The rooster crowed.
The world would say that when a Christian fails, it is evidence against God. The bible shows that a failing Christian isn’t finished. Jesus sees the failing and still has a plan for you! We’re going to finish the book of John today with a focus on Simon Peter. We’ve been through a lot with Simon Peter and the disciples throughout this series in John. Jesus said, follow me, to a fisherman after miraculously helping them get a huge catch of fish, when they had caught nothing all night.
Jesus called him Peter, which means rock, and when Peter said that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, Jesus said, on this rock will I build my church.
Peter had failures and compared himself to the others and wanted to be the greatest among the disciples and was told get thee behind me satan.
Peter witnessed with his own eyes and was part of many miracles, from the feeding of the five thousand to the healing of the paralyzed, the lepers, the blind, the bleeding, and even raising Lazarus from the dead.
Peter had his feet washed by Jesus in the upper room and shared the first communion with Him and Peter told Jesus that he loved Him more than any of the others did.
As Jesus was brought to trial, tortured and murdered on the cross, Peter denied that he knew him three times before the rooster crowed just as Jesus foretold he would.
The rooster crowed.
He cut off a guy’s ear in the garden before Jesus was captured and Jesus stopped him. I would imagine over the next month, certain things would remind him of his failures, EVERY time he is in a garden[how could I be such a fool and cut that guy’s ear off? How did I not see what Jesus was talking about and what He was doing?], like EVERY MORNING when a rooster crows[Why did I deny that even knew him? I thought I was the one that loved him the most, that I would die for him not that I would abandon and disown him in his time of greatest need?], EVERY TIME he is around a campfire with people, which for him would likely be EVERY DAY[why did I say those things? Why was I so afraid?]. Are you reminded of your failures? I bet Peter was questioning whether he loved Jesus like he said he did, whether he was capable of doing any better than before, or would he always be a fool? When Jesus rose from the grave that first Easter morning, he appeared to his disciples multiple times and in multiple ways. The resurrected Jesus had defeated death itself.
However, Peter still had a problem. Every time the rooster crowed he relived his failure. Jesus had returned but how could he return?
Have you failed? Perhaps you have failed. There is something that you know was wrong and you did it or something that you know was right and you didn’t do it. And, there is something that nags at you and reminds you of that failure.
Peter denied Jesus at a charcoal fire as he sat and talked.
Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.
I think that these two things have reminded him of his denial every day since.
This is where we finish the story written for us in the book of John. You see Peter is going to become the leader of the Apostles and will be featured prominently in the first 12 chapters of Acts being used by God to perform miracles and preach amazing sermons. So questions were rising amongst the new Christians which prompted John to write this, they were saying, wait a minute, how is this Peter the Peter that is in the story, because he seems like such a screw-up, and he denied Jesus at the end when it mattered most? Well John wants to show that Peter is forgiven, brought back in, and he shows us how you can be brought back from your failures too. So, that’s what we’re talking about today.
“After these things”
We’ve just experienced the last supper, with Jesus washing the disciples feet, including Judas, instituting the first Communion and predicting His betrayal by Judas, his denial by Peter, and his going away and returning. We’ve seen all these things come to be, He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane betrayed by Judas’ kiss, brought before Pontius Pilate by the Pharisees, Peter denies that he knows Him three times, Barabas is set free, Jesus is tortured, mocked and crucified, while forgiving one of the thieves on the cross next to Him saying “today I will see you in Paradise.” The prophecies in Isaiah are fulfilled in that no bones in his body are broken and blood and water poor from His side, pierced for our transgressions. THREE DAYS LATER HE RISES FROM THE DEAD and is seen by MANY WITNESSES. He appears to many disciples, expounds the scriptures concerning Himself. And now, it is a few days later maybe up to 30 days later. Peter has had a few days of walking past gardens, sitting at campfires, and morning rooster crows to haunt him of for failures… and they have no food, so they go fishing.
Exposition
Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin,a Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Isn’t it interesting that this has happened before. The first time, Jesus came, asked them to follow Him, and told them that they would become fishers of men. Notice, they have gone back to the beginning. They seem stuck. They are hungry for natural food and it doesn’t mention them praying or seeking God for what they should do. They’ve gone back to their old lives. They go fishing for fish instead of men. They are failures on so many levels, and it is morning so either the rooster has crowed or Peter is trying to stay out on the sea so he can’t hear it and be reminded of his failures.
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to 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 there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yardsb off.
So… Peter had gone back to the beginning and Jesus met him back there at the beginning. If you can be reminded of your failure, He can remind you of His victory. Jesus redoes the miracle that led to them following Him in the first place. Notice Peter’s excitement. The boat was a hundred yards out. He dove in and swam back to shore away from this huge catch of fish. Remember, he had no food, which is why he went fishing, and He wants to be near Jesus more. He longs for reconnection, to get past his failure.
