Day 52 - Friday, April 21
Jesus Appears by the Sea of Tiberias
Scripture: John 21:4-7 &15-17
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on 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 of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved 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.

Poetry:
"Back from the City"
by Jane Kenyon
After three days and nights of rich food
and late talk in overheated rooms,
of walks between mounds of garbage
and human forms bedded down for the night
under rags, I come back to my dooryard,
to my own wooden step.

The last red leaves fall to the ground
and frost has blackened the herbs and asters
that grew beside the porch. The air
is still and cool, and the withered grass
lies flat in the field. A nuthatch spirals
down the rough trunk of the tree.

At the Cloisters I indulged in piety
while gazing at a painted lindenwood Pieta --
Mary holding her pierced and dessicated son
across her knees; but when a man stepped close
under the tasseled awning of the hotel,
asking for “a quarter for someone
down on his luck,” I quickly turned by back.

Now I hear tiny bits of bark and moss
break off under the bird’s beak and claw,
and fall onto already-fallen leaves.
“Do you love me?” said Christ
to his disciple.’”Lord, you know that I love you.”
“Then feed my sheep.”

FEED MY SHEEP – THE CALL TO GIVE IT UP FOR SOMEONE GREATER

Only John, amongst all the Gospel writers who don’t even mention Peter post-resurrection, singles out Peter in this amazing story. Peter, the professional fisherman, along with James, John and four other disciples have gone out fishing yet caught nothing. Realizing that it’s Jesus who has told them where to find what might be their largest catch ever, Peter grabs his clothes, jumps out of the boat, swims to shore (beating the fully laden boat following behind him), and eats breakfast with Jesus.

After breakfast, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus more than “these.” Many commentators believe that Jesus is asking if Peter loves Him more than the other disciples love Him. Could it be they ask if Jesus is testing Peter out, seeing if the same pride and superiority complex compared to the others, was still in play.  No, this time Jesus is after a much bigger fish. He will be making a much greater demand on Peter than the previous call to become a “fisher of men” when Jesus called Peter and his brother Andrew to follow Him (Mark 1:16-18). Peter had probably thought that this made perfect sense. He knew how to fish and now he would be doing the same thing, just this time for a bigger prize with men! But Peter flunked when he denied his Lord. Prior to His death, Peter had impudently asked why he could not follow Jesus to where He was going. Why, Peter had even previously promised that he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37). Instead, Jesus responded that Peter would deny Him three times. Now Jesus’ prediction is coming true – Peter indeed will follow Jesus into death and lay down his life someday for His sheep.

What’s going on here is where we find ourselves when Jesus presses towards us. Jesus has moved the conversation away from Peter’s comfort zone by pointing to the fish that Peter just caught, pointing to Peter’s identity wrapped up in his professional calling, and directly asks “Do you love Me more than all these (fish)?” “Do you love me more than everything you’ve made yourself out to be, everything you are known for and most proud of?” Three times Jesus asks him this, three times Jesus pries Peter away from a life of fishing, of productivity, of identity, of pride, of all that Peter had previously tried to hold onto and protect. Jesus is going for the jugular and no longer tells Peter to go fishing for men or even real fish for that matter. Jesus tells Peter that from now on Peter must follow His call to feed His sheep, even to lay down his life.

This is the call of no return. This Easter call to feed Jesus’ sheep is the call to lay down your life, to give it up for someone greater. Jesus asks us, we who are fed by the Great Shepherd with food that does not perish, “do you love me?” Ever since the good Shepherd laid down his life and rose again, all affirmative responses to this question have precipitated a pointed, tender call to “Feed My sheep.” The irony of Lent – we fast and practice dying to self so that all might eat of Christ and live.

PRAYER
Lord, thank you for being the Living Bread. Thank you for feeding us every day. Lord like you, I want to feed my brothers and sisters. I want to love you to the extent that you’re everything; that nothing in this world holds me; and that you alone consume my mind and my thoughts. I make these requests so that when I’m around people they’ll see Jesus and their hungry hearts will be fed.
Amen.
(adapted from David Wilkerson)

Greg Enas
President of Trinity Fellows Academy
Royal Oak, Maryland