John 21:1-14
Today's Passage: John 21:1-14
One of my college summers I spent working at a summer camp. On the last night, we did a
big bonfire down by the lake. We had some guys go out on the lake in a canoe to act this story
out in a skit. I vividly remember the guy playing Jesus shouting out to the boat, then one of those
guys diving into the water and swimming to shore. There’s something about seeing a fully
clothed man swimming as hard as he can back to shore then falling at the feet of Jesus that still
gives me chills reading John 21.
I love this encounter between Jesus and Peter. The same Peter that told Jesus he would die
for him (John 13:37), then he fearfully denied Jesus (John 18), raced to the shore. The one who
stepped out of the boat to walk with Jesus on the water (Matt 14:29), the one who saw Jesus in
his glory at the transfiguration (John 17), is the same one who felt the shame of betrayal of the
Son of God.
In tomorrow’s passage, we get to see the restoration of Peter as Jesus affirms his commitment
to Jesus three times. But in today’s passage, I’m challenged with the question, “Am I racing to
the resurrected Jesus like Peter?”
Reading our passage today is reminiscent of Peter’s decision to leave his nets and follow
Jesus (Luke 5). After following Jesus’ instruction, they caught so many fish their nets were
breaking. Peter fell at Jesus’ feet saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It’s
here that Jesus told Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
With all that Peter saw as he followed Jesus around, it’s hard to imagine his betrayal. We
might even be tempted to think, “I wouldn’t have abandoned Jesus.” Yet, how often do we run
from Jesus to sin?
I think it’s fair to say that John 21 is a restart for Peter. Peter had told Jesus how big a sinner
he was, but Jesus knew his worst mistakes were ahead. Peter had declared that Jesus was “the
Holy One of God” (John 6:69), but even after knowing that, abandoned him.
Yet, even after all the ups and downs, after all the mistakes, Peter splashed and swam to the
resurrected Jesus fully clothed. Peter felt the weight of his betrayal and raced to Jesus. Do we
really understand the weight of our sin? Does our sin cause us to race to Jesus?
When Christ made you a new person on the day you trusted him, he knew some of your
biggest mistakes were still in front of you. He forgave you anyway. That doesn’t mean God
winks at the sin in your life (and we shouldn’t either). However, that does mean that nothing can
stop the love of God in Christ Jesus to complete the work he started. He did it for Peter, and he’ll
do it for us.
Written By: Tyler Short
One of my college summers I spent working at a summer camp. On the last night, we did a
big bonfire down by the lake. We had some guys go out on the lake in a canoe to act this story
out in a skit. I vividly remember the guy playing Jesus shouting out to the boat, then one of those
guys diving into the water and swimming to shore. There’s something about seeing a fully
clothed man swimming as hard as he can back to shore then falling at the feet of Jesus that still
gives me chills reading John 21.
I love this encounter between Jesus and Peter. The same Peter that told Jesus he would die
for him (John 13:37), then he fearfully denied Jesus (John 18), raced to the shore. The one who
stepped out of the boat to walk with Jesus on the water (Matt 14:29), the one who saw Jesus in
his glory at the transfiguration (John 17), is the same one who felt the shame of betrayal of the
Son of God.
In tomorrow’s passage, we get to see the restoration of Peter as Jesus affirms his commitment
to Jesus three times. But in today’s passage, I’m challenged with the question, “Am I racing to
the resurrected Jesus like Peter?”
Reading our passage today is reminiscent of Peter’s decision to leave his nets and follow
Jesus (Luke 5). After following Jesus’ instruction, they caught so many fish their nets were
breaking. Peter fell at Jesus’ feet saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It’s
here that Jesus told Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
With all that Peter saw as he followed Jesus around, it’s hard to imagine his betrayal. We
might even be tempted to think, “I wouldn’t have abandoned Jesus.” Yet, how often do we run
from Jesus to sin?
I think it’s fair to say that John 21 is a restart for Peter. Peter had told Jesus how big a sinner
he was, but Jesus knew his worst mistakes were ahead. Peter had declared that Jesus was “the
Holy One of God” (John 6:69), but even after knowing that, abandoned him.
Yet, even after all the ups and downs, after all the mistakes, Peter splashed and swam to the
resurrected Jesus fully clothed. Peter felt the weight of his betrayal and raced to Jesus. Do we
really understand the weight of our sin? Does our sin cause us to race to Jesus?
When Christ made you a new person on the day you trusted him, he knew some of your
biggest mistakes were still in front of you. He forgave you anyway. That doesn’t mean God
winks at the sin in your life (and we shouldn’t either). However, that does mean that nothing can
stop the love of God in Christ Jesus to complete the work he started. He did it for Peter, and he’ll
do it for us.
Written By: Tyler Short
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