9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.
Wouldn’t this charcoal fire, like all the others remind him of his failure. He was standing by a charcoal fire when he denied that he knew Jesus and denied that he was a disciple.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
I think that it is interesting that there was already fish and bread on the charcoal fire and Jesus asked them to bring some of what they had just caught as well. This would remind them of the miracle of feeding the 5 thousand… but also it would remind Peter of the fish that he just caught and how hungry he was to go back to his life of fishing. In my bible, there is a little heading on this section. Jesus Restores Peter. I love that. This is what we are talking about in the final chapter of the final gospel written by the disciple whom Jesus loved. This is important. Be restored. You’ve failed. You are constantly reminded of your failures. What Jesus wants is to restore you. I think this was an important lesson that Jesus wanted to share with us before He ascended into heaven, but I think that it is also an important lesson that John wanted to share, because people were wondering if all these things happened as he was saying, why was Peter a leader amongst the Apostles, featured so prominently in the first 12 chapters of Acts?
Jesus and Peter
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
If you are familiar with this story, Jesus is going to ask him three times and I want to highlight some things in how he asks and the multiple things that Jesus is doing here.
In this first asking: Do you love me, he adds “more than these?” There has been debate ever since over the meaning of this and I think the debate is a little silly because Jesus can mean multiple things at the same time.
Do you love me more than these fish that you are so hungry for?
Do you love me more than these other disciples like you said you did at the Last Supper?
Do you love me more than these patterns in your mind of being reminded of your failures every time you sit at a charcoal fire or hear a rooster crow?
Another thing to highlight, Jesus uses the word agape for love here and Peter uses the word phileo. Agape is most often used for God’s unconditional and unending love and phileo is used for brotherly love, a strong bond between brothers who would do anything for one another. So in a way Jesus asks him, do you love me unconditionally the way that God the Father loves me and you? And Peter answers Him I love you with a brotherly love that is the closest to unconditional that a human can muster. And Jesus says, Feed my lambs.
We know that Jesus is saying in this phrase Feed my lambs, do the work of the ministry that is before you. If you love me, turn that love outward and do! Don’t just go fishing for yourself. But, he is also saying I forgive you for that first denial of me when I was being tried and tortured. I want you back.
16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
The second time, forgiving and restoring Peter from his failure in the second time that he had denied Jesus. Again, Jesus says agape and again Peter says phileos. But, what is the difference between feed my lambs and tend my sheep? Well I think that there was nuance to Peter in these moments that maybe we can’t know right now, but one possibility is that a lamb could be seen as a new Christian and this could be encouraging Peter about evangelism where tending sheep would be more about helping the converted followers to become mature in their knowledge of Christ through building them up and leading them into becoming fruitful… like in our church vision to bring people into a living, growing, and fruitful relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
This time, Jesus uses the word phileo, Simon son of John, do you love me with a brotherly affection that is as close to unconditional as a human can muster? Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you like my own brother, my own flesh and blood, whom I would do anything for. Then turn that outward and feed my sheep!
In this moment, Jesus restores Peter for that third denial that Peter had done at a charcoal fire while sitting here at a charcoal fire with His Lord. Peter will not be going back to a life of fishing, he will not be haunted by charcoal fires and roosters crowing, but truly he is going to begin the life of being a fisher of men. He will lead the apostles being filled with the Holy Spirit soon after in a ministry of bringing people into a living, growing, and fruitful relationship with Jesus Christ and His church. He will feed the sheep and tend the lambs.
18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Recall that “Follow me.” is what Jesus also said to Him initially when he was chosen, after that first miracle catch of fish. Jesus has restored him back to the beginning. His sins have been separated from him as far as the east is from the west. The next time that the rooster crowed, Peter remembered this moment instead of his failures. He remembered Jesus Love and restoration instead of his guilt. His shame has been replaced with everlasting joy. Isaiah 61:7
Conclusion
Is there something that reminds you of your sin?
Is there a rooster that crows for you and reminds you of when you denied your relationship with Christ?
Is there a charcoal fire that when you sit at it, you can’t help but remember your failure?
Jesus wants to restore you back to the beginning. He wants to wipe that all away so that all that remains is your love for Him and if you love Him, you will go out and DO His Will, instead of wallowing in your own will.
Run to Him!
Swim to Him that hundred yards!
He will sit with you in that place that reminds you of failure and turn it into the place where it all begins for you by reminding you of your love for Him so that you can get back to Following Him.
Let’s Pray.
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