NewCreation

Homily for Third Sunday of Easter, Year C

Welcome, my sisters and brothers, to this the homily for the third Sunday of Easter. Last time, if you remember, we had a diptych with Mary Magdalene and Thomas on either side of the central resurrection appearance of our Lord. The Lord ascended — the fullness of new creation being breathed into the disciples as Adam had been created. So this sense of the huge beginning. And today we have what many think was an additional chapter put on later to John's Gospel, which may well be the case, though there is no ancient text of John's Gospel that doesn't have chapter 21. But what this chapter shares with its predecessor is that here too there is a central appearance of Jesus in the midst of the disciples and a dealing with a particular one of them. In other words, something that is central for all, but also a building up, a taking beyond themselves of an individual. We've seen that's what happened with Mary Magdalene, we've seen that's what happened with Thomas, and now we're going to see what happens with Peter. So after these things — that's after last Sunday's Gospel and all the signs that the evangelist mentioned — Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, so giving the pagan name for the Sea, the Sea of Galilee. And he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin — remember these had been at the last meeting, if you like — Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, so there's a reference back there just reminding us of the signs, the sons of Zebedee, so that's James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples not mentioned. So that's a total of seven, and nothing here is accidental. Jesus is showing himself — the first showing himself of all had been at Cana in Galilee, so now we have Nathanael reminding us of that. And here we have seven. When they were in Jerusalem in the room locked for fear of the Jews — the authorities and their adepts — it had been the twelve. And there specifically Thomas was referred to as one of the twelve. But here it's the seven. And of course numbers for John matter. Here we're talking about the number of fulfillment, heading abroad, going amongst the pagans. The twelve referred to the restoration, the continuation of the true Israel. Here we have the seven on the border country with a pagan place. And Simon Peter says to them, "I'm going fishing." So as often, Simon Peter, impetuous fellow but also a starter, impulsive, someone who just gets things going: "I'm going fishing." And they all said to him, "We will go with you." Cast your mind back to the very beginning of the Gospel, people following on Jesus, agreeing just to follow on with him and see where he went. So here we have a different Following on with Peter, they had nothing else particular to do. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak – in other words, when the time for good fishing had just passed – Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So yet again, these appearances of Jesus, Jesus being caused to appear after his resurrection, took very varied form. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" Probably this would have been more like "lads." I think it's a more – what's the word – demotic term than "children." He's not actually saying "my little children." It's more like, "Lads, you have no fish, have you?" And they answered him no. And the no apparently is very absolute; the particular form of no here is a very absolute no – absolutely not. He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat and you will find some." In other words, he's pushing them beyond what they might have achieved for themselves, pushing them beyond – says the indication of moving on to the Gentiles. So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. In other words, once they're pushed into the new place, all the fish come in. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So there's an act of recognition here. It's interesting that the act of recognition comes when the fruit is seen. It's not that he heard the voice and said it was the Lord; it's that he heard the voice and saw the fish and realized that the one who had been pushing them into this abundance was the same one who had stood in their midst and breathed the Spirit amongst them, and that there was clearly some sort of sympathy, empathy, syntony between the voice of love and the sending and the fruit. So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he didn't reclothe himself – he put on some clothes, for he was naked – and jumped into the sea. Okay, so this is going to be one of the first examples of what we had in last Sunday's Gospel: "Blessed is he who believes without seeing," because he doesn't know who this is. He hears – the beloved disciple tells him – and off he goes. And what does he do? He puts on some clothes, for he was naked. Very interesting. He puts on his clothes, referring exactly to what Jesus did at the Last Supper. Remember, he stripped off his clothes so as to show he was serving; then he put on his clothes at the end and told them to do likewise. So here Peter – this is going to be how Peter is taken into the process of becoming a server. So Peter, again impetuously, again off his own bat, jumps 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. In other words, Peter's being pretty useless. There's an awful lot of fish to haul, yet Peter has jumped out to show his affection for someone he doesn't know, someone he hears is the right person. Typical Peter. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there. With this there comes a lovely leaping red light, because the last time we heard of a charcoal fire, the charcoal fire was where Peter was warming his hands with the others and where he betrayed Jesus. So this is going to be set up to be the place where Jesus is able to achieve Peter's penitence. In John's Gospel, Peter doesn't break down in tears when he hears the cock cry. It's only here he's able to get what he'd got wrong. So they saw the charcoal fire with some fish on it and some bread. In other words, he already has some. But then he says, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." In other words, they are going to be involved in bringing this to being. They're going to be asked to share in this self-giving feast. Jesus spoke to them, but once again it's Simon Peter — thinking it's all up to him — who went aboard and hauled the net ashore full of large fish, 153 of them. So 153. The number of theories that there are about why 153. Gematria, the use of numbers to hide words. There are many, many theories of this. I don't know which of them is worth it, but it clearly meant something. One of the theories is that it's three groups of 50 plus the multiple three, 50 being the gathered community. So here is