The God of Second Chances!

Be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet!

 John 21:15-25

Introduction: Which of us has never needed a “second chance”? You dropped the ball, burnt the dinner, missed the mark, hurt a friend, or disappointed a loved one… we’ve all been there. Thank God for second chances!  Thank God that He doesn’t give up on us when we fail. He is still present, picking up the pieces, working the broken pot into the work of art He intends us to be. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10).

Context: Jesus appeared for a third time to the disciples, this time after Peter and six others had gone fishing on the Sea of Galilee. After their fruitless night of fishing Jesus guided them to a miraculous catch, and had breakfast waiting for them on the shore.  The “food” Jesus gave them was also an invitation to partake of the “spiritual food” that they so desperately needed (see John 4:32-34; 6:27, 55). We were reminded that discipleship is not an on again, off again proposition, it pertains to every aspect of our life. If we know Jesus we should follow Him through every moment of life recognizing His presence and seeking His glory.  Here we are reminded that despite our failures…

The Big Idea: God in His grace has chosen us, and He will accomplish His good purpose in each of us, for His glory.

I. First we see a call here to Embrace the Mission! God will use us to build His church (15-17). Peter had denied Jesus three times, yet He is personally re-commissioned by Jesus to carry out the mission entrusted to the church.

             The first thing that is obvious here is that just as Peter had three times denied that he knew Jesus, there are three questions by Jesus concerning his love, and three affirmations by Peter. Jesus starts by asking “Do you love me more than these…” This seemingly simple question has given commentators some headaches! 

      First of all, do you love me more than “these” what? Grammatically “these” could be masculine or neuter, so it could refer to the “things” associated with his former life of fishing, or to “these people,” his colleagues. Essentially there are three ways we could read this.

It could be that Jesus is asking, “Didn’t you leave these things Behind? Do you love me more than your old life of fishing?” That certainly would fit with the idea that Peter had returned to an activity that was a key to the life he had left when he followed Jesus. Back in Luke 5 he left his boat and his nets to follow Jesus and was told that from now on he would be a “fisher of men.”

“Do you love me more than you love these people [your friends]?” I think we can rule that one out, since there is nothing in the gospel that hints Peter loved his friends more than he loved Jesus. Jesus did teach elsewhere that compared to our love for Him we should “hate” even our own family!  Peter’s brother Andrew was among the seven present.  Jesus had said in Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”  That is a deliberate exaggeration to make a point: God should be number one in our life.

Most modern commentators think he is asking, “Do you love me more than these men love me?” That seems more likely than the previous option. Then Jesus is giving Peter the chance to reexamine his statements made previously that implied his love for Jesus was deeper, stronger, and more enduring than the love his fellow disciples had for the master. He had said that even if everyone else left, he would stand firm. And then he denied Him, not once, but three times! Peter, do you still think that you love me more than these others? Is that what you were trying to show when you jumped in the water the second you realized I was on shore?

There is a fourth possibility that I haven’t seen mentioned in the commentaries. John does have a penchant for double entendre, double meanings [e.g.,“lifting up” could mean both the cross, and exaltation at the same time]. Could it be that here, John wants us to hear Jesus inviting Peter first to reexamine his earlier statements concerning his love for Jesus, and at the same time asking Him about his commitment to discipleship and mission?  “Do you still think that you love me more than these others do Peter, after all that happened, after you denied me three times?  Is your commitment to me so sure that now you will continue ahead in the ministry I will give you no matter what the cost?”  The three-fold repetition of essentially the same question was to give Peter time to reflect on the pride/presumption of his earlier statements in the light of his denials of Jesus.  

 There is another question here that has been a favorite point of preachers for a long time. That is, what do Peter and Jesus mean by the word “love”? In this context, it seems to me, we have two words but one idea. Many commentators have observed that Jesus first uses the Greek verb agapao when he asks Peter about his “love” for Him, and after Peter responds twice with a different word, the verb “phileo.” Jesus then asks the question the third time using Peter’s word. The argument is often made that Jesus is at first talking about a higher, more spiritual, sacrificial love, and Peter can only confess “brotherly affection.” There is no question that there are two words used, the question is what difference, if any, is intended in the use of these terms?  At the risk of disappointing some who might have taught that exact point, I have to say there are a couple of reasons I don’t think we should press that point too far.

       First of all, there are two different words that are used for “sheep/lambs” – and also two different words for “feed/tend” but we don’t press those nuances at all.  They are simple parallel statements with essentially synonymous ideas. So why shouldn’t we consider merely stylistic variation in language with two different words for “love”?

       Secondly, Peter answers the first two questions, “Yes Lord…” So he is affirming that he indeed has that committed, sacrificial love that Jesus is asking about. He agrees with what Jesus has asked, and chooses a different word to express in a positive way his love for Jesus. He is saying “You know how I feel about you Lord!”

       Though agapao is used much more frequently in John, phileo is also used to speak of the Father’s love for the disciples (16:27), and of Jesus’ love for his followers (20:2).  In John 16:27 we read, “…for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” The love of the Father for the disciples, and of the disciples for Jesus are both the word phileo. Also the “beloved disciple” can be so designated with either verb (19:26 agapao; 20:2 phileo). If the love of the Father and the Son can be expressed with phileo it can’t be considered an inferior or superficial word for love!

