Every large city has a store in which there is nothing but lamps — hundreds and sometimes thousands of lamps. Some are antique, some are new. Some are plain, some are ornate. Some of them unplugged. Some of them are plugged in and showcasing their light.

One day a little girl was asked by her mother which lamps she liked best. “I like best the ones where the light shines out.”

There are over 300,000 Christian churches in the US. Some are antique, some are new. Some are plain, some are ornate. Some are not plugged in. And some of the ones plugged in keep their light mainly to themselves.

God likes best the ones where the light shines out.

But what does it mean to shine out the light into a world like ours?

What is North Korea going to do next? If you live in South Korea, or Austin, Texas, you are following every move of another “Little Kim” other than Kim Kardashian.

How do we shine the light in a world frozen by fear, flawed by distrust and fractured by dissension, a world every day helplessly teetering on the edge of disaster?

But this was the world of the first century. It was the world the first disciples of Jesus faced. It is also the world faced by all of Jesus’ twenty-first century disciples. We cannot control or contain such chaos. We can only remain faithful and follow Jesus whatever comes our way. We can only shine our light into the darkness.

The twenty-first chapter of John’s gospel was probably not written by the author of the first twenty chapters. But the twenty-first chapter of John’s gospel has always been a part of John’s gospel. The community of faith that saw to the preservation and presentation of the gospel written by the “Beloved Gospel” recognized this final word as a divinely-inspired word for their community, and for all those who seek to follow Jesus in every age.

In today’s gospel text, both Peter and John (the Beloved Disciple) are given special attention. But there is also a focus on the future. The Beloved Disciple recognizes “The Lord” from far away, by his voice alone. Peter responds to the announcement “It is the Lord,” by plunging into the sea and swimming to Jesus’ side. Both these disciples demonstrate a faith without fear. They commit themselves — by word (John) or by deed (Peter) to confessing and embracing the risen Lord.

Before these disciples dive head-first into their commitment, however, they receive a sign. At Jesus’ directive they cast their net off the starboard side of their boat and, after a night of fishing futility, they suddenly are faced with a net full to bursting. It is at Jesus’ word, with Jesus’ specific directive, that the disciple’s catch goes from nada to not-to-be-believed.

The full-to-bursting, not-to-be-believed net holds 153 fish — a specific number that has given biblical scholars way too much fun trying to figure out and pin down. Basically, though, this is a bunch of fish. Far more than any ordinary catch might expect. It is a divinely-mandated “bumper crop.”

Jesus’ disciples responded in obedience to Jesus’ word and the result was unexpected abundance. When St. Jerome exegeted this text he claimed the 153 fishes represented all the species of fish in the water. This means that Jesus’ net, the gospel, was to be cast and gather all the peoples of this world. Again, the message is of a huge harvest, one that exceeds all human expectations.

But besides that huge number of fish that were caught early in the morning, there is another huge detail to the story. Did you notice? The net did not break! The net held!

However many fish Jesus knew the disciples would cast out their net for, the immense haul did not rupture the net. The net held. The boat did not capsize. The fishing “mission” was filled to the max, but the net the disciple’s cast held fast.

Instead of fussing about figures, it seems that that detail is the most pertinent piece of information about this remarkable catch. The net held. Every one of those 153 fish eventually were brought to shore by Peter. If in the Johannine gospel this is Jesus’ final earthly act, it is completely typical — everyone gets included. No one is excluded or cut-off. Whoever piles into the pool is welcomed into the fullness of the community.

Whether these 153 fish represented all the nations of the world, or just a big boat-load of fish, the significance is the same: they all were welcomed into, they all became part of, the Jesus community.

There are lots of “fish” we would like to cut loose these days. Slit the net and let them go. But Jesus’ final “harvest” in John’s gospel does not let a single species slip away. Jesus’ invitation is to ALL nations, all “fish,” all persons, regardless of who they are or where they come from.

That is our disciple directive. To take that message everywhere. And to know that the net holds.

There is a singularly smarmy 2007 movie, poorly produced and acted, but with a great title — “P.S. I love you.” The gist of the film is that a young widow begins to receive posthumous letters from her deceased husband, urging her to continue on with her life and that . . . “P.S. I love you.”

Without the Hollywood smarm, that is what this epilogue of John 21 is. It is a “P.S. I love you” – to Peter, to John, to the Johannine community, and to all the generations of Jesus followers that are to come. That means you and me.

“P.S. I love you” even when you don’t recognize my voice.
“P.S. I love you” even when you deny me in fear and bewilderment.
“P.S. I love you” even when you don’t let your light shine.
“P.S. I love you” no matter where in the pile of 153 fish you find yourself.
“P.S. I love you” and walk with you and make a fire for you and feed you at dawn after a cold night at sea.
“P.S. I love you” and showed you when I was crucified, died, and resurrected for you.
“P.S. I love you” because I created you and you are my artwork.
“P.S. I love you” . . . my little fish.

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COMMENTARY

Sermons.com comes to you on a weekly basis for a reason. These sermons are prepared weekly instead of monthly or quarterly in an effort to be as current as possible and to relate to your missional context in real time. But in reality we all know that everything can change in a heartbeat. All the sermons written on 10 September 2001 were thrown out the window — just as were all those that had been written on 06 December 6 1941. This week has been filled with bluster and filibusters from North Korea. The only real power North Korea has is its utter unpredictability — but it wields its one power well. The sermon we have prepared reflects this sense of confusion and fear.

