4. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
– Stick together, v. 2
“Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael
from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two
other disciples were together.”
Male
bonding
6. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
– Stick together, v. 2
– Keep busy, v. 3a
– Stick with what you know, v. 3b
“I'm going out to fish, Simon Peter told them, and
they said, We'll go with you. So they went out and
got into the boat …”
7. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
– Stick together, v. 2
– Keep busy, v. 3a
– Stick with what you know, v. 3b
– Get nowhere slowly, v. 3c
“So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.”
9. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
– Pose embarrassing questions, v. 5
“He called out to them, Friends, haven't you any
fish? No, they answered …”
10. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
– Pose embarrassing questions, v. 5
– Point in the right direction, v. 6a
“He said, Throw your net on the right side of the
boat and you will find some.”
11. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
– Pose embarrassing questions, v. 5
– Point in the right direction, v. 6a
– Give fruitfulness to obedient action, v. 6b
12. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
– Pose embarrassing questions, v. 5
– Point in the right direction, v. 6a
– Give fruitfulness to obedient action, v. 6b
“When they did, they were unable to haul
the net in because of the
large number of fish.”
13. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
– Pose embarrassing questions, v. 5
– Point in the right direction, v. 6a Unrecognised
– Give fruitfulness to obedient action, v. 6b
14. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
– Pose embarrassing questions, v. 5
– Point in the right direction, v. 6a Unrecognised
– Give fruitfulness to obedient action, v. 6b
– Identify Himself, vv. 7 & 12b
15. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
– Pose embarrassing questions, v. 5
– Point in the right direction, v. 6a Unrecognised
– Give fruitfulness to obedient action, v. 6b
– Identify Himself, vv. 7 & 12b
– Authenticate Himself, vv. 7b, 11, 12c & 19c
16. Mark 1:14-20
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God.15 The time has come, he
said. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good
news!
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon
and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they
were fishermen.
17 Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of
men.
18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of
Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father
Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
17. John 21:1-19
• Introduction
• What man can do, vv. 1-3
• What the Risen Lord can do, vv. 4-14
• What the Risen Lord WANTS to do, vv. 15-19
• Conclusion
Notes de l'éditeur
These disciples are coming slap bang up against perhaps the most DIFFICULT thing we have to deal with in the Christian life.Up until now, Jesus had been tangibly, visibly, recognisably THERE for them.Just as, for the small child, the toddler, Mammy or Daddy is THERE … ready at a moment’s notice to fulfil their need, calm their fear, meet the fleeting insecurity of the challenging moment.It seems healthy in the toddler.It would be bizarre in the teenager, and decidedly disturbing in the middle aged man to see the very same phenomenon taking place.And what’s been going on for these disciples since Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection is that He has been seeking to wean them from the intimate dependency of the spiritual infant into the experience He had previously so caringly described for them in the days leading up to His crucifixion … that time when He would no longer be with them but would ‘go away’.And so when we meet the disciples in this passage they are going through that awkward transition when it feels like Christ is sometimes ‘there’ for them, and sometimes not … though they wish He were, or rather that they had an intimate sense of His presence on which to lean, rather than having to fellowship with Him by faith.And let’s be honest, that sense that (however much we know that He’s there) the Lord is not visible, audible or tangible to us … perhaps even as we’re going through challenging experiences … can be hugely frustrating to us.It is the experience of transition to maturity in faith … but we’d all prefer the experience of having a nice cwtsch!The trouble is, sight is not faith … and faith alone saves.The trouble is, the ever-present cwtsch on demand is not the assurance of faith … and it doesn’t lead to spiritual growth or maturity in the faith.And it is frustrating and annoying when God raises us to be grown up children by not being there at our beck and our call like the toddler’s Welsh Mam.The HARDEST thing to deal with in the Christian life is frustration … not the sacrifice, not the persecution, not the suffering and pain.It’s the frustration when God does NOT immediately appear, when He does NOT immediately respond to our childlike cries.It’s the frustration when He and His love seem ELUSIVE.They are going through a time in their experience … these disciples … when Jesus pops up unexpectedly then DISAPPEARS unexpectedly, randomly, or so it appears.In their spiritual infancy, throughout His earthly ministry, they’ve been – frankly – used to Him proving thoroughly more RELIABLE, DEPENDABLE … PLAIN SIMPLY THERE!And here He is now, LEAVING them to live in a confused state, contending nakedly with the experience of life in the eschatological tension, life in a fallen world, the pressures and the pains of the creation subjected to … ?Frustration!The romance has entered a MUCH more touch and go phase now.Mature relationships DO.But one partner or the other in a relationship facing that growth stage and making that transition can get very frustrated with it.Tension crops up.The relationship becomes strained.And in our passage this morning Peter reflects an attitude and a response I’ve seen in many a nagged husband around here in this part of the world when his wife displays her frustration in the relationship.He waits.He listens.Then he reaches for his coat: ‘Dwi’nmyndhela’.I’m going hunting.Well in this account here it’s not hunting, it’s fishing … but Peter displays the response of despair facing what it feels powerless to change or mebbe even understand … ‘I’m going fishing’.He’s going off doing the only thing he can think of that might bring him consolation in frustration.What can I do?He’s on His own resources.What CAN a man do in such an experience of frustration, loneliness and unacknowledged but unavoidable pain?Now, when you can’t find Jesus the natural thing is to fall back on your own resources … but quite naturally Peter does exactly that here.So what does that LOOK like?
