Third Sunday of Easter, Year C—2001             

Homily

What a wonderfully rich Gospel reading we have set before us today. A marvellous account by John of the resurrection appearance by Jesus in Galilee and his important final dialogue with Peter.

Last Sunday we had the account from Chapter 20 of John’s Gospel of the appearance to the Apostles and the story of Doubting Thomas. The chapter ended: There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

This is a pretty definitive ending and it is generally concluded that these verses at the end of chapter 20 are the actual end of the Gospel as written by John. Chapter 21 most of which is the text for today is generally regarded as a postscript either written by John himself or most probably a close disciple. If it was actually set down by a disciple then, because it resembles the preceding chapters very closely in style and vocabulary, he must have been very close to John indeed and perhaps heard John relating the events which he has added to the Gospel.

It is surely because of the remarkable nature of these events that they are included as a sort of second ending of John’s Gospel.

The key person in this whole chapter is the Apostle Peter and you could almost summarise the text as an account of the rehabilitation of Peter and the reconfirmation of his role. The whole passage has to be seen in the light of Peter’s denial of Christ three times before the crucifixion. It is a text very rich in symbolism and it is worth close examination line by line.

First, the disciples have returned to the occupation they knew best—fishing. I don’t think this means that after the crucifixion the apostles despair and go back to their former professions. No, I think that they don’t know what to do and so somewhat aimlessly pick up their old familiar tasks in order to keep themselves occupied while they are working out the meaning of what has really happened. It is at this low point that Jesus reveals himself to them.

Peter is in the boat, the man standing on the shore tells them to put out the net on the other side and there is a miraculous catch of fish. John says, it is the Lord, and the almost naked Peter jumps out of the boat in his eagerness to run to Jesus.

They haven’t caught anything until Jesus standing on the sore directs them where to pay out the net. This is often regarded as a way stressing the apostles (and our) inability to achieve any results unless we do things under the guidance of Christ. The fact that it fish takes us back to the statement of Christ that: from now on it is men you will catch. (Luke 5:10)

Peter is practically naked which is regarded as symbolising his spiritual nakedness, his plunging into the water symbolises his purification from the sin of denial. And the action of the Lord putting a cloak on him is considered a symbol of his full forgiveness by Christ who gives him the mantel of authority.

There is a fire on the shore and Jesus tells them to bring one of the fish for breakfast—there is obvious Eucharistic symbolism here, especially considering the language used: he took the bread gave it to them, and the same with the fish. It is hard to say whether this was a Eucharist as such but it is interesting that in some early Eucharistic imagery Jesus is pictured with bread and fish and seven disciples obviously referring to this incident.

Of course, the really juicy part of this text is in the whole sequence of the three-fold Do you love me questioning of Peter and the prophesy about his death.

The three-fold question is obviously meant as a full forgiveness and rehabilitation for the three-fold denial of Jesus by Peter before the crucifixion. But it is also a reassertion of his particular role as the Shepherd of Christ’s Church and telling us about the nature of his authority. It is an authority based on love.

Interestingly this love Peter is to show as a shepherd is not love for the flock, but love for Jesus. His love for Jesus will naturally overflow into love for the flock but the focus is to be on Jesus, and rightly so.

This is the model for all leadership and ministry in the Church—love for Christ, not love of the job or love of the status or even love of the people. This is a point on which all of us who are engaged in ministry must frequently examine our consciences.

And this doesn’t just mean the priests and religious, it means all Christians, all engaged in any kind of ministry. Love for Christ comes first and if we have this love in our hearts it will cover the multitude of our faults and our many weaknesses.

And then comes the prophecy about Peter’s death: when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody will put a belt around you and take you where you would rather not go.

Interestingly, this is the text that is used as the Gospel reading for the installation of a new Pope.

It is generally understood that, like Jesus, Peter will be bound and be forced to stretch out his hands for crucifixion. The true and devoted follower of Christ finds himself not only imitating Jesus in his life but also in his death.

And after this terrifying prophecy Jesus calmly says to Peter: Follow me. And as we know that is precisely what Peter did—he followed the Lord, followed him in his words, in his actions, in his teaching, in his ministry, in his death and, of course, in his resurrection.

These words are addressed very particularly to Peter but they are most certainly also addressed to all the followers of Jesus, then and now. So let us with faith and joy in our hearts imitate Peter and recommit ourselves as apostles of Christ as his true followers in the world today.

Let us follow Christ in his words, in his actions, in his teaching, in his ministry, in his death and, of course, in his resurrection.