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A
certain man went to his doctor complaining about terrible headaches, neck
pain and recurring dizzy spells.
The
doctor examined him carefully, and then said, “I’m afraid I have
terrible news for you. The diagnosis is not good. You have a brain tumor,
but there is nothing we can do. You have only six months to live.”
Years
ago Ben Gazzara starred in a TV show like that, I believe it was called
“Run for your Life,” about what a man would do if he only had six
months to live. The man in our story chose to live it up in every way
possible.
He
quit his job, cashed in his life savings, bought himself a red sports car,
and went to a tailor to get himself decked out in the fanciest duds that
money can buy, including handmade shirts that would be a perfect fit.
He
allowed the tailor to take measurements of his entire body. But he noticed
that the tailor wrote down for his neck size, 16. “Wait a minute, I
don’t wear a 16 shirt, I’ve always worn a 14 shirt, and that’s what
I want now.” The tailor protested, “But if you wear a 14 shirt,
you’re going to have terrible headaches, neck pain and recurring dizzy
spells.”
Well.
Isn’t that just the way sometimes? We all have multiple difficult
problems in life and we cook up the most complicated solutions when the
answer was simple all along. Today’s Gospel story is a vivid tale about
a Jesus who sees his friends fishing all night without catching so much as
a sardine. The answer is simple, he says: fish off the other side of the
boat. Suddenly they have a bigger catch than they can drag to shore. And
when they recognize Jesus in astonishment, he just smiles and says,
“Come and eat your breakfast.”
How
many of you like to have a good breakfast? Back in preaching class, we
were taught to zero in on whatever part of a piece of scripture really
stands out, really speaks to you.
And
in this story, what grabs me are the words of Jesus, “Come and have
breakfast.” That’s probably because I have great memories of mom
always sending us kids to school with a hot breakfast. She showed us so
much love in that simple act, and Jesus is doing the same thing for his
disciples—showing a lot of love. This is the very last story in the last
of the four gospels, so it sounds to me very much like Jesus sending his
friends into the world with a hot breakfast. The bread and fish he served
wasn’t so thrilling—even cream of wheat beats that menu—but you have
to admit, breakfast was served with a lot of love.
And like all stories of the gospels,
today’s lesson is meant to show who Jesus is, and what he expects of us.
The story begins as Peter and the other
disciples have gone back to Galilee after Easter, and they wait and wait
for something to happen. Peter, always the impetuous one, can’t take the
waiting any more, and blurts out, “I’m going fishing.” Lacking a TV
set or a football to throw around, the others go along. They fish all
night, and that’s when Jesus enters the picture. He does a strange
thing. He asks them if they have caught any fish and they answer him
"No".
Then Jesus tells them to cast their nets
on the other side. It is an odd request. What does Jesus know about
fishing that fishermen don’t know? He appears to have some kind of
divine knowledge that ordinary humans don’t have? The disciples don’t
entirely understand the meaning of this request. This side of the boat is
only a few feet from that side. What difference could a few feet make? But
they do it anyway.
And here is the point. Just after they
obey Jesus, someone recognizes him. It is symbolic. You start doing things
and later you begin to understand. We begin taking the Lord’s Supper,
before we understand it, and it focuses us to see God’s activity in the
world. We become the presence of God in the world, through compassion and
that opens our eyes to recognize God’s action in the world.
Now let’s look for a minute at Peter,
one of the strangest fishermen in the history of angling. As soon as he
recognizes Jesus, what does he do? He jumps out of the boat. I suspect he
must have been close to shore, close enough to wade in to the beach. But
he was so eager to get to Jesus and show off his hustle. Maybe Jesus has
forgotten about that betrayal business a few days ago. I can see Peter in
my mind coming up to Jesus and making eye contact, wondering where he
stands. Then Jesus with a smile says “Come and have your breakfast.”
