Facing Jesus #17 - Peter

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Words of Jesus are underlined

(This section is intended for the 2nd Sunday of Easter)

Peter gets double billing in this series of those who faced Jesus.  We simply can’t leave him outside the courtyard of the chief priest, weeping and broken.  Neither could Jesus.  We have a tiny verse from Luke that says that Jesus appeared individually to Peter. We don’t know what was said, but perhaps it paved the way for the next “fishy” encounter.

How did Peter face the risen Jesus after He had blessed him with a boatload of fish?  More importantly, how did Jesus face the one who had denied Him three times?  What a beautiful restoration:  Jesus gave Peter a chance to declare his love and commitment three times, once for every denial.

   How do you face Jesus?  Surely you have denied Him in different ways.  Trust Him.  Go to Him.  He won’t leave you in your sin.  He will restore you and give you an opportunity to join in the great calling to be fishers of men!

Jesus on the Road to Emmaus

“It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

Jesus Appears to the Disciples in Galilee

After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples were together.

“I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.

“We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. “Friends,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?”

“No,” they answered.

“Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.

The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea. Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

“Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus Restores Peter

When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Feed my lambs,” he told him.

A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Shepherd my sheep,” he told him.

He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”

(Luke 24:34; John 21:1–19 CSB17)

If you had denied even knowing Jesus three times, do you think you would have been the first to “plunge into the sea” to face Him?

What does this say about the character of Peter?

What does Jesus’ loving restoration of Peter tell you about your own relationship with Him?

Jesus predicted death by crucifixion for Peter here.  Early Christian tradition says that when that time came, he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way as Christ, so they crucified him upside down.  How does John view Peter’s death here at the end of this reading?  How should we view ours?