Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

Third Sunday of Easter (2010)

Jesus-Care: Welfare for the Soul                                                                        Rev. Toby Byrd

John 21:1-14 (ESV) 

    After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.  [2] Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, 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 shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  [5] Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have 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, because of the quantity of fish.  [7] That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.  [8] 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 in place, with fish laid out 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, 153 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.

These are times of uncertainty for our nation. For more than a year the economy has been poor, people have lost their jobs and can’t find work. Families are losing their homes because of the recession and rather than focus on the loss of jobs for millions of Americans, congress seems to be more interested in running up the national debt; making the situation even worse. Healthcare, taxes, earthquakes, wars; rumors of wars, collapsing finances, and so many other issues occupy the minds of most Americans today. Never, it seems, has their security been more threatened and if there is one thing we can say about Americans, we expect security. Some have even opined these are certain signs of the Last Day.

Commendable as the concern for our temporal welfare might be, it is well to remember the words of the poet Robert Burns who wrote, “the best laid plans of mice and men.” These often fail no matter how painstaking was the care in putting them together. We might plan every minute of our day down to the smallest detail, yet our mind is ever haunted by the realization that all of our feverish activity in search of our security may all be in vain. However, because of who we are, we are blessed that we can live each and every day without fear.

We are children of God, and as children of God we have something far superior to any pension plan, or social security program, or universal healthcare program, we have Jesus-Care. Therefore, this morning as we reflect on the risen Lord’s post-Easter appearances, particularly His third appearance, let us pray that the Holy Spirit will show us the indisputable evidence of our Lord’s concern for our total welfare. Instead of concentrating on government welfare programs for security, let us bask in the shadow of our Lord as He introduces us to; Jesus-Care: a Welfare program for the Soul.

The Gospel Reading for today places us with the disciples as they are returning from a fruitless night of fishing on the Sea of Galilee. As they near the shore, Jesus appears to them.

Much of our Lord’s ministry had been spent near the Sea of Galilee. Often, our Lord used the backdrop of the waters of the lake as His chancel as He preached to thousands His Word of life. Moreover, in the towns and villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee, our Lord performed many of His miracles of healing. In fact, it was on this very sea that our Lord displayed His mastery over the forces of nature as He stilled the storm and walked on water. It was here, along the sea-shore that our Lord called many of His disciples to be fishers of men. Leaving all to follow Him, they became dedicated to His service and call as they came to know and love Him as the only begotten Son of God. Now, after His death and resurrection, He once more desired to call to His disciples, to show Himself as the risen Christ willing and able to solve their problems for time eternal. impulsive

The day before, following the lead of St. Peter, six of the disciples decided to go fishing with him. Now this wasn’t some impulsive decision on their part, a recreational activity, instead this was how these men had made their living before being called by Jesus. However, Jesus was gone and the disciples had, for the most part, returned to the only livelihood they knew. St. John tells us that the disciples spent the entire night fishing, without success. Tired and disappointed, they resign themselves to their failure and return to their mooring empty handed. However, they weren’t to be disappointed for very long, for as they near the shore they hear the endearing voice of their Lord Jesus, asking, “Children, do you have any fish?” (v. 5).

This question from our Lord was really unnecessary for He already knew their plight. However, by His question He indicates to them that their problem was His problem; that their need was His need. His endearing call, “Children” and the question “do you have any fish?” comes from a heart filled with love and compassion. He truly cared for their welfare and His question was a prelude to the action He was about to take in order to satisfy their needs.

The problems of life which you face are no less serious than those of the disciples. In fact, the problems which a father and mother face in this twenty-first century America in maintaining a home, raising a family, and in securing the necessities of life, are without dispute more serious and grave than those faced by the disciples on a cool Galilean morning two-thousand years ago. The mounting cost of increased taxes and general inflationary pressures give the head of every household justifiable concern. The simple matter of feeding and clothing children, the problem of giving our sons and daughters the education they so sorely need, the difficulty of furnishing our families those items which were formerly considered luxuries but are today, and in most instances rightly so, considered mere necessities, all cause many a father and mother sleepless nights. Add to that, the fact that our very government is adding to that struggle and it’s a wonder father’s and mothers get any sleep at all.

