

& he saw people being taught spiritual truths … it was exciting!

Then we come to the last chapter of John’s Gospel.  Jesus has died & been resurrected & is just about to return to Heaven.  And of all the times for Peter to lose focus … he goes back to fishing for fish again!  

And he takes 6 of the other disciples & they fish all night …

& catch absolutely nothing.   Morning comes & there’s a person on the shore.

They can’t quite make out who it is because of the early morning fog.

But this individual calls out to them, “haven’t you caught anything?”  

They yell back, “Not a thing.”

So, the man on the shore instructs them,

“Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, & you will catch some.”

(Who’s this guy instructing professional fishermen?)

But they throw their net out on the right side.

And it’s so full of fish they can hardly pull it onboard!  John looks at Peter, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:5-7) So, Peter dives into the water, 

(paddling the boat in would take too long) … he can’t wait to get to Jesus.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with fishing.

Jesus just wanted to underscore something with Peter … “Peter, you’re called to a much higher vocation.  And if you try to replace that pursuit with anything else, it’ll prove to be worthless & futile.”  There’s nothing wrong with fishing, just like there’s nothing wrong with teaching school, or carpentry, or working in an office, or selling stuff, whatever.

But if we get so preoccupied with these daily tasks that we lose sight of our higher calling; if we forget that God mixes us up with people every day so that we can draw them to Jesus … our lives will be fruitless.  We’ll miss out on the opportunity we’re given to impact people for all eternity. 

“I am the vine, & you are the branches.  

Those who remain in me, & I in them, will bear much fruit.” 

Jesus wants you & me to bear fruit. 

And maybe one of the easiest ways to do that is to invite people to come to Bear Creek Church.  

I know it can be uncomfortable to talk to friends/neighbors about Jesus.

But it’s not uncomfortable to invite someone to come here.  

And this is a great place to learn about God, & come to faith in Jesus.

Lastly, let me encourage you to pray for opportunities.

Each one of us are surrounded by people who need Jesus.  They’re everywhere.  Standing in line at the Post Office, when we’re pumping gas, when we’re out in our yard, walking, there are people around us.  Our Lord is bringing opportunities to us.  And to be honest, that’s what God has called us here at Bear Creek Church to do … it’s our primary mission. (Matthew 28:19)

This brings us to our 2nd point … the challenge.

I noted several moments ago that the word ”fruit” pops up 7 times in these verses.  Let me point out a 3-word phrase that we see just as often … “remain in me.”  In fact, the word “remain” is used in some way 8 times.  

This has got to be really important for it to be repeated so frequently by Jesus … “remain in me, remain in me, remain in me.”  It’s a challenge.

But this doesn’t just happen; it requires intentionality.  

And if we don’t do it … we don’t bear fruit.  If we don’t remain in Christ,

the character He wants to produce in us doesn’t take shape.  If we don’t remain in Christ, then the impact He wants us to have in the lives of people doesn’t happen.  Jesus will produce fruit.  

He’s the vine.  Our responsibility is to “remain” in the vine.

“Remain united to me, & I will remain united to you.  

A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can do so only if it remains in the vine.  In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

Let me illustrate this.  I cannot produce music out of this boombox, 

but I’ll tell you what I can do.  I can plug it in.

Now watch this, I’ll do it in slow motion … There’s nothing in me that can produce music from the boombox … but if I plug it in … the music happens.  

I can’t bear fruit in myself.  I can’t produce fruit in myself.

There’s no spiritual power in my life apart from Christ.

But I do have a responsibility … & that is to “plug in” … to remain in Him.

Okay, we get the boom box illustration ... 

but the question is, how do I “plug in” to Christ?

Fortunately, Jesus tells us how.  He gives us 2 activities to do.  “If you remain in me & my words remain in you.” … “If my words remain in you.”  

Okay, so where do we find Jesus’ words? … (the Bible)

Scripture records not only the words of Jesus, but also, 

the words of His closest followers, who tell us what Jesus taught.

If we want to “remain in Christ” we must “ingest” these words.

