Fish and Forgiveness

So, after John gives us his reason for writing the Gospel that he's written, you think he's done. But guess what? He's not! There's an epilogue event that he has to include that, again, pictures, in a dramatic way, the grace of this Messiah. This is John 21:15-19.

When they had finished breakfast, 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. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Well clearly, this is a very important event. Let me give you the setup. Here's what happened before the words I read. The disciples had returned to Galilee and to fishing, even though Jesus had commissioned them to finish his work. And they had fished all night and caught absolutely nothing. So, Jesus showed up, told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and they caught one-hundred-fifty-three fish. Yes, John gives us the exact number.

Then Jesus asked them to prepare breakfast, and he ate with them. John reminds us this is the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection. Eating and digesting real food is a clear sign that Jesus is actually alive in human form. Then John's turns to Peter, I mean, you could just call this conversation, “Amazing grace.” Here's Peter, who had publicly turned his back on Jesus, but Jesus would not turn his back on Peter. Jesus is faithful, even when we are faithless, because he will not turn away from his character and his promises. Our hope in this life and the one to come, hear me say this, is not the track record of our faithful obedience but in the extent of the faithful and forgiving and restoring grace of Jesus. You see, Jesus is not done with Peter. Peter hasn't been called to serve Jesus because he's righteous and because he's able, but because Jesus is righteous, and Jesus is able. You have to see the symmetry here. Three times Peter denied Jesus; three times Jesus asked him if he loves him. Then Jesus says, “If you love me, go out and do my work; go out and feed my sheep.” What a beautiful picture of God's grace!

Now think about what this means, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” Jesus is predicting what's going to happen in Peter's life. This person who denied Jesus will be strong and courageous in ministry even in the face of death. And that picture of stretched hands is a symbol of crucifixion. History tells us that Peter was, in fact, crucified as a martyr. Jesus knew that this man who was afraid, in that moment, to even be associated with Jesus, will be transformed by grace and will become a man who finds it to be an honor to be numbered with Jesus in his death.

That's what grace can do. It's not only forgiving grace; it's transforming grace! And because of that transforming grace, there's a life of beautiful ministry ahead of Peter. By grace, fearful people become people willing to die for their Savior!

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

1. What are some examples from your life when you have seen Jesus be there for you as a reflection of his character and promises? As believers, why is our hope based solely on the extent of the faithful, forgiving, and restoring grace of Jesus?

2. If Jesus wasn’t done with Peter after his unfaithfulness to him, why isn’t Jesus done with you? What have you said or done that has made you believe that you were unusable to God? If Peter was called to follow Christ and serve him after his denial of Jesus, where might God be calling you to follow and serve him right now?

3. What first comes to your mind when you think about grace? How has God’s grace in your life extended forgiveness to you? How has God’s grace transformed you in a way that your life looks different now in comparison to how it used to look before you knew him?

4. In what ways are you fearful when it comes to representing Jesus to others in your natural circle of influence who don’t know Christ? How might God want to transform that fear into something different for his glory? What ways can you see that happening? Be specific.

Conversation Prompts to Use with Children

For Younger Children:

• What do you think helps people change? What do you think makes Christians better people over time?

• What happened to Peter after he denied Jesus three times? After he rose from the dead, how did Jesus respond to Peter’s denial of him? What can we learn from how Jesus treated Peter?

• What is grace and how does it work in our lives as followers of Jesus?

For Older Children:

• If a close friend of yours publicly said that they never knew you, how do you think you’d respond? How about if that friend denied knowing you not once, not twice, but three times?

• Why then, is it so powerful that Jesus responded the way he did to Peter after Peter denied Jesus three times?

• What do you think happened within Peter after Jesus forgave him three times and restored his relationship with him?

• What does grace have to do with forgiveness? What does grace have to do with transformation?