Breakfast on the Beach – John 21

A text – John 21:1-19

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, 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.

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 his outer garment, for he had taken it off, 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 yards off.

⁹ When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 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.

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.” 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.” 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. 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 Peter would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

A reflection:

Some Bible scholars call this chapter of John’s Gospel “Epilogue.” It does tie a lot of things together. It places seven of the disciples back in a fishing boat, catching nothing, with Jesus on the shore providing directions to a great haul of fish. In Luke’s gospel the fishing miracle occurs in the first days of Jesus’s ministry; in John’s gospel it happens here, at the very end. This epilogue also shows a time Jesus ate and drank with his disciples. This proof of his really being alive after having really died has been very important for believers both in their time and in ours.  It says we can know this was not just some dream – they really ate together.

And this epilogue also gives Peter clear redemption. He must have still felt very guilty for denying Jesus in the courtyard during his trial by the Jewish leaders. There was a charcoal fire then, too, that people were warming their hands over. The use of the same word – charcoal – in John 21 is no accident. And Peter makes his confession of love to Jesus just as he must, even though it hurts him to think again through his denial. He gives his word and Jesus gives him once again his mission to tend the Lord’s flock.

For some reason, I always think of Narnia when I read this story in John. At the end of “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” the Pevensie children are sent home to England from Narnia by Aslan from this exact scene of a cooking fire on the beach at the end of the world. They don’t want to go home, of course, and they fear being without the amazing lion Aslan as their Lord and their companion. Yet they must venture forward, trusting Aslan’s promises to be with them in another form. And we know God keeps God’s promises.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us the Gospel of John and the Chronicles of Narnia. Help us to know, like Peter, that even when we fail, you still love us and give us work to do, promising always to be near us. Amen.