Having said all that, there does seem to be a different emphasis in the words. The first is love as a choice, a commitment, the latter is the emotion, the tender affection, that follows.  But they are not two different “levels” of love, but rather look at the same committed love from slightly different perspectives. Peter is saying yes, you know how I feel about you Jesus!

             Notice the response that is called for if we say that we love Jesus: Taking care of the “flock.”  That applies to Peter in his part in Christ’s mission, and to each of us as we use our gifts for the building up of the body… Peter, as an apostle, had a unique calling. He would be used to bring the Word of Christ to the early church. He would be present in Acts 2 at Pentecost as the Spirit is poured out in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. He would travel with John down to Samaria in Acts 8 and lay hands on the Samaritans, and the coming of the Spirit upon them would confirm the unity of the church under the authority of the Apostles. He would go to the house of Cornelius in Acts 10 and see that God poured out His Spirit even on gentiles when they believed in Jesus.  He would have a crucial role in the Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15 testifying to how God himself opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, as he had to the Jews and Samaritans.  That’s a unique calling! But God has a plan for each of us in Christ. He has chosen us and sovereignly gifted us to contribute to the building up of the body of Christ as we carry out His mission in the world.  God in His grace has chosen us, and He will accomplish His good purpose in each of us, for His glory.

II. Notice that there are no illusions that the mission would be easy. We must Count the Cost! Are we willing to follow Him and give Him our all (18-19)? Peter would literally have to take up his cross and follow Jesus. Will we give our lives to Him? Remember that John is writing this down near the end of the first century. He is getting old, and Peter has probably been dead for fifteen or twenty years. By recalling this conversation between Jesus and Peter he is making the point that Jesus not only restored Peter, but that Peter followed Him knowing what the cost would be.

             Put yourself in Peter’s shoes! He earlier claimed his willingness to die for Jesus and now, after the cross and resurrection, Jesus is affirming that that would indeed be the path that Peter would trod.  In case the reader misses what Jesus is saying in v.18, John makes it crystal clear in v.19: Jesus was speaking about Peter’s death. Peter would live his life as a follower of Jesus, knowing that one day it would cost him his life, the horrible death by crucifixion. Most of us will not be martyrs, but all of us are called to be witnesses (we get the word “martyr” from the Greek word for “witness”).  We will not all be asked to give our life for Jesus, but we are called to give our life to Jesus!  And  there will be suffering that comes with identifying ourselves with Jesus. We will have tribulation in the world (John 16:33). As surely as the world hated Him it will hate us (John 15:18-20).

            Notice that he says that even Peter’s death would “glorify God.” Think about what that implies: if the death of a Christian can somehow bring God glory, certainly every hardship through which we might pass can be used by him as well. How we die, and how we live in this sin cursed world, can bring Him glory.

            The call is stated in v.19, “Follow me!” It is interesting that John doesn’t record the call that was given when Jesus called his first disciples to make a commitment.  Mark reports it this way:  “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). Peter is being reminded here of that commitment, which, in his case, would be fulfilled literally.  But only after God had carried out his plan for Peter’s life.  God in His grace has chosen us, and He will accomplish His good purpose in each of us, for His glory.

III. His plan for each of us is unique. As we follow His plan will unfold for each of us (20-22). God doesn’t demand our success, He demands our obedience!

 It might be right and good to ask God about His plan for us, but we see here what is not our concern: His specific plan for others! “What is that to you?” Their success, their achievements, their suffering, or the reason God blesses them (or not), all of that is between them and God. As the Corinthians struggled with divisions and prideful allegiance with one leader or another Paul said “But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.  ⁴ For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord” (I Cor 4:3,4).

             What we should do: follow Him!  Twice in this close context Jesus makes that call to Peter (21:19,22).  The second time it is a little more emphatic: “You follow me!” He said that at the outset of his ministry as He called the disciples, we have the report in the synoptic Gospels: “Take up your cross, and follow me…” Now He is affirming His call and repeating His call to Peter to do that very thing.

P.S. Again John wants the reader to be assured that this has been the testimony of an eyewitness (23-25)!   “This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.  ²⁵ And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written…”

Eyewitness testimony, reliable true words from someone who was there, someone who walked with Jesus.  Is verse 25 hyperbole? The whole world couldn’t contain the books that would be written? When you consider that Jesus existed from eternity past, that He is God the Son who was the agent of creation, who spoke into existence the macrocosm of the universe and the minute detail of matter and life, the world is small space for a library… too small to describe the indescribable. How great is our God!

What is God saying to me in this passage? Paul told the Philippians, “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…” (Phil 1:6). Well, despite our failures, God in His grace has chosen us, and He will accomplish His good purpose in each of us, for His glory.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Have you decided to follow Jesus? Maybe you feel like you have failed Him, that somehow you have dropped the ball and now you can’t be forgiven much less restored to having a part in His mission? Maybe you feel like you tried the Christian life and it didn’t work. You went back fishing, or even denied Him. Notice that He didn’t give up on Peter. He won’t give up on us. He has promised His presence, and the assurance that He is working for our good, and for his glory.                       AMEN.