Third Sunday of Easter
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Scripture |
John 21:1-19 21 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias ; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee , the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 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 after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to 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 there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 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. 9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish 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, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 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. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
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Devotional |
John Chrysostom writes in his Homilies on the Gospel of John: But when they recognized Him, the disciples Peter and John again exhibited the peculiarities of their several tempers. The one was more fervent, the other more lofty; the one more keen, the other more clear-sighted. On this account John first recognized Jesus, Peter first came to Him. For no ordinary signs were they which had taken place. What were they? 1 When they recognized him, the disciples Peter and John again exhibited their different temperaments . The one was ready to go, the other more penetrating. John is the one who first recognized Jesus, but Peter is the first to come to him. John Chrysostom refers to the Beloved Disciple as John, but many scholars today support the idea that John and the Beloved Disciple are not the same. Ben Witherington III supports the idea that the Beloved Disciple and Lazarus are the same person. 2 “If the Beloved Disciple is the first to understand, recognize, or hear the Lord-something that is utterly necessary for faith-such recognition is not yet manifest in action. If Peter is the first to act –which symbolizes for these classic interpreters the human response to committed faith-such action must always be grounded in authentic recognition.” 3 The Beloved Disciple is the first to recognize that Jesus has risen, when he reached the empty tomb before Peter. The beloved is the first to recognize Jesus on the shore that day. Peter is the first to act in both situations. John Chrysostom points us toward the contemplative and active lifestyle. Did Chrysostom begin the debate between contemplative and active? This debate has continued with each side arguing for their temperament’s cause. When Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught” Peter drags up the whole net full of fish. Rather than a combination of the better of these two temperaments, we usually settle for one or the other. Neither understanding nor action alone constitutes authentic faith, and thus one needs to unite the best of Peter and the best of the Beloved Disciple if one is to be a person of true faith. How do we combine the best of Peter and the Beloved Disciple to form a balanced and authentic Christian spirituality? Can I as a contemplative, take a fish or two from the net or do I need to drag the whole net? 1 http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/240187.htm |