This
is a Jesus who comes to us where we are, and what’s more, where we need
him to be. He says to the disciples, “I’m still one of you, a human
being. I like breakfast, too.” We need to remember that Jesus appeared
after the resurrection not in a synagogue, not in the Temple, but in
people’s homes and at their place of work. In fact, it is so startling
to see Jesus in these secular places that they almost don’t recognize
him. He says little, but he is preaching. It reminds me of a saying of St.
Francis, “Preach the gospel constantly; if necessary, use words.”
But
why go into the details of breakfast? John wrote his gospel many years
after the resurrection to a church that was being torn apart by heresies,
but the worst lie being spread was the one that insisted that Jesus had
not risen from the dead. So it was vital that John not only tell the
resurrection story, but sell it. To convince skeptics that the
resurrection wasn’t a hoax or a fantasy. The risen Jesus Christ had
conquered death and now was out on the beach cooking breakfast for his
friends and eating with them. Why? Because ghosts don’t eat. That’s
why the detail. This is Jesus in his earthly body eating.
But
once Peter is fed, Jesus asks the most profound question, but the simplest
question, he could possibly ask. “Do you love me?” And he follows up
with what we called an imperative back in English grammar class: “Feed
my sheep.” If you love me, prove it. Feed my sheep. This was the most
important question that Peter had ever faced, the one that made him search
the very deepest places in his heart. Two thousand years later the
question remains valid. It’s not a question for religious fanatics, but
for everybody, for you and me: Do we love Jesus Christ? Then love everyone
he created.
There
are three points I want to make about breakfast, especially the symbolic
breakfast that Jesus prepares for us:
The
first is that Good Things Happen Over Breakfast. I think that Jesus offers us
practical advice in this story; he tells us “take time from your busy
schedule and relax over breakfast. This important time, affirming time.”
Dr. Fred Craddock tells the story about a time he was having breakfast in
the local diner down in Tennessee. A man drinking coffee nearby found out
who he was, and said, “Dr. Craddock, let me tell you my story. I was
born just a few miles away, over that mountain. My mother wasn’t
married, and I heard lots of dirty names directed at me all the time I was
growing up, so I kept to myself in school.
“When
I was 12, a new preacher came to our little country church. People talked
about what a great preacher he was, so I started to attend. I would slip
in late, sit in the back and slip out early. Then one week I got caught up
in the service, and forgot to leave early. As I was finally headed out the
door, I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I turned around and looked into
the eyes of the preacher. He said, “Who are you, son. Whose boy are
you?” My heart sank at the question, but he went on, “Wait a minute, I
know who you are. The family resemblance is unmistakable. You are a child
of God.
“Then
he patted me on the back and said “That’s quite an inheritance. Go and
claim it.” The man in the diner then said to Dr. Craddock, “That one
moment changed my life.” He explained that his name was Ben Hooper, and
he twice had been elected governor of Tennessee. Good things happen over
breakfast. Lunch is often just a rushed refueling stop, and dinner, even
if we manage to eat it together, as a family, is when we’re tired and
decompressing from the events of the day.
But breakfast, when we are rested and ready to greet a new day, can
be a wonderful time of new beginnings.
2—We
are sent from breakfast.out into the world to feed others.
There’s
a beautiful symmetry to this whole story of breakfast on the beach,
followed by Christ’s private talk with Peter. The last time Peter had
huddled around a charcoal fire had been in a courtyard where he had denied
knowing Jesus three times. But now, for each of the denials, there is an
affirmation. The past is forgotten, the slate is wiped clean, mistakes are
forgiven. What’s the message for us? Simply that you and I are like
Peter. In our own way we’ve all denied Christ. We’ve all missed the
mark. But God still sees the potential in us, just like what he saw in
Peter.
No
matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, today’s gospel lesson
tells us that there is restoration for us. God’s grace is sufficient for
every need. God’s strength is greatest right where we are weakest. I
wonder how many people here have ever struggled with depression over the
mistakes you’ve made in life. I’m not going to ask for a show of
hands, I’m just going to assure you that I’ve fought against
depression over my past, my failings, my sins, the times that I had the
chance to help others and I blew it. Do you ever find yourself bogged down
in regret over something in your past? Take heart. God says, “As the
east is from the west, that’s how far I’ve forgotten the sins of your
past.” If Peter can be restored, so can you.
