21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tibe′ri-as; and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathan′a-el of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zeb′edee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.
4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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, for the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus and Peter
15 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.” 16 A second time he said to him, “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.” 17 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. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, “Follow me.”
In 2023 I was about to embark upon a new leadership role in Catholic Education, I took time in prayer to discern the weight of the work and what it would mean for the course of my life.
As I spent time in prayer, the words, “Feed my sheep.” came into my consciousness. I went on to use this as the guiding scripture for the first year of my leadership. As I contemplated the text, in fact the complete Gospel of John, over the year I found many more connections to my life. As Easter people we have time to think more deeply about the messages found within these ancient writings. I am captured by the mystery, that can be as profound to the contemporary world as it was to the early Christian communities.
John as the fourth and final Gospel is scattered amongst the Lectionary. It is the Gospel that we meditate on during important Liturgical events, such as Lent, Easter, Pentecost and Advent. Unlike the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, it deals less with the historical activity of Jesus’ ministry and more on delivering one key message, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man. Just as the other gospels seek to create unique portraits of Jesus, John seeks to use his intimate understanding of Jesus, to live in the heart of who Jesus was, specifically His divine nature.
The community John wrote for in the late first and second centuries engaged with its imagery and leaned into the mystery hidden within the carefully constructed and heavily symbolic language. The strength of this community relied on the development of a relationship with God through a personal encounter brought to life in Scripture. Jesus is The Word made flesh! John wants us to know emphatically that Jesus is the bringer of light, life and truth and that through ‘love of one another’ we continue to make Jesus present through our actions.
When John first met Jesus, he was a humble fisherman, as was Peter the main protagonist in this scripture examination. When Peter first meets Jesus, his name is Simon, so this story beautifully brings to life the full circle of the relationship between Jesus and Peter. This unexpected appearance of the resurrected Jesus reminds us of their first encounter, as Jesus once again instructs the fishermen on the art of catching fish. John as both writer and witness, is the first to recognise Jesus on the shore and announce, “It is the Lord!” His appearance to the fishermen, Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John and two other unnamed apostles, provides an opportunity for us as readers to enter the story.
Jesus shows us, through humble service that an invitation to sit and eat with him is a powerful act of remembrance. His words are directed to Peter, who must answer to his declaration at the Last Supper and his subsequent triple denial following Jesus’ arrest, that he is truly worthy to be the ‘rock on which the Church will be built’. At the end of this discourse Jesus says, as he did at their first encounter, “Follow me.”
‘Do you love me? Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep’. What does this continue to mean for me in my decision to live my work as an act of loving discipleship? Leadership in a Catholic community requires a commitment to live out the activity of Jesus’ mission every minute of every day. Christianity is not a badge that can be removed so one can assume a different persona ‘out of office’. The challenge for us all is to accept this commitment with integrity, love and a desire to bring others into a personal encounter with Jesus, our living God. I pray this for you, as Easter people, find joy and peace in the Gospel, and deliver this message to everyone you meet.
Blessings to all
Kerry Power