When Jesus uses the expression, “my words remain in you” … 

He has far more in mind than just listening to a 25-minute sermon on Sunday morning.  Now certainly this is a great start, 

but having His Word “remain in us”, means reading the Bible during the week.

And it means applying what we read to our daily life.

This is so critical … let’s go back to the boombox illustration again.  

We’re either plugged-in or we’re unplugged with regards to God’s Word.

What describes you this morning? … 

Are you a plugged-in believer?  Or are you unplugged?

The concept of remaining suggests time spent in God’s Word.  You guys are coffee drinkers.  So let me explain how to make a cup of tea.  Pour water into a kettle, put it on the stove, bring it to a boil, & pour it in a cup.  Then drop a tea bag in for 1 second … then take it out … & we have a cup of tea, right? … No, not if we dip it for 1 second.  We must do what the British call “steeping.”  And for tea to steep the bag must soak for at least 3 or 4 minutes.  We must steep in God’s Word if we expect it to “color” our lives.

Jesus goes on to say, “Then you will ask for anything you wish,

& you shall have it.”  This is the flipside to the 2-way communication.

God’s Word speaks to us … we speak back to Him in prayer.

We ask, we present our needs, we talk to Him about a problem,

we share our disappointments, frustrations, & hurts.

Now understand … this isn’t a “genie” promise to get whatever our whim is.  

Please note the context.  We’re remaining in Christ; we’re steeping in His Word.  And when that happens, what kind of prayers do you think we’ll pray? 

… We’ll pray the kind of prayers that God will delight in answering …

certainly not self-centered types of prayers.

This is what Jesus tells us we’ve got to do if we want to remain in Him.  

We soak in His Word; we spend time in conversation with Him regularly.

We live today with all kinds of digital devices that are battery operated & need recharged regularly.  But most of the time we’re in such a hurry we don’t wait for them to get a full recharge.  We grab them & run.  

What happens? … The charge runs out; the device is worthless.  

The battery needs a full charge if it’s going to be useful.

We won’t get charged up by God on a fly.

If we run in & out of His presence, if we take just snippets of His Word,

if it’s always “hurry-up” prayer … we’ll never get the charge,

we’ll never have the vine producing fruit in us.  All of this takes time.

Okay, we’ve looked at the promise, we’ve looked at 

the challenge, now let’s look at the warning Jesus gives.

 “I am the real vine, & my Father is the gardener.  He breaks off 

every branch in me that does not bear fruit, & he prunes every branch 

that does not bear fruit, so that it will be clean & bear more fruit.”

There are 2 parts to the gardener’s job, (& these are the warnings).  

“He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit.”

The 1st job of the gardener is to eliminate any branch that’s not doing its’ job.  Those are strong words.  What it means is that if our lives aren’t marked by the character of Christ, if we’re not having an impact upon others through our personal witness, if there’s no fruit in our lives … 

then the gardener is going to come & cut us off.

Horticulture Lesson #1 … gardeners can’t tolerate dead branches.  

They must be cut off.  They destroy the beauty of the bush or tree.  

Which is what Jesus is teaching.  God does not tolerate dead branches.

Now the 2nd warning is a little more encouraging.  It’s for those who are bearing fruit.  Actually, it’s more of a gentle reminder.

“He prunes every branch that does bear fruit,

so that it will be clean & bear more fruit.”

Fruitless branches are cut off … & fruitful branches are pruned.

That means that God allows disappointments, & hardships, & trials, 

& sickness, & other things in our life … not because He’s a mean God … 

not because His desire is to punish, but because, as our gardener,

He wants us to be even more fruitful.

When our Heavenly Father looks at our life & sees that we’re too busy to spend time with Him, when He looks at our life & sees that it’s become too crowded with stuff, or there are relational conflicts going on un-mended, when He looks at our life & sees patterns of sin that we persist in …

out come the pruning shears.

“I’ve got to do some cutting back. Not because I want to hurt you, 

but because I want you to be fruitful.”

This has happened in God’s relationship with me.  

Looking back running was a big part of my life for many years.  

In fact, I was a very competitive runner.  I competed regularly in road races.  I’ve got a bunch of trophies in my garage from races I won, or did well in.

