Alditamus, Nathaniel of Cana and Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, we are going with you also. The message today from John chapter 21 is for those who feel confused, disillusioned, defeated, and perhaps uncertain about the future. For the other two of you, there is no message this morning. The fact is that all of us from time to time fit into one of those categories, don't we?
And I think that those categories, those descriptive words, give us some idea of how the disciples might have felt as they went fishing that May spring evening in Galilee. We might ask the question, what were they doing in Galilee in the first place? Well, Jesus had told them to go to Galilee and so they did. They waited for Him to appear to them there. Matthew chapter 28 verse 7 tells us about that command. Why did they decide to go fishing? Well, why not?
I don't see any reason they shouldn't, although there are some who have read into the story that Peter made a mistake here. I'm not sure that's so. It may be that he and the others were a bit baffled about what they were going to do now. Perhaps there's some self-doubt, at least in Peter's heart. It's very likely that Peter, for one, needed to support his family and wanted to go fishing to bring in some income.
Whatever was going on in their minds, their attitude was about to change due to a breakfast meeting with Jesus. A whole chapter of the Gospel of John is dedicated to this one breakfast meeting with Him. It was, of course, for the benefit of the seven, but especially for Peter, who was their leader. Peter was hurting. He needed direction, restoration, and affirmation. When you are overwhelmed with the stresses and situations of your life, you also need time with Jesus.
You need to fellowship with Him, as I do, in those moments when you wonder what's coming next or you're trying to figure out how you got into the mess that you're in. Jesus Christ knows our hurts and our anxieties, just like He did Peter's. He desires to address those needs that we have, just as He did Peter's. I want you to notice Peter's needs as we work our way through the text, and also notice with me a lesson for each of us to learn in application to our own lives.
I've already suggested that Peter had the need for direction. The others did as well, but especially Peter, because they looked up to him. Peter said, let's go fishing, and so they all joined him. They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. That's a revolting predicament for fishermen, especially some who were professional fishermen like Peter. When the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
And Jesus said to them, children or lads, have you any food? Did you catch anything? Do you know how hard it must have been for them to say to this person on the shore, no? If you've ever been out on the lake and gotten skunk, you know how hard it is. When somebody asks you, did you catch anything, you would rather answer any other question, have any other response, than to say no. But here were these men, and they had to respond with the truth.
And he said to them, cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some. Wait a minute, this boat is only about 15 feet long and 5 feet wide. This is not a vessel. This is a boat. And now this stranger is saying, just put the net on the other side of the boat and you'll catch something. I believe that the Lord had sent angels that night in some wetsuits, and they were down below that ship waving off all these fish. And now Jesus says, just put the net in on the other side.
They cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Suddenly there are some alarms going off in the mines on that boat. Deja vu, have we been here? This reminds me of something. And indeed it does. Turn back to Luke chapter 5. To another occasion, the multitude was pressing to hear Jesus. There were two boats there by the lake, and the fishermen had gone from them. They were washing their nets.
So he got into the boats, one of them was Simon's, and he asked him to put out from the land a bit so he could speak to the multitudes. Verse 4, and when he had stopped speaking, he said to Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. Simon answered and said to him, Master, we've toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net. When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking.
So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink. But Simon Peter saw that he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. And he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken. And so now they're in another similar situation. They have just caught all of these fish. John tells us there were 153 of them.
I don't think there's a particular symbolic meaning to that number other than, like a lot of fishermen, they counted them. And you will notice John says they were large fish. You can tell he spent some time fishing in his life. This whole episode was designed to be a reminder to them of an earlier time with Jesus. A time when he had called them to be his full-time disciples. At least two other times before Luke chapter 5, Jesus had met them.
And for a time they followed him, listening to his teaching, but they returned to their nets. But in Luke chapter 5, Jesus comes to these fishermen and he says to them, Follow me. And they left their nets and they followed him full-time. Now Jesus has died. He's been raised from the dead. They're at the Sea of Galilee again. And the familiarity of all this is not lost, especially on John. Who is the one that replied to Peter?
Verse 7, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had removed it, and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from land, about 200 cubits, that is about 100 yards, dragging the net with fish. Then as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it and bread. And Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.
Isn't the Lord gracious? Bring some of the fish you have just caught. And what was it that caused them to catch the fish? His word. Jesus allows them to share in that bounty and in the sense of excitement and adventure in catching these fish. Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land full of large fish, 153. And although there were so many, the net was not broken. And Jesus said to them, Come and eat breakfast. Yet none of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you?
Knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them and likewise the fish. This is the third time Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. On this occasion, Jesus provides for Peter what he needed. Peter needed a direction for his life. And Jesus uses a past experience reminding him of his calling to be a disciple. To tell Peter again that his direction for life is to be Jesus' disciple.