But
this story is more than wiping out the past, it’s about looking forward
with love. God says there’s work to be done, and we don’t have to live
down to our own expectations of our inadequacy. He knows we’ve all
failed to meet the highest standards of love, but those failures are
forgiven. I’ve told you many times that God loves you, but there’s a
second part to that statement. God also has faith in you. He had faith
that Peter would respond when he said “Come follow me,” and he has
faith in you and me. There’s work to be done, and the risen Lord is
directing our efforts.
Jonathan
Kozol has written many books about children, and especially he writes
passionately about children who are being left behind by today’s
society, and demands that we all do better. Kozol compares it to
Christ’s words to Peter, “If you love me, feed my sheep. He didn’t
say only the sheep who dwell in green pastures. He didn’t say only the
sheep whose mothers please us by acceptable behavior. He didn’t say only
the sheep whose fathers have good jobs and whose mothers go to PTA
meetings. He didn’t say only the sheep whose parents make smart choices.
He didn’t say only the sheep with two parents in the pen. He said
‘Peter, if you love me, feed my sheep.”
This
is awesome responsibility, folks. Christ has risked the future of the
church, his church, on people like you and me. The charge to Peter, the
disciple who had let him down to dramatically, is the same charge that all
of us have to care for the ones that God places in our sphere of
influence, not just children, but everyone in need. Regardless of where
Jesus leads others, each of us is called to be faithful to the
responsibilities God has given us. We can never forget that the church is
never more than one generation away from extinction, and none of us can
rest until we have placed the baton of faith into the hands of another.
Finally,
the third lesson we can take away from our gospel story this morning is
that we need to fed, so take the
time for the important things, like being fed spiritually. This is
called “There Wasn’t Time:”
When I was young, my mother was
going to read me a story, but she had to wax
the bathroom floor and there wasn't time.
When I was young, my grandparents
were going to come for Christmas, but they
couldn't get someone to feed the dogs and my grandfather did not like the
cold weather and besides they didn't have time.
When I was young, my father was
going to listen to me read my essay on "What
I Want To Be When I Grow Up," but there was Monday Night Football and
there
wasn't time.
When I was young, my father and I
were going to go hiking, but at the last minute he had to fertilize the
lawn and there wasn't time.
When I grew up and left home to
be married, I was going to sit down with Mom
and Dad and tell them I love them and would miss them, but my best man was
honking the horn in front of my house so there wasn't time.
Into our hectic world, Jesus
comes, and still invites us to feed the spirit as well as the mind and the
body. The best way we feed the spirit is by giving attention to things of
eternal significance, such as listening, loving, and learning at the least
expected places—like the breakfast table.
What is this story of fishing, feeding
and breakfast all about? First, it is a story of forgiveness. It’s a
story about new life. It’s a story of God’s love for us. But above
all, this is a story that asks what our response to that love will be? The
point of this story is a simple one, not complicated at all—the best way
to love Christ is to love his sheep, dumb, stubborn, smelly creatures that
they, or should I say, we creatures can be.
God doesn’t want burnt
offerings or blood sacrifices from us. God doesn’t want long, flowery,
verbose prayers or painfully pious expressions of devotion. At the end of
the day, God just wants us to love, and especially to love the unlovable.
Love is the authentic sign of discipleship. Love for others is the real
symbol of our love for Christ. He wants us to follow him and imitate his
loving ways. He wants us to understand that love is the most powerful
force in the universe. Love makes all the difference.
The poet Helen Steiner Rice put
it this way:
“The priceless gift of life is love,
For with the help of God above,
Love can change the human race,
And make this world a better place.
For love dissolves all hate and fear,
And makes our vision bright and clear,
So we can see and rise above
Our pettiness on wings of love.”
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