A man needs his mates.Now – of course he does!There’s NOTHING wrong with that!A man DOES need his mates, need his buddies.This is GOOD advice.There is NOTHING wrong with this.It’s the best man can do.It’s better in this loneliness and frustration not to be all alone … but just being with your mates isn’t going to sort out that frustration at the felt absence of Jesus.So what will Peter propose next?
I’m sick of this (can you hear Peter say?) I’m not sitting here rotting for one minute longer, getting eaten up by longing He’ll put in an appearance!A man NEEDS stuff to DO, and we’re all just stuck here.I’m.Going.Fishing.Keep busy.Now, of course, there’s certainly NOTHING wrong with that!It’s amongst the best that man’s got to deal with the felt absence of Jesus … it might distract you from the frustration, but it isn’t going to deal successfully with the problem.That sense of the absence of God is confusing … like being left the first time at meithrin or kindergarten as a very small toddler … when Mam’s absence is so painful because one of your great certainties – her loving presence – is removed … it’s confusing!So the disciples in seeking to discovver their certainties lean back on the thing that they know … read v. 3
There must have been something comforting and reassuring about the work of their hands, the lift of the sail and the creak of the oars … the smell of the lake and the feel of the nets …Discipling and preaching and following of Jesus had been great and … exciting!But their fathers had taught them to handle boats, cast nets, land fish and sell them.So in their pain, loneliness and frustration when they couldn’t see Jesus there, they went back to the old things they knew …Just don’t DO that!Such a strategy is the key to getting nowhere quite fast.The Lord leads His people forwards, not back.You’ve heard the cruel joke about the Italian battle tank that had one forward gear and four in reverse?There’s no room for THAT in the Kingdom of God.
The frustration only increases … read v. 3.Night fishing in Bournemouth as a kid.Frustration made worse is the outcome.
When human beings resort in their frustration to their buddies, to activism, to the old ways and certainties … and get NOWHERE, what is it that the Lord can then do?Please notice that the first few things He does take place while He’s still completely unrecognised.Here’s what’s actually happening, oh so often, when His followers are frustrated with the felt sense of His absence … He’s there whilst we can’t recognise Him … but He’s there at the lakeside, and will you look at what Jesus does next?!!
Can you imagine the awkwardness Jesus creates here?He isn’t just there to make us feel smoochy and gooey!He’s there to question our pathological psychology and praxis!And here He goes …“He called out to them, Friends, haven't you any fish? No, they answered …”(And what else do you suppose they were muttering about this geezer?!)But the next bit is even more surprising …
Who IS He?Who does He THINK He is?!They haven’t recognised Him as anyone from around those parts … who does He think He is to counsel those worn out local, man & boy practitioners of their art?But the amazing thing is they let down their nets again …I am personally quite sure this was not a natural act, but the point is it allowed Jesus to demonstrate that …He gives fruitfulness to obedient action …
More than that, He gives fruitfulness to obedient action based on faith and trust in the One Who currently feels like a stranger, because He currently stands in the role of the unrecognised God!
They don’t recognise Him … in fact they’re pained and frustrated because it FEELS like He’s unreliable and absent.But they trust and obey the Lord Who feels like a stranger …And He pours out a blessing too big for them t handle, which reveals to them that in fact all long they’ve actually been in the presence of the Lord of Glory.
Here’s what Jesus does even whilst He is unrecognised.Now here comes what the Risen Lord does for obedient, supra-rational faith …
v. 7 – John: “It is the Lord!”v. 7 b – Peter: “As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, It is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water”v. 12 – the rest of them: “Jesus said to them, Come and have breakfast. None of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you? They knew it was the Lord”WHEN did they recognise Him?They had done everything expert fishermen could do too land fish that night … but it was when He showed Himself to be the Lord of Creation that their eyes were suddenly opened and they recognised the Lord as Who He was.He identifies Himself, by AUTHENTICATING Himself …
v. 7b - He sets them on the shoal, John recognises Jesus as the One Who can do this thing and Peter jumps into the water to swim to Jesus.It’s Jesus Peter wants, come what may!v. 11 – the net was ever so full of fish so they just couldn’t land it, but Peter got it to shore and the net didn’t tear … something else not quite natural was happening here!v. 12c – “None of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you? They knew it was the Lord.13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.”Now Jesus is ringing the bells of their memory banks … breaking bread and fish – when had they seen that before?(When Jesus had fed the 5,000?)Jesus is authenticating Himself.Then right at the end of the chapter, as Peter has been challenged and reinstated … what do you read right down there?v. 19: “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, Follow me!”Where did they first meet with Jesus?Come back to Mark 1 …
So WHY were they now BACK fishing?So what is the context?Nets and fishing.And what is the challenge?Repentance leads to following and to faith and to leaving nets to follow Jesus.‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of MEN!
These guys have gone from frustration to faith to recognition to commission …. Commission to mission with Jesus, to be fishers of men.