First Baptist Church: Sermon

Message for April 21, 2002
by Pastor Glenn Layne
(John 21:15-25)

Last summer I flew to Providence, Rhode Island to attend our denomination’s biennial. After almost a week, I flew back into Ontario and had to make that little bitty drive from Ontario home. What could go wrong?

That’s when a CHIPS officer jumped out in front of men at 80 miles per hour and began weaving back and forth across the 10 westbound…big lazy loops. It took me a second to realize that he was halting all traffic.

As it happened, I was at the very front of this closure. It was a hot day, and as I’d left the airport, I’d stopped for a cold soda, so my window was rolled up with the AC on. Just as the patrol car stopped by a stalled vehicle in the left lane, now with a wrecker in place to haul him away, I could hear muffled sounds, so I rolled down my window just in time to hear these words coming from the patrolman’s PA:

LET’S KEEP IT MOVING! WE DON’T WANT ANOTHER PROBLEM HERE!

Keep it moving? Well, I guess that made sense, since now the stalled car, the wrecker and the CHIPS vehicle were all in the left lane.

So I did what any numbskull would have done. I accelerated and took off.

About 20 seconds later I realized that might have been a mistake. I was completely alone on the 10 westbound.

20 seconds later I was convinced I’d made a mistake. A familiar looking car with flashing lights on top came up behind me.

I pulled over. An officer that was about 7 feet high wearing about 12 guns on his belt came walking toward my little Stratus. He was, as Tony Evans puts it, a brother of the darker hue, obviously both ex-NFL and ex-Marine, arms about 4 feet around, mirror glasses.

I will not go into detail about the humbling conversation I had with this outstanding public servant, who let me off with a warning only after he’d checked me out thoroughly on his computer. I am now intimately familiar with the rules of road closure and the protocols to be followed under those circumstances, yes sir!

Now when you’re the only guy on the 10 and a unit pulls up behind you, lights going, you have no doubt that he’s there for you. But have you ever been driving along when the flashing lights appeared and your first though is—me? Who—Me? Let’s see, I was pretty much at the speed limit, my car’s not on fire, why would you want to pull me over?

But the truth is, that in some way, shape or form, that patrolman has some plans for you. That’s why you get stopped.

Is it so hard to believe that God has plans for you? I have some news for you. God the eternal creator takes notice of you. He has a special work for you to do, and He wants to "pull you over" not to ticket you, but to inform you that you are special to Him. According to Ephesians 2:10, you are God’s "workmanship"—His work of art. And works of art are designed to be put on display—to be viewed and to be enjoyed. You are part of His purposes.

God has a special job, a special assignment, for you. You are not a forgotten piece in the puzzle of the kingdom of God. You are a precious portion, a key ingredient, an essential element in the work of God. In God’s economy, there are no little people.

We saw the beginnings of that two weeks ago in John 21:1-14, where the risen Christ meets seven of the disciples on the shore of Galilee. And we saw, in His causing the catch of 153 big fish in a net that refused to be torn. The gospel net goes unbroken, the harvest of the kingdom will come, and Jesus provides.

Does God have plans for you? You bet. And even if you’ve blown it. How do I know? I know because when Jesus pulled over Simon Peter, he could have given Him a ticket. He could have put Him in the spiritual slammer, on a DWE: Denying Without Excuse. Yep, three times the night before Jesus was crucified, Peter had denied even knowing him in order to save his own sorry hide.

But now Jesus comes to Peter—this is actually the 4th time he’d seen the risen Lord. But this was a quiet time, on the shore of Galilee early in the morning. Now a breakfast of fish and bread is done and now Jesus takes Simon aside. We can imagine, I think, Jesus walking along the shore of the lake, Peter to his side and a little behind Him, and John several steps back, close enough to hear without actually being a part of the conversation.

We pick up the story at John 21:15.

Peter’s New Commission, John 21:15-19

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

17The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you
love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 18I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Jesus loves this man, but He’s pulled him over and he’s got some tough questions for him.

Some piercing questions, 15-17

Do you catch that Jesus doesn’t call him "Peter"? He calls him "Simon, son of John"—Shimon bar Yonah. That was his given name, not the nickname Jesus had given him. Remember, "Peter"—the original Rock, not that guy in the Scorpion King movie—was the name Jesus had given him. Generally speaking, Jesus called him Simon early on, before he got the Peter nickname, and after that only when he was in trouble. Kind of like when you mom calls you by you first and middle name: "Glenn Edward you get in this house right now!"—that kind of thing.
There’s something else here, and it has to do with the words for "love" being used here. Look very carefully in verses 15-17, and you’ll see something interesting, especially if you have the NIV translation, which does a very good job here.
Jesus asks Simon three times, "Do you love me?" The NIV translates the first two times "truly love" because the Greek word agape is being used. Agape is the typical word for genuine love, committed love. It’s the word for God’s own love in passages like John 3:16.
Key to this is that the first time Jesus asks Simon, He asks, "Do you truly love me more than these?" More than who? Simon, says Jesus, all time you you’ve boasted that you are my #1 disciple, Mr. Faithful. Now, get real Simon—can you truly say that you love Me more than these other disciples? POP. That sound you just heard was Simon Peter’s pride getting burst.
But each time Jesus asks Simon "Do you agape me?" Simon replies, "You know I phileo you." It’s a different word. Phileo love is genuine, but it’s more like "brotherly love." (It’s part of the root we get "Philadelphia" from.) "Jesus, you know I get the warm fuzzies from you, but no, I have no special claim. I can’t even say that I agape you. I’m nobody special."
"In that case, you are qualified," says Jesus. "Feed my lambs."
So Jesus asks him again, "Simon, son of John, do you agape Me?" And again he answers, "Yes, Lord, you know I phileo you." "Then take care of My sheep."
A third time, but now a change. "Simon, son of John, do you phileo Me?"