There are times when you and I get lost in our journey too. And we say, What is next? What shall I do? What is the next step for me? Whenever we encounter those times, it is good for us to go back to some of the landmark experiences in our past when God's calling has been clear. We will at least get some reference points by doing that.
Our calling in the next step may not be identical to the past, but it will be good for us to go back and to understand what God has said to us in the past and apply that to our present. These disciples had not been called to catch fish. Nothing wrong with doing that. Aren't you glad? Nothing wrong with catching fish, but he had called them to catch men, which was a way of saying to win men to him. This whole setting reminded them of that call. These disciples received their direction that day.
They understood afresh there beside the Sea of Galilee what God wanted them to do. They obeyed. And we see in the very incident itself that obedience to Jesus Christ brings blessing. They had caught nothing. They had labored all night. When Jesus said, just put your net in on the right side of the boat, they did it. And their net was filled. When you and I obey Jesus Christ, we receive blessing from him. That will confirm that we are in his will. Peter had a need for direction.
You and I do as well. When we do, our lesson is this, recall your past leading from God. How has God led you in the past? And understand very likely what he wants you to do next will be in line with where he has brought you so far. Some of you today are struggling to know the next step in your lives. What is the will of God for me and for my family? Look to your past leading and get some reference points from there. You will soon understand the leading of God for tomorrow.
There's a second need that I see that Peter in particular had and that is the need for restoration. A need for restoration. Now Jesus had met with Peter on that first Easter. I believe that Peter had a sense of forgiveness from the Lord in that private meeting. That is forgiveness because of his denial of the Lord on the night of his trial. But there is a sense in which Peter still needs to be restored publicly.
The other disciples needed to know that Peter was still their leader, that that was Jesus' will. Peter was a deeply affectionate man. A man of intense emotions. The kind of man you would love to have for a friend. The kind of man who would be a lot of fun to be around. And when he knew that this was the Lord you notice that he immediately put his outer clothing on and jumped into the water and was willing to swim and wade and get to shore to get to Jesus first. He loved Jesus.
But his love had failed in the past. And he felt guilty about that. He wondered if his usefulness to Christ was finished perhaps. The circumstances here were laden with remembrances for Peter. We've talked about his calling to discipleship beside the Sea of Galilee. When he comes to eat breakfast it's not bacon and eggs or french toast. It's broiled fish and toast. I don't remember the last breakfast meeting I had where that was on the menu. But then we're not living in Palestine.
When Jesus saw the fish and the bread, perhaps it was a reminder to him of those special occasions when he was with the Lord and the Lord had done the miracle of multiplication. The feeding of the 5,000. Then he saw that this was being cooked over coals, hot coals of fire. There may have been a flashback in his mind of those coals that were there in the high priest's courtyard as he warmed himself in the time of Jesus' trial.
It was there that the young maiden had said, you're one of them, aren't you? And he said, I don't even know the man. It seems to me that Jesus had put these circumstances together to bring all of this back to Peter's mind. Perhaps he lacked assurance that his failure had been forgiven. And so Jesus, after breakfast, gets to the point. You know how it is. You gather around for lunch or for breakfast and you just talk for a while and then eventually whoever's called the meeting gets to the point.
And almost always you can sense that's the transition. You're there now. You know why you're there. And so Jesus gets to the point. And he says to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Notice he directed this to Peter in front of the other six. Simon, do you love me? Three times he asked that question. How many times had he denied his Lord? Three. Simon, do you love me? He responds, yes Lord, you know I love you. Jesus responds, then feed my lambs. Do you love me?
Peter says, yes Lord, you know I love you. Jesus says, then pasture my sheep, tend to them. Jesus says, Simon, do you love me? Peter was grieved this third time. He said, do you love me? He says, Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. Jesus said, then feed my sheep. Three times Jesus asked Peter to affirm his love. Three times Peter does that and receives from the Lord a commission to be the leader, to feed, to pasture the sheep of God.
On this occasion, when Peter needed to be restored, he received it from the Lord. His role as the leader was restored to him. And as the leader, he needed to set the supreme example of loving Jesus Christ above all others. Peter's whole sense of purpose now was being renewed because Jesus was talking with him and publicly before the others was unafraid to give to Peter the commission to feed and to lead the sheep of God.
I may be speaking to some Christian in this congregation this morning who needs restoration. You have sensed failure. Perhaps you, like Peter, have had the opportunity to testify for Christ and instead you have denied him before others. For something in your life causes you to sense failure not once or twice or even just three times but over and over again. You say, can I be restored? Can God use me? Learn this lesson. You can renew your sense of purpose.
