John 21:15-19 Breakfast on the Beach

The sea of Galilee. Photo credit: Larry Kohlenstein

Observation: After a dramatic resurrection appearance on the shore of the sea of Galilee, the miracle of catching 153 fish, and a breakfast of grilled fish by the Lakeshore, Jesus and Peter talk one on one for the first time since Peter denied him on the night before Jesus died. Peter gets a chance to tell Jesus that he loves him three times--once for each time he denied him--and Jesus' response is similar each time: feed my sheep.

Application: When I went to the "sea" of Galilee in 2015, the first thing that hit me was the smell. I knew that smell. I grew up with it each summer. This isn't a sea at all.  It's a freshwater lake. If there's a better place than the Lakeshore at dawn to sit quietly, reflect, and have a real, in depth conversation about what matters, I haven't found it. 

And when Jesus and Peter (who stands in for each of us as believers, and all of us together, too) finally have that conversation, it centers on care and compassion for others. If I were to sum up Jesus' message here, it'd go something like this. "Look Peter, I forgive you for not being there for me. You were scared. But if you love me, you had better show up for those I care about." 

And if we read the rest of John's gospel, we realize that who Jesus cares about--his "sheep"--could very well encompass all people. We can sing, praise, and pray about our love of Jesus all the live-long day. But if that doesn't translate to caring for and feeding the people Jesus loves, we're not fooling anyone.


Prayer: Jesus, show me how to love you today. Show me your sheep who need to be fed. Amen.