Let’s think. Third time. This must have been excruciating for Peter. Jesus has been performing skillful surgery here. He gave Peter a wide-open opportunity to be boastful—"Do you truly love me more than these guys?"—and Peter’s passed that test. No, I’m just up to phileo, not agape, you know that. Good, then you can feed my lambs. Then Jesus asks again. Same answer. Now Jesus comes down to Simon’s level. "Do you phileo Me?"

Listen to what it says again, 17b:

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

CRUNCH! That was the last vestige of Peter’s ego getting run over. Three times! Just like the three times he’d denied Jesus. Just as Jesus changed on this third question from asking if Simon agaped Him to asking if he phileoed Him, Peter also changes his answer; before it was "you know" now it’s "Lord you truly know [ginosko, a different word than before] all things; you know I phileo You."

And Jesus’ answer: "Feed my sheep."

What does this conversation signify? It means that Peter is back in the game for sure. Three denials have been offset by three affirmations of love. His ego has been popped and crunched.
I remember when I applied to the doctoral program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. The director at that time was a great guy by the name of Carl Saylor. When I went for my entry interview, he said, "I see this is the second time you’ve put in your paperwork. Last year you also started the application process, but then you didn’t finish. Why was that?"

The first time, I have to be honest, I was motivated by the idea of having a doctoral degree. Of being called "Dr. Layne." I aborted the process when the Lord convicted me that my motives were wrong. A year later I just wanted to do what I do for the kingdom better. I wanted to raise my standards, and the doctoral program seemed the best, most structured and sure was to move me along that path. Carl smiled and said, "Now you’re ready to be in the program."

Folks, God wants to do something in your life. He has a commission for you that’s just as individualized as it was for Peter. If you need it, He has a rehabilitating re-commission, just like He had for Peter. But there has to be the pop and the crunch. Jacob learned that when He wrestled with God. God could not use Him until God had broken him. Peter here learns it while walking the Galilee shore.

A Future in God’s Hands, 18-19

Now listen to what else Jesus says:

18I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Peter, you’ve always been a take charge guy. You’ve never depended on anybody else. But the day will come when all that will change.

You will go…

From independence to dependence
From vitality to death

According to an old tradition, Peter’s death occurred about 35 years after this day by the lake. The story goes that persecution broke out in the city of Rome. The church there urged Peter to flee, but either due to a vision or simply the memory of this day, Peter stayed. That same tradition says that he was arrested and condemned to die as a traitor to Rome, and that he himself was crucified—"dressed" (the word can also be translated "tied") to a cross, led away to death. The same story goes on to indicate the he requested that he be crucified upside down—that he was unworthy to die like his Lord.

Note the comment in verse 19:

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Sending a man on a trajectory toward a gruesome death has no purpose—unless it is part of a higher purpose. Peter’s death would be part of a higher purpose. The purpose? "To glorify God." A life lived to point people to Him is a life well lived.

Now there’s another man there. In his gospel, John never refers to himself by name. Instead he calls himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Peter just got a glimpse of his future—so what about John?

The Beloved Disciple, 21:20-23

20Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") 21When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"

"What about John?"

Fuggedabbout! You just follow Me!

Squelching a rumor: that John (now—at the time of the writing of his gospel—an aged man of 85 or so—would live to see Jesus’ return.)

But it’s the same deal, the same personal commission: in Jesus’ hands. The Lord has some special for Peter, and something else special for John, and something else special for Bob and Zhou and Carlos and Debbie and Earline and Frank and Gloria and Humberto and…well, you get the picture. And the key word from Jesus to us all is this: You just follow Me. Me. Not a program or a map, but a person. Follow where I go, where I direct, and your life will glorify God.

This is what happens when we are in vital contact with the Risen Lord. He has a personal commission for us all. You are NOT an exception.

Now the gospel of John is kind of curious. It seems like is started to end three times—back at the end of chapter 20, and now it’s like is has two endings here at the end of chapter 21. We might call them the two bottom lines.

Bottom Line, 1, 21:24

The eyewitness account
24This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

John says, after 21 chapters of staying in the background, here I am—I am a witness of all these things. I was there.

Bottom Line, 2, 21:25

He is marvelous!

25Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

No gospel says it all, and even four gospels can’t say it all. Jesus is just too big to cram into the pages of a book.

And I’m glad. You see, Jesus’ story, in a sense, is still being written in the deeds of His people. Because He still walks among His people, He still calls us, He still moves us, and He still says, even to weak and wounded, "I have a task for you—a special call for you. Now you come—and follow Me."