the sense of spreading, gathering communities. "Though these were many, the net was not torn." In other words, there's beginning to be a Church and it's not yet split. So 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. So this is the feeding miracle that the other Gospels refer to in a slightly different way, when it's perfectly clear that both Jesus is giving them something that is from him and they are participating — there's something brought from them. "This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead." And this could mean it was the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead, meaning that it was one of the times after he was raised from the dead. Or it could mean that it was the third time after the dead, because the term "appeared" is also used of Cana in Galilee. There are one or two other moments when Jesus appears. But it's the third time he's appeared to the full groups. He appeared on the evening of the first day of the resurrection, then a week later to the full group, and now a third time. On each occasion there's been someone else being built up towards that. Mary Magdalene on the first, Thomas II and Peter III. So here we have the presence of the Lord pushing people out into this new ministry amongst the Gentiles. When they'd finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter – before, he's spoken only to them plural, but now he speaks to Simon Peter individually – "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" And again, this could be "do you love me more than these people do?" or "do you love me more than you love these people?" – meaning the brethren. And we'll see why that might be an interesting tack to pursue. It could be both of those. So Peter says to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you." Famously, Jesus uses the word agapao, "you love me that way," and Peter says, "you know this, I do love you," in the word which means friendship. Then Jesus says to him, "Feed my lambs," and it's the little lambs, feed my little ones. We talked about fishing; he now transfers that to sheep. "Feed my little ones," and it is the term: give to feed, give them good food. So the second time he says to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" And again he uses the word agapao, meaning the suggestion of a specially special love. And Peter says to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you." And again, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you," with this friendship love. And then Jesus says to him, "Pastor my sheep," and this is with some sort of sense of organizing and ruling. This is not just the feeding bit; this is making sure they get to the right place, taking them hither and thither, and it refers to the adults. So first of all he talks about the small, unimportant ones – though Peter's always leaving them behind and rushing out in his impetuousness – and now he's talking about getting behind and looking after the sheep, because a shepherd goes along behind rather than rushing out ahead. Jesus says to him the third time – and it's meant to be stressed that it's the third time – "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" And here he uses the friendship word. And Peter has now felt hurt because he said this to him the third time. In other words, Peter has picked up that his time immediately before the brazier is being lived out again. His denial is being undone. He's being taken to the place where he can find himself penitent in the face of the risen Lord. Please note what Jesus has been doing, what the risen Lord is doing to Peter to build him up, if you like. He's trying to get him back into the flock, as it were. He's getting him back so that he doesn't love in some exaggerated way, but that he actually works out what being a friend is. It means being alongside, it means being part of, it means care for the very little ones, it means going along behind the big ones rather than rushing out in front. And of course Peter realizes that his impetuousness has in fact made him… Outside the group in another way: he actually formally betrayed rather than simply ran away. Because of his impetuousness, he tried to follow the beloved disciple into the priest's area. The beloved disciple could get there because he was of a priestly family. Peter couldn't. But then Peter got frightened; his impetuousness was not his friend. So Peter, now realizing that he's being asked to take his place penitently within the group: "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." In other words, he knows that he's being called on his betrayal, that the Lord loves him on the betrayal, and that he still loves him, that he loved him as a traitor. And then Jesus says to him, "Feed my sheep." And this is the feeding term, the actual giving of food, the one which he'd used before of the little ones, but now he's using it of the adults. There's only one way to feed the sheep, and that's by giving yourself in the same way that Jesus had given himself to them, which was now being celebrated in this Eucharistic meal with the bread and the fish. In other words, Peter has been taken back through the whole of his living with Jesus and being brought to the place where he's now going to be able to become a follower of Jesus, rather than an impetuous would-be leader of others who follow Jesus. And then Jesus prophesies the manner of Peter's crucifixion: "When you grow old you'll stretch out your hands" — and apparently that was a standard way of referring to crucifixion — "and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." In other words, it brings up the point that before you did what you want, now you're going to be dragged by others. After this he said to him, "Follow me." In other words, it's only as an insider that you are going to be able to be a follower, and that is how you're going to be feeding your sheep. So this wonderful, very delicate psychological account of Peter being taken through the various times that he'd in fact spoken up too soon, that he'd wanted to be a leader, that he thought he was loving when he wasn't, that he got himself into trouble — and what does the risen life do, in addition to pushing us out into taking the new creation further? It also heals us, if you like, brings us to penitence, and heals us of the ways in which we think of ourselves as exceptional, needing to be outside, needing to be one up on others. And we are reminded that it's feeding the little ones, getting behind the big ones, but being within and feeding them in the only way they can be fed, which is by following the shepherd who gave himself as a sheep. So that's how Jesus, if you like, brings Peter to life in the Church, and how we Catholics hope and long that his successor lives among us. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you.