But, over those years, at certain times when running became my #1 priority, 

when it became the most important thing, God would do some “pruning” & allow me to have stress fractures or pulled muscles.  God was getting my attention, slowing me down, so that my focus would get back in line.

So, what kind of branch are you? … Are you a branch that’s unconnected … there’s no character fruit; there’s no impact fruit? …

If that’s the case, you need to get connected.

Or are you an existing branch that’s not drawing life from the vine?  Then, get back into God’s Word.  Reacquaint yourself with Him through prayer.

But if you’re a fruitful branch … then your life is significant because, 

as Jesus says, “My Father’s glory is shown by your bearing much fruit.”

God loves it when His people bear fruit.

So, my friends, let’s be about it.

MARANA THA

THE RESURRECTION OF A MAN … based on John 21:1-19

 

THE RESURRECTION OF A MAN

… based on John 21:1-19

Mark Twain was an avid fisherman, & an even more avid teller of fish stories.  Once, while spending a few weeks at a lakeside lodge in northern Maine, Twain was relaxing by a crackling fire, when a rugged stranger in a plaid flannel shirt & denim overalls came into the lodge, ambled over, 

& slumped into a nearby chair.

“You look like a fisherman to me,” remarked Twain, 

eager as always to strike up a conversation.

“Yeah,” said the other man.  “I fish some.  Ain’t fishin’ season now, though.”

“Fishing season!” laughed Twain.  “Fish’ll bite in season & out.  

If fish don’t care what season it is … neither do I!”

“Oh?” said the other man, perking up & leaning forward.  

“You take a catch out of the lake today?”

“A catch?” said Twain proudly.  “More like a haul!  I’ve got ‘em on ice back in the larder!”  And he proceeded to launch into an embellished recounting 

of all the fish he had caught that afternoon. 

The more Twain exaggerated, the more interested the other man became.

“So,” said the man at last,“you certainly did have yerself a good day 

at the lake.  Seems an awful shame I have to spoil it.”

“Spoil it?” said Twain.  “What do you mean?  I just … say, 

who are you, anyway?”

The man grinned, turned over the lapel of his flannel shirt, & revealed a gleaming badge.  “I’m the state game warden, sir.  Now, who might you be?”

“Me?” Twain said sheepishly.  “Why, I’m the biggest liar in the whole U.S.”

The Apostle John has chosen to close his Gospel with a fish story …

an even bigger & more amazing fish story than the one that landed Mark Twain in trouble with the game warden.  But John’s fish story is true.  And it has a powerful spiritual lesson for anyone who’s failed at some point in their relationship with the Lord.  

So, listen now to Good News, as recorded by John, to us, who have gathered here for worship.  Within our hearing now comes the Word of the Lord …

After this, Jesus appeared once more to his disciples at the Sea of Galilee.  This is how it happened.  Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael (the one from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus were all together.  Simon Peter said to the others, “I am going fishing.”

“We will come with you,” they told him.  So they went out in a boat, but all that night they did not catch a thing.  As the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the water’s edge, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Then he asked them, “Young men, haven’t you caught anything?”

“Not a thing,” they answered.

He said to them, “Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some.”  So they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they had caught so many fish.  

The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken his clothes off) and jumped into the water.  The other disciples came to the shore in the boat, pulling the net full of fish.  

They were not very far from land, about a hundred yards away.  When they stepped ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it and some bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore full of big fish, a hundred and fifty-three in all; even though there were so many, still the net did not tear.  Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.”  None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.  So Jesus went over, took the bread, and gave it to them; he did the same with the fish.

This, then, was the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from death.

After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs.”  A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.”  A third time Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” and so he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.  I am telling you the truth: when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don’t want to go.”  (In saying this, Jesus was indicating the way in which Peter would die and bring glory to God.)  Then Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:1-19)

Jesus said, “Heaven & earth will pass away, 

but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification.  Amen 

The scene is the Sea of Galilee.  The disciples had gone there in obedience to Jesus’ command to Mary Magdalene following His resurrection.  

“Go & tell my brothers to go to Galilee, & there they will see me.” (Matthew 25:10)

I’m sure they thought that it would be a comforting thing to return to their old haunts.  