The Lord Jesus Christ does not give up on you. He comes to you afresh this morning and he asks you that tender question in your heart, my child, do you love me? Responding yes, Lord. Jesus says, then my child serve me. He has a purpose for you and he restores you today to a place of usefulness for him. Oh, how Satan wants you to think you can never be used again. He wants you to think in your mind that you've blown it. You've gone too far. Jesus says, my child, do you love me?
If you love me, then serve me. He would restore you to that place of service. There's a third need that Peter has and is the need for affirmation. Peter hears the words of Jesus, feed my sheep. Take care of them, Peter. But it may well be that somewhere in Peter's heart there was a nagging question. I failed him once before when I was put to the test. Will I fail him again when the test comes? How do I know that I won't blow it the next time? He has to have affirmation that he can do it.
Jesus knows the future and here he affirms Peter's devotion. He affirms that it would not fail. Notice what he says in verse 18. Most assuredly I say to you, when you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished. But when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. This he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. Jesus gives to Peter the affirmation that he needs in this moment.
First of all, Jesus suggests to him that he will serve him. Peter will serve him until he's an old man. I don't know how old he is here. He's younger than me. He's young. He's probably 35, maybe 40 years of age at this point. He has before him, if tradition is correct, some 35 or so years of service. In his heart filled with self-doubt come these words from Jesus, when you are old. And when he is old there is going to come another occasion not unlike the one a few weeks in the past now.
The time when he would be given the opportunity to deny Jesus Christ and to escape with his life. And Jesus affirms to Peter, I love this, Jesus affirms to Peter on this day, Peter when that moment comes, you will not deny me. You will pay the price of your life. Tradition tells us that Peter was crucified in the city of Rome. And not feeling worthy to be crucified as his Lord was, he asked that he be crucified upside down.
And when that day came, some three decades later, he glorified God, John writes, by the death that he died. Peter needed affirmation that he was going to make it. And from this day onward he could rest in Christ's power to keep him and to keep him on course and to fulfill his plan in his life. You may have similar feelings in your own heart. The Lord says I can still serve him. But how can I know that I will not fail him again?
How do I know that I won't blow it when I have the opportunity to stand up for him? Today you, like Peter, can rest in the power and the plan of Jesus Christ for your life. If you blow it again in the future, he is able to restore you again. He is also able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. He can do that.
And his plan is for you to be useful to him until the very moment that you are called home and to glorify him even in your death. And it is his power, not your ability that will enable you to do that. If you need affirmation today, I don't know of a stronger affirmation than the power and the plan of Jesus Christ active in your life. The bottom line of the whole breakfast meeting comes down to two words. He turns to Peter and he says, follow me. Keep on following me, Peter.
Apparently Jesus turned and started walking and Peter walked with him and over his shoulder he noticed John was kind of tagging along. And he says, well Lord, what about him? Do you ever find yourself comparing yourself to others in your journey? Lord, why don't they go through the hard times that I have? Why do they have it so easy? Or Lord, she gets those privileges, why can't I have them? Jesus says to Peter, what is it to you about him? Peter, you follow me.
You and I need to be reminded of that. Because sometimes we tend to compare our journey with others and we get proud or disappointed or jealous. And we need to be reminded that God's plan for our lives is personalized. And he says to you and me, follow me. That's all we have to do. We don't have to worry about the other person, whether he's doing it right. We don't have to compare ourselves to someone else that we think is more gifted, who has greater ability or greater opportunities.
Be jealous. All we have to do is follow Jesus. This morning that's what I want to call you to. To a renewed commitment. You say, I'm scared of renewing commitments. These new beginnings bother me. I think Peter was bothered too, but Jesus came and said to him, you're going to serve me Peter, and one day you're not going to deny me, you're going to stand with me and pay for it with your life. And you're going to glorify God in doing that. We don't have to be afraid of new beginnings.
We may have failed a hundred times in the past. Oh how our enemy comes then and says, there's no use. You're never going to amount to anything. You can't have a new beginning. If you do, you'll just blow it again. Jesus says to you, follow me. Follow me. Don't listen to the enemy. Come after me. Just follow me. I'll take care of you. My power will preserve you. It will work in your life and your life will glorify God. You need to be restored? You need His affirmation? You need a new beginning?
There's no better time than this morning than right now. Let's pray. Father, wherever this message finds us in our journey, I pray that the Holy Spirit will use it to direct our steps. There are some who are looking for direction this morning as Peter and the others were. There are some who are longing for restoration and others who are afraid need affirmation that by your grace working in them they can do it. They can do it. Take away the fear, the anxiety, the disappointment, the guilt.
And as you ask that question of Peter and as you ask it of us this morning, may we be able to answer it from the depths of our hearts, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus asks you that question. He says, do you love me? What do you say to Him? Will you then listen to His voice assigning you, giving you purpose, direction, affirmation, restoration? Let Him have His way today and tell Him that you love Him. Amen.