Sunday 19th April
John 21: 15-25
Three times Jesus asked Peter: do you love me?
Beginnings and endings are really important in novels, TV dramas and it’s said, sermons. Get the beginning and the end right and the rest will ( just about) take care of itself.
John 21 is the last of his imaginative gospel. One well-informed commentator writes ”This scene … is one of the most spectacular interchanges in the whole Bible, perhaps in all literature.” (Tom Wright, John for Everyone).
I suspect that’s an little audacious, but John’s ending with a poignant, repeated question is also an affirmation of the one who denied him.
After the drama of Jesus’ life, following him into the shadows of the cross and the grief of his death, John concludes by telling some enigmatic resurrection stories. Appearances and vanishings, touching and not touching, doubts and loves.
Then, in chapter 21 it appears that a second hand has added another chapter, another scroll page. Jesus is reported as appearing seven disciples who have returned to fishing. For goodness sake, they had very recently “seen” Jesus risen from the dead – and they want to fish!!
You might be forgiven for thinking that if you had been amongst them you would have at least begun knocking on a few doors, hoping that someone might give you a hearing. But, no they go fishing which ranks with golf in the activity stakes.
You also might expect that Jesus would say something like ‘Surprised to see me?” Or, “Told you I would rise again on the third day”. Instead he invites them to breakfast ( which might suggest that brunch is a really good thing to include in worship?)
No one knows who added this extra chapter. The clue is at the end of chapter 20 where “John” says that Jesus did many other signs not recorded – but the ones told are so that “You might come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ in Gk) … and have life in his name.”
And then, in chapter 21 it concludes a second time repeating that Jesus did many other things, “and if everyone of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” Obviously he hadn’t heard the prophecy about the printing press and e-books which can compress and download a bible in thirty seconds.
John’s Gospel ends in very unexpected ways – and with a question, rather than a dogmatic statement.
Jesus doesn’t say I have defeated death, or I am God incarnate, or I am going to become the second person of the Trinity. There is not one puzzling theological conundrum. He simply asks Peter, do you love me? That’s it.
The poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, encourages us “To live the questions now. perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
In his own way Jesus invites Peter to live his question. Keep in mind that Peter denied Jesus three times – no, I do not know that man!! and then the cock crowed. So, living this question is also an assurance of reconciliation. Out of the pain and fear of being arrested for being one of the company of Jesus, Peter had denied his master. Perhaps he went back to fishing because of his sense of utter shame. Through Jesus’ question and his response he is restored to companionship, the deep friendship of forgiveness and love.
Three times Peter responds Yes and Jesus tells him to feed “my sheep, my lambs”. This is clearly referring back to John chapter 10, portraying Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Peter is called to share this ministry and much later in the memory of the Roman Catholic Church he becomes the first pope, the bishop of Rome.
He is obliquely told how this call will work out in his life. The fate of Peter in Christian legend is that he became one of the founders of the church in Rome.It goes on to tell the story that he was crucified upside-down by the Emperor Nero in 64AD in his mad accusations about the new Christian sect.
Peter the denier, the man who was nicknamed Rocky, is redeemed from his shame and betrayal … and through live begins a new future as he responds to that invitation which is the crux of Christianity: follow me.
Bishop Tom Wright again: “If you are going to do any single solitary thing as a follower and servant of Jesus this is what it is built on. Somewhere, deep down inside , there is a love for Jesus and though goodness knows you’ve let him down enough times, he wants to find that love, to give you a chance to express it, to heal the hurts and failure of the past and give you new work to do.”
The gospel of John ends not with a conclusion, but a new beginning, an open road which would, in the long term, change the world.
Some one graffitied on a wall Jesus is the answer. Underneath in reply another wrote So what is the question?
The question is do you love me? Will you take a risk on this relationship, and walk along an unknown road of life. Will you meet friends and strangers anticipating that you may be meeting the Christ? Will you be a community practicing the last will and testament of Jesus: this is my commandment, that I love one another as I have loved you.
Will you bank your life on saying yes?