At this point they were completely confused, their world had fallen apart …

so, what could be better than doing something familiar … fishing back home.

Much of the fishing in the Sea of Galilee was done at night.  Fishermen used torches to attract the fish to the boat, & then netted them.  But even though these disciples were expert fishermen, they spent the whole night on the water & caught nothing … certainly an unusual & disappointing experience for them.  Yet, as the account makes clear, it was the Lord’s intention that they wouldn’t catch anything on this occasion.  He had something to teach them, a lesson involving a symbol that was familiar to them … fish.

Failure is a demoralizing experience …

& these men had just failed miserably at the one thing they did best.

But bad as that night might have been, it’s nothing compared to the pain that comes when we face the fact that we’ve let ourselves down.  

And that brings us to Peter, & the days that followed Jesus’ crucifixion.  Talk about letting someone down. … Can you imagine how he must have felt?  

Peter was a man who had, for all practical purposes, a dead spirit.  Peter was a man who was in desperate need of a kind of “resurrection” himself.

When I speak of “resurrection,” I’m thinking of his commitment to Christ.  This was lost in the midst of his famous denial the night of Jesus’ arrest.  

Remember? … 3 different people had come up to him asking if he simply knew Jesus.  And Peter replied … “I swear that I am telling the truth!  

May God punish me if I am not!  I do not know the man!” (Matthew 26:74)

Wow!  Can Peter ever be restored again? (Matthew 18:22)

Imagine what an updated version of Peter’s resume might look like.

2½ years with Jesus; various preaching assignments; some healings;

food distribution experience in large crowds; occasional appointment secretary.  Basic strength … spokesman.  Essential weakness … no courage.

Can this kind of person be resurrected?  Is it even worth it?

This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture.  It’s so encouraging.  

I’ve gone back to it a # of times.  It’s a beautiful picture of Jesus meeting His disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  By now most of the disciples had seen the resurrected Jesus at least twice. (John 20:19,26) 

But their reactions indicated confusion, &

 an inability to fully comprehend what was going on. (Matthew 28:17)

It’s also important to note who the “they” were in this passage.  

“Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael (the one from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, & 2 other disciples” … there were 7 in all. 

Peter, Thomas, & Nathanael are the only ones specifically named.  

Thomas was the lone “unbeliever” when the news 1st arrived about Jesus’ resurrection. “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands & put my finger on those scars & my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25) 

Nathanael had been the 1st to acknowledge Jesus’ true identity. (John 1:49) 

And we’ve already talked about Peter.

(Don’t miss the point that the 1st Church was made up of doubters, deniers, 

& a wide variety of sinners who had been brought to faith by Christ.)

Anyway, baffled & confused, it’s Peter who finally suggests something positive … “I am going fishing.”  That’s something that he knew & understood & felt reasonably comfortable doing … & the rest of the disciples immediately joined him.  (Jon, George … I suspect you would have happily tagged along as well.  In fact, Duane’s off fishing right now.)

When we fail at a “vocation” like the one that Jesus had called Peter to … 

what’s left but to return to what we did before?  By going back to fishing Peter is saying … “I’m a failure as a follower of Christ.  

I let Him down when I should have performed.

So, I’m going back to what I know I can do, & do well … fishing.”

Now, if a person is a leader in spiritual matters, that same leadership will exist in moments of despair or rebellion.  

So, when Peter suggests a night of fishing … everyone follows.

John, who was there, writes that it was a bad night.

The “experts”, with experience & equipment, fail again.  It’s almost an exact duplication of the story in Luke when they 1st met Jesus. (Luke 5:4-6) 

There must have been the feeling … “Déjà vu, I’ve been here before.”

And suddenly, Jesus appears on the shore & calls to them, 

“Young men, haven’t you caught anything?”

“Not a thing.”

“Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, & you will catch some.”

It’s John who says to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”  And it’s Peter who leaps into the water & frantically swims toward Jesus.  He’s so excited!  He can’t wait to get to Him!  And we have this beautiful scene on the shore with the fire burning, cooking the fish & bread.  The cold, shivering, tired men gather around.  What’s going on in Peter’s mind? … When was the last time that he stood around the charcoal fire? … (Remember, it was outside of Caiaphas’ house the night of his denial.) (John 18:18)

Everywhere Peter goes there are reminders.

