Still Called: Peter’s Redemption

Gospel

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ACCORDING TO JOHN

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 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. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to 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 because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 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." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." 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." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt 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. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

JOHN 21:1-19

Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

Peter was warming himself by a charcoal fire. It was dark, and he was surrounded by others. When a woman recognized him and asked about Jesus, he denied even knowing him. Three times he denied. In Jesus’ darkest hour, before the rooster crowed, Peter said, “I do not know the man.”

Next we see Peter running to the tomb on Easter morning. In John’s Gospel, we’re told he enters the tomb and sees the linen wrappings. Later, we can assume he was among the disciples when Jesus appeared—Thomas absent that first time. Peter must have known something mysterious, something wonderful, had happened after Jesus’ death.

And then we come to today’s reading. Peter is out fishing with the disciples, but they’ve caught nothing. A stranger on the shore tells them to cast the net on the other side of their boat. They do—and suddenly the net is full of fish. One of the disciples says, “It is the Lord,” and Peter throws on his outer garment and jumps into the sea.

Maybe he swims for a while, needing time to calm himself, to settle his nerves after seeing Jesus again. We aren’t told why he does it. Eventually, he gets back into the boat and helps bring in the catch.

Just like on the day of the crucifixion, Peter finds himself again at a charcoal fire. But this time, Jesus is there with him, sharing a meal of fish and bread. And this time, it’s not a stranger who asks about Jesus—it’s Jesus himself. “Do you love me?” he asks, three times. And three times Peter replies, “Of course I do.” Each time, Jesus responds: “Feed my sheep. Follow me.”

In worship, we often hear John's Gospel in bits and pieces, spread across weeks. This can make it hard to see how its stories connect. Today's scene—Peter and the risen Jesus by a charcoal fire—gains deeper meaning when we think back to the first charcoal fire scene on Good Friday. When read together, these episodes reveal Jesus' unwavering commitment to Peter, despite his earlier denial.

Peter’s denial was, in a way, a failure of love. Although he claimed to follow Jesus, in the end, he turned away. But today, Jesus doesn’t hold that failure against him. He gives Peter a chance to undo it. Three times Jesus asks if Peter loves him—mirroring the three denials. And with each “yes,” Peter’s past sin is redeemed. Jesus then gives him a threefold commission: “Feed my lambs…Take care of my sheep…Feed my sheep.” That Jesus entrusts Peter with this work—after all that happened—is incredibly good news for us.

Maybe you, like me, see yourself in Peter. Like him, we make choices that deny our love for Jesus—not always with words, but in how we live. Peter denied out of fear and self-preservation. Crucifixion loomed, and he was being questioned about a condemned man. Of course, he said he didn’t know him—it was dangerous to say otherwise.

We, too, choose self-preservation. We choose comfort over compassion, silence over truth. In our words, our priorities, in those we overlook—we put ourselves first. In those moments, we become Peter.

But here’s the good news: Jesus doesn’t leave Peter—or us. He doesn’t define us by our failures. Even our worst moments aren’t enough to drive him away. Instead, he draws near. He sits with us. He calls us again—with love and purpose—and gives us a role in the larger story: to support, to grow, and to be the body of Christ in the world.

Thomas Troeger writes that today’s Gospel reflects “the darkness of our hunger, the darkness of our failure to recognize Christ, the darkness of our denial—at the same time it reminds us that none of this darkness has overcome the light. For the risen Christ still calls, still feeds, still empowers, even doubters and deniers for the ministry.”

So our call today is to accept this truth: No matter how many times you have denied Christ in your life, but what you’ve done or failed to do…God still draws near. God still calls. God still trusts you with work to do. Can we hear this? Can we believe we are truly forgiven?

As Troeger puts it, “Jesus stands on the beach as the light of God and calls out to us in our darkness, inviting us to follow him into the light—that we might become beacons of that light.” In other words: with Peter, we move from fishing to tending sheep. From fear to love. From denial to discipleship.

So today, Jesus says to each of us: You may have denied. You may have chosen yourself over your faith. But do you believe you are forgiven—and still called? Can you see Christ sitting beside you, not with condemnation, but with love? Even now, even here, Jesus says to each of us: “Feed my lambs…Take care of my sheep…Feed my sheep.” Follow me. Amen.