Therefore, it is for this very reason that the Lord’s appearance has a special comfort for us. The same risen Lord, who stood on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, stands at our side. The question which sprang from His great and loving heart touches our hearts. In all the difficulties which life presents, He is with us, calling to us, offering to meet our needs. For just like the disciples, we, too, are His children. Through His suffering and death He established us as His children. Anchored in this truth, we can rejoice with St. Paul who wrote; “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:4-5 ESV), and with St. John who wrote in His Gospel, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 ESV).

What a marvelous title, “Children of God.” There is no other title on earth that is superior, for no other title blesses men more. Therefore, with such a title we can dismiss our worries and follow the advice of St. Peter “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV).

It is in this vein that the disciples met the Lord’s warm and friendly question with a simple one word answer, “No.” They didn’t have any fish. Hearing their negative answer, our Lord instantly provides a solution to their dilemma, He says to them; “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some” (v. 6). Immediately following His command they drop their net into the sea and to their great surprise and relief, their net is filled with fish; 153 large fish filled the net, in fact it was so heavy with fish they could barely haul the net into the boat.

Our Lord had revealed Himself to them as the almighty God. Truly, there is evidence here that to Him has been given all power. As He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18 ESV). Moreover, we can readily see, even the creatures of the sea obey His commands; and, when necessary, their obedience is used to the greater welfare of His children.

Still living in the bright light of Easter Sunday, we vividly recall the majestic display of power which our Lord revealed in His resurrection. St. Paul’s words to the Romans speak of our Lord’s power when He is, “declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4 ESV). However, He not only rose from the dead; today He sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for those whom He has redeemed and governing and protecting them. Looking into the empty grave, overwhelmed by our Lord’s might, we rejoice with the great apostle Paul who said, God, “raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:20-22 ESV). Filled with this power and dominion over all creation, our Lord Jesus meets our needs.

In today’s Gospel, the apostle John puts the disciple’s problems on display; he shows us they lacked food. However, we, too, have our problems. Unemployment, homelessness, inflationary pressures, higher taxes, government oppression, floods, drought, sickness, and the list goes on; all these pose serious problems to all men. However, for you and me the seriousness of our problems is considerably reduced by the very presence of Him who assures us: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV). In heartbreaking difficulties, our hearts are strengthened by the sure knowledge that our blessed Lord not only desires to help us, but He can and He does. There is no boundary to His comforting aide. Sin, death, and the devil are defeated and lie at His feet.

As the disciples get closer to land and thus to our Lord Jesus, He makes this simple request, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught” (v. 10). Our Lord wanted them to see and appreciate the great gift with which they had been blessed in this magnificent catch of fish. Here is a reminder that we too are to count our blessings. Unfortunately, gratitude is not one of the marks of our age. It is a dying reaction. The spiritual and temporal blessings which are ours most take for granted. Even worse, we frequently take personal credit for blessings which in reality come from the kind and gracious hand of God.

He has blessed us, both physically and spiritually. He called us out of the darkness of sin and hate into the glorious light of His love and the forgiveness of sins. He has transformed us from being slaves of Satan into sons of God. He has covered our filthy garment of flesh with the unblemished, perfect garment of His righteousness. He has commended His love toward us in that, while we were still sinners, He died for us.

Moreover, He has materially blessed us. We could cite facts and figures as evidence that our nation has been blessed materially as none other. We don’t have to look very hard to see how He has blessed us through the Constitution which give us the liberty and freedom we enjoy to worship as unhindered from government oversight. However, more importantly for you and me is the simple yet sublime confession of our utter dependency on God; for all that we have and all that we are is the result of a loving God. We recall from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism; “I believe that God has given me – clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields and cattle, and all my goods, that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; that He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.”

Thus, having hailed the disciples and given them a mighty catch of fish, our Lord then invites them to eat breakfast with Him. The apostle John writes, “Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast’” (v. 12).

We, too, have received an invitation from our Lord Jesus; an invitation to come and dine; to dine at the supper where His body and blood are given to us for the forgiveness of sins, and to dine at His heavenly banquet; a banquet which He prepared for us through His suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension; having conquered His foes, sin, death, and the devil, thereby ransoming us from their power. He gives us the fruits of victory; life and salvation in His precious name. Therefore, He invites us to celebrate with Him in His heavenly victory banquet to receive the fruits of His labor.

On that day when He returns in all His glory, we shall hear from His own lips, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34 ESV).

Knowing that our Lord is committed to your earthly and heavenly care, I urge you this morning to place your life in His hands, cast your cares on Him, relax and place your complete trust and confidence in Jesus-Care; a proven Welfare for your Soul. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.