The early morning air is chilly.  Fog rises off the lake.  There’s silence as the men stare into the fire, wondering what’s going to happen next?  And then … Jesus serves breakfast.  It’s an act of caring, of hospitality, of saying … “gentlemen, I’m glad to be with you.”  It’s completely different from those final hours in Jerusalem when everything was out of control.  

I try to put myself in the disciple’s place.  Jesus is back with them!

This is a beautiful, calming picture of Jesus’ invitation to all who have failed & are defeated, to come & join Him at the fire, away from the cold & emptiness. (Matthew 11:28) Join Him for breakfast.  He’s still ready to serve. 

(Mark 10:45)

The conversation begins with Peter, & it involves a series of questions & answers.  3 times Jesus asks, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  

3 times Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

And 3 times Jesus responds, “Take care of my sheep.”

It seems like a strange conversation, until we understand the meaning of the terms that were used in the exchange.  

There are several words in Greek that are loosely translated as “love.”  

2 of them are found here: “agape” (ἀγαπᾷς) & “phileo” (φιλῶ).

“Agape” is the highest form of love.  It’s a love that performs, that gives.  “For God loved the world so much that he gave ….” (John 3:16)

“Phileo” is the 2nd word for love used in our Scripture passage.  

It focuses on feelings of affection & intentions.

So, “agape” is performance, while “phileo” deals with feelings & intentions.  There’s obviously quite a difference between the 2.

And once we understand that, this passage comes alive.

Jesus is asking Peter … “Do you love (agape/performance) me?”

Peter answers … “Yes, Lord, 

you know that I love (phileo/I have intentions & feelings for) you.”

In addition to that question Jesus adds … “more than these others do?”  “Peter, do you still think that you love me more than all the other disciples?”

You see, more than once Peter inferred that he did.  He had stood there with good “intentions,” thinking that he was Jesus’ #1 supporter.  

He had publicly vowed … “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!” 
(Mark 14:29) “I’ve got your back.  You can depend on me.”

Since then, Peter’s had a chance to perform … but didn’t.  

In fact, his failure was more spectacular than everyone else’s (1 Corinthians 10:12) 

… the greater the intention, the more colossal the failure.  Jesus wants Peter to honestly examine his heart, & recognize where he really stands.  

And for the 1st time, Peter’s willing to come clean.  

“Lord, you know that I … I … I … I have ‘intentions’ for you.”

Thank you, Peter, for describing all of us.  The best that can be said for each of us, most of the time, is that we have feelings/intentions for the Lord.  But there’s a huge difference between that & performance.  

“Hell is full of good intentions or desires.” (Bernard of Clairvaux)

“Resurrection” begins when a person stops kidding around about the true state of their love for Jesus.  We’d like to claim “agape” … 

but we’re more often prone toward “phileo” love.

Then Jesus says, “take care of my lambs.”

Notice that He doesn’t say … “lead, dominate, manage, govern, rule over, command, supervise, or intimidate.” (1 Peter 5:3)

Have you ever seen someone feed a lamb?  Years ago, I had a friend who was kind of a “gentleman farmer.”  He had a bunch of sheep & even went to Scotland & got some sheep dogs.  He knew I was teaching a S.S. class, & he invited the kids to come & see the newborn lambs.  He even let them feed them.  They used baby bottles, & with the utmost gentleness, fed the lambs.

The “lambs” of Jesus Christ have to grow. (Hebrews 6:1) 

Jesus starts at the beginning with Peter.

“I want you to be a feeder of the tiniest, of the most vulnerable.”

The 2nd question varies little from the 1st.

Jesus again uses “agape” & Peter answers with “phileo.”  

“Lord, I have affection for you & intentions to serve you.”

Now Peter says that, but he’s in an embarrassing situation.

He’s standing there with a fishing net … which is admitting that he’s gone back to fishing for fish rather than fishing for people. (Luke 5:10)

Jesus varies His command a little this time.