“Oh, and another thing . . . “

That is the general theme and tone of John 21. After what appears to be a definitive conclusion to John’s gospel rendition in 20:20-21, now a whole new “ending” appears. While the Johannine authorship of this final chapter is hotly disputed, its authenticity to John’s gospel is not. There are no existing manuscripts that lack these verses. Clearly they were a part the Johannine community’s oral and written tradition from its beginning. What John 21 offers is not just another post-resurrection encounter with Jesus. It is a final word of faithfulness and commitment for those who now followed Jesus because of the words and witness of the “Beloved Disciple.”

Despite the suggestions of many commentaries, there is no textual indication that the seven disciples engaged in the fishing trip (described in 21:1-8) had fallen away from faith or had failed to follow through on the commission that they had been given in 20:22-23. They have returned to Galilee, of course. But it was their home. They are fishing, of course. But fishing had been the full-time occupation of some of these disciples. Neither of these actions suggests apostasy. Even as Paul continued to be a tent-maker, these metaphysical “fishers” also continued to cast their nets for the real deal. After all, they still needed to eat and feed their families.

The author of chapter 21 sets his scene at daybreak, a mark of continuity with the Easter morning discovery of the empty tomb. Despite the later upper room appearances of Jesus to the disciples, as these fishless fishermen approach the shore they see Jesus standing there but do not recognize him.

Yet Jesus addresses them both in a familial way and authoritatively as “children” (“paidia”). Their immediate, obedient response to Jesus’ directive suggests that we are meant to understand that even if the disciples were hazy about who was addressing them they heard the voice of one with authority over themselves and their actions and acted accordingly.

These actions are rewarded with a net so filled with fish that it was impossible to haul aboard. The “disciple whom Jesus loved” repeats his “seeing and believing” response first experienced at the empty tomb (20:8). He instantly asserts and announces to Simon Peter “It is the Lord.” (v.7). Peter, always more a man of actions than words, responds by jumping into the water and heading for shore.

The eyewitness detail that Peter put on more clothing before hitting the beach implies that unlike King David, Jesus’ disciples preferred not to dance naked before his Lord. Peter’s modesty also recalls the actions of Adam and Eve, whom having sinned sought to hide their shame from God. Given his three-fold denial of Jesus, Peter certainly had reason to feel his own shamefulness.

The other disciples manage to pilot the boat, and its enormous catch to shore. They find that a breakfast is already being prepared for them. The one who had called them “children” is now offering to feed them. In fact, to serve them. Before this buffet gets underway, however, Jesus calls upon and designates Peter as his sous chef. The “fish” (singular) that is upon the grill will not feed all of the disciples, so Jesus instructs the ever active Peter to bring some more from the prolific catch that had just been made. In his exuberance for his task Peter brings in the entire netful — a total of 153 fish.

Since the time of St Jerome commentators have taken great delight in trying to parse the meaning of this numerological detail. Jerome cited the naturalist Oppian who claimed there were 153 different species of fish. The number in the disciple’s catch, therefore, was seen as an all-inclusive, universal number. Jerome’s assertion was that this specific number demonstrated that all the peoples of the world (all the “fish in the sea”) were to be “caught” by the gospel. There are also all sorts of mathematical machinations, Gematria gymanastics, done with this unique number.

The author’s original reason for citing this specific number is, textually, impossible to discern with certainty. What is clear about this number is that it is huge — larger than any fisherman would ever expect. Furthermore, this huge catch was made possible because the disciple fishers followed Jesus’ directive. 

Despite the enormity of this catch, the net does not break — it stretches and strengthens to accommodate all that it encounters and encompasses. Following Jesus’ leadership does not result in disaster, rather it brings great abundance.

For the readers of John 21, this meal Jesus feeds to his disciples, this meal where he “took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish” (v.13) would surely intimate the feeding of the five thousand (6:11) and implicate the Last Supper. Such resonance stood as a reassurance for the Johannine community of the importance of their Eucharistic breaking of bread together. For the hungry disciples on the beach, the experience was more visceral, less spiritual. Their master Jesus was once again among them. Their Lord was caring for their physical needs, even serving them, as he had so often before the crucifixion. They are once again a community gathered by and joined together by the living Jesus.

The redemption of Peter is the subject of 21:15-19. Despite Simon Peter’s obvious first follower role throughout the gospel, he has yet to “live down” his threefold denial of Jesus on the night his master was arrested. It is, then, with mathematical precision that Jesus presses the point of Peter’s loyalty and love three times, asking “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

The first two times Peter responds openly and eagerly, welcoming the opportunity to express his love and devotion. By the third time, however, it had to be apparent to Peter exactly what Jesus was doing and he was “hurt” by his own conscience, by his own memory of his previous threefold failure to assert his relationship with Jesus his “Lord.” Peter confesses, “You know everything,” Jesus knows his denials and desertion, and he knows his yearning to confess his love.

But here, with each assertion of his love, Jesus empowers Peter with a distinctive ongoing mission to “feed my lambs,” “tend my sheep,” and “feed my sheep.” Despite his failure of faith and nerve on the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter’s commitment to Christ is itself resurrected and reaffirmed on this walk on the beach.

Though it is not a part of this week’s gospel reading, the author of John 21 also affirms for the Johannine community the unique, beloved status of their disciple mentor. Obviously the community is disturbed because John had died. The popular “rumor” within the faith community was that John would not die until Jesus would come again. Thus his death was causing great anxiety. John 21:20-23 succinctly squashes that “rumor.” Jesus proclaims “If it is my will,” John would remain alive, and declares that for Peter, for John, and all present and future disciples, their role is singular: “Follow me.”