Last week on Friday I did a video podcast with a friend from
California. The title of the series he’s doing is “Church Hurts”. It’s pitched
to the unchurched who, if they ever give the church a thought, it’s negative.
They’ve been hurt by the church, or at least their perceptions of it.
For thirty minutes we talked about the decreasing number of
people who attend church, denominational divisions, and reasons for the
precipitous decline in the Western church. And when we were finished, my
friend, John, asked his producer, Paul, for feedback on what he’s just heard.
Instantly Paul says, “Where were the stories?”
He was right. In a half hour John had not solicited one
story from me. It was all a pedantic discussion of cause and effect. And yet,
in the moments that followed, stories abounded between Paul, John, and me. Paul
was right when he said, “If you want to communicate lasting impressions and
insights, you have to do it in story form. It’s stories that people remember.
It’s through ruminating on a story that people are changed." (That’s exactly the
point Steve Brown is making in his 5 Points of Communication detailed in last
week’s mentor posting.)
This week we’re back in John 21, which is arguably the
greatest summation of the Gospel that we find in Scriptures. Taken together
with Luke 15, John 21 sets before us the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
in vivid, arresting detail. How very different from all the things that pass
for the Gospel these days. Here in John 21 we have the only post-resurrection
miracle Jesus ever performs. It shows His mastery over nature and human nature.
This week I received a call from a friend who asked, “What’s
behind the 153 fish?” The same could be asked of Peter’s fishing apparel. Why
does he put on his outer garment before he jumps into the water? The same could
be asked of the distance detail John adds – “about 100 yards from shore.” The
answer to all of these questions is the same – they are details that verify the
historical validity of this story. They are the things you find in an
eyewitness account.
Now for those interested, over the history of the church
people have offered myriad speculations on the meaning of 153. Augustine, for
instance, points out that 153 is the sum of all the numbers from 1 to 17. Then
he says that 17 is the total of 10 (standing for the Ten Commandments) and 7 (for
the seven-fold Spirit of God in the Book of Revelation). If John heard such an interpretation,
he would have exclaimed, “Poppycock!” That’s Greek for stupid!
The message of this profound story is found not in the
number of fish or the clothing Peter is wearing, but in the incomparable
reality of the Gospel – “All is grace!” Think of it. Here in all its starkness
John shows us that there is no greater insult to Jesus than to doubt His love
for you. Are you convinced that He could never love you any more than He does
right now? Do you know and trust that you are complete in His righteousness? Do
you know and trust that there is nothing you could do to make Him love you
more? Are you so convinced of His acceptance that you don’t need the admiration
of others and the proper doings of your own?
Look what Jesus is saying to Peter here. “I’m not going to
put you in a leadership position in my church despite your big, fat
failures, but because of them!” He doesn’t say, “You’re going to have to make
up for your failures.” He’s saying the opposite! He’s saying, “Peter, plunge
your failures into my endless sea of grace, and you will gain a new perspective
– it’s not about you, it’s all about Me."
This week in a message entitled, “Hope in Failure”, we are
going to dig further into this story. In preparation for the message, you may
wish to consider the following:
- Why is John the only gospel writer to tell us this story?
- What does it tell us about John’s insight into the Gospel?
- Why does John tell us about the charcoal fire in verse 9?
- Where else do we see Jesus with bread and fish in the gospels?
- Why doesn’t Jesus bless the bread and fish before giving it to the disciples?
- What are all the doings of Peter in this story?
- Why does Jesus address him as Simon, son of John, in His first question? (See Matthew 16:17)
- Why is Peter grieved by the third question? (v.17)
- How is Peter’s answer to Jesus’ third question different than his first two?
- What does this story tell us about our hope in every failure?
