I have always enjoyed reading the final chapter of the Gospel of John. Biblical scholars have long debated why the 21st chapter was added to the Gospel of John. It seems as though the Gospel of John should have end with the last couple of verses of John 20.
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (Jn 20:30-31 NIV)
Chapter 21 begins like it’s an addendum or epilogue or a P.S. chapter (like the way we end many of our letters, and then have an additional thought to share with the people or audience we are writing to). John seems to want to add something to the Resurrection story that he believes is very important to his readers. John wants to emphasize the reality of the Resurrection!
I want to share three insights with you.
First Insight, Past Failures Haunt Us!
Peter:
He was suffering from the hangover of denial. He bragged that he would never deny the Lord. When a servant-girl confronted him, Peter, vehemently defended himself. He denied the Lord three times. In fact, on his third denial, he called down curses on himself. The rooster crowed. The Lord look toward Peter and their eyes undoubtedly met. How could he ever forget that last look? He wept bitterly. That memory of failure must have plagued him and harassed him.
Thomas:
Had his problems. He was a confirmed pessimist. He was known as “doubting Thmas.” Unless he saw the nail imprints in Jesus’ hands and could put his hand in Jesus’ side, he could not believe. He was controlled and haunted by his past doubts.
Nathaniel:
He was another doubter. He was a skeptic. When his friend Philip told him about Jesus, Thomas responded in John 1:46; “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”
Two sons of Zebedee (two brothers, James and John):
Both were fiery kind of guys. They always stuck together. Rough and tough fishermen. Known as Sons of Thunder. James was nowhere to be found when the going got tough and the pressure was on. They had walked with Jesus but at crunch time, they became more concerned about themselves. At least John did come back at the cross.
Two others, unknown by name (possibly Philip and Andrew):
They all had a past that seems to have immobilized them. Jesus said, “Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn’t worth a thing in God’s kingdom!” Luke 9:62.
The problem with past failures is that they don’t stay in the past. They travel with you into the present. It brings frustration with your present. Returning to yesterday, brings frustration with today, the present. That is why they were at the Sea of Galilee. They were frustrated. They had lost purpose and meaning.
Second Insight, Failure Is a Demoralizing Experience!
Peter and his friends did what we often do after experiencing disappointment and failure. They went back to what they do were doing before Jesus had called them. The passage then tells us how they went fishing all night and caught nothing. The sense of failure and frustration was continuing. Most of the fishing in the Sea of Galilee was done at night. Despite the fact that they were expert fishermen (it had been their livelihood), the disciples labored throughout the night and caught nothing. It must have been an unusual experience for them.
Have you ever, like those fishermen, expended a lot of energy and resources in a project or task but failed to see any positive results? Everything seemed gone to these disciples, 3 ½ years, what does it show? Now they are trying to salvage something of their lives by running back to their past. They were trying to rebuild their broken dreams by reconstructing the past. But it can’t be done.
Third Insight, The Resurrection Buries Your Past, Changes the Present, and Impacts Your Future!
Jesus returns to Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James, John, and possibly Andrew and Philip (we don’t know for sure if it was these two), because he wanted them to know that their failures and denials were not going to prevent them from being important instruments by which he was going to change the world. Jesus wasn’t finished with Peter or the others because of their failure. In reality he was just beginning with them.
Verses 4-8 demonstrate what God can do with a night or lifetime of failure. There may be no more of an inspiring or hopeful scene in all the word of God than this one. Here is Jesus Christ, and what do we find him doing? Cooking breakfast for a group that had abandoned him!
Jesus comes not only to places we worship, but to the places where we work, live, and play. Jesus wants us to experience the explosive power of the Resurrection in our everyday existence, as well. He wants to empower and transform the totality of our existence. The empty nets of the disciples were symbolical of their lives – empty! Jesus is willing to provide for lives in great ways, if we are willing to totally give ourselves to his kingdom. He always welcomes us back, even when we a defeated and have failed.