He says, “Take care of my sheep.”  The word He uses (Ποίμαινε) is a more general term, which describes the overall work of the shepherd for the entire flock, rather than just the lambs.

Now in the 3rd question Jesus changes verbs.  He uses Peter’s word … 

“Do you phileo me?”  Jesus is now dealing at Peter’s level of commitment.

“Peter, I accept where you are right now spiritually.  I understand your intention.  And as time goes on, I will help you with your performance,  

because that’s what I’m ultimately interested in.”

You see … Jesus doesn’t want simply promises. (James 2:14)

And that’s all Peter had given Him up to this point.  The original vow to follow Jesus, & even die for Him, had been unrealistic. (Mark 14:31) 

Peter’s 3 denials were exaggerated also, filled with profanity. (Matthew 26:74)

Neither were really Peter.  They showed him in moments of extreme stress.  In this conversation we view Peter as he really is.

He’s anxious to know Jesus, & wants to please Him.  

This is all that the Lord wants from him … & us.

Jesus had given Peter the privilege of being the 1st leader of the Church. 

(The Acts 2:14) And there were times when Peter allowed it to go to his head & made him think bigger thoughts about himself than he should have. (Romans12:3) 

But Jesus is patient with him.

Peter would look back on this moment as his own “spiritual resurrection.”  Later, he would write …

“But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, 

who calls you to share his eternal glory with Christ, will himself perfect you & give you firmness, strength, & a sure foundation.” (1 Peter 5:10)

The 3rd century Bible scholar, John Chrysostom, wrote … 

“The danger is not that we should fall while fighting, 

but rather that, once fallen, we should remain on the ground.” 

 Peter’s been on the ground, but now he’s up, “resurrected” by Jesus.

Some of us have fallen, but thank you Jesus … we have gotten up again. 

(The Proverbs 2:16)

The conversation ends with a frightening challenge about the future.  

Jesus now tells Peter something that he couldn’t have understood before with just simply his good “intentions.”  Let me paraphrase.

“Peter, while you’re young, you’ll have freedom; but there’s coming a time, when you’re old, that you’ll also suffer on a cross.”  

John verifies that Jesus’ words were a prophecy about Peter’s martyrdom.

And then Jesus concludes with, “Follow me!”  What makes that interesting is that several weeks earlier Jesus had told Peter … 

“You cannot follow me now where I am going, but later you will follow me.”

“‘Lord, why can’t I follow you now?’ asked Peter.  ‘I’m ready to die for you!’

“Jesus answered, ‘Are you really ready to die for me?  

I am telling you the truth: before the rooster crows you will say 3 times that you do not know me.’” (John 13:36-38)

As long as Peter operated on an intention level, he couldn’t follow Jesus.

That could happen only after the cross, 

when Peter became honestly committed.

Now this prophecy was historically fulfilled.  Church historian, Eusebius, 

is the 1st to acknowledge it.  He writes about Peter traveling to Rome near the end of his life.  There he was imprisoned by Nero, 

his hands were bound, & he was led out to the place of execution.  

Tradition adds that at Peter’s request, he was crucified upside-down because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same way that his Lord did.

Peter once promised that he would lay down his life for Jesus. (Matthew 26:35) 

And here, Jesus prophetically says in effect, “Yes Peter, you will one day keep your promise & give your life for me.  But you will not die as you thought you would, with a sword in your hand, defending me against the Temple guards & Roman soldiers. (John 18:10) You will be bound & led out to die just as I was.  You will lay down your life, not in battle, but in martyrdom.”

This is a hope-filled story for every follower of Jesus, who, like me, 

has felt defeat.  And it’s at those times that Jesus is often able to speak more clearly than ever before.  

And through that experience there is “resurrection!”

A lot of people naïvely say, “Oh, I love Jesus so much!”  

But how do we really know if we truly love Jesus?  Is it just a tender emotion that we feel inside … or is there more to love than that?

If we really love God, it’ll be shown in our life.  “Do you love me?” 

Jesus asked Peter.  And today He’s asking us that same question.

What kind of love does Jesus want us to have? … 

What kind of love do you have for Jesus? …

MARANA THA