John 21.1-25

As we come to the setting of the final recorded occasion on which the Lord used the expression "Verily, verily", we could hardly find a more touching, practical, or personally applicable scene. The epilogue to John's Gospel is a chapter we would do well to know by heart, so readily (and so often) could we see ourselves in its events. We might observe that something of our readiness to learn its lessons is reflected in the fact that the most discussed part of the chapter seems to be the meaning of the 153 great fish, rather than the kindest, most tender affirmation of forgiveness in the restoration of Peter to the service of the Lord and Master he loved. If we view the setting of this final "Verily, verily" as the Lord bringing Peter to repentance, we are mistaken. Repentance on the part of the saint who has grieved the Lord by sin is always a necessary precursor to restoration to service. The two events are certainly related, but they are also very distinct.

The time of Peter's personal confession and repentance would surely have been when the risen Lord specially and privately revealed Himself to this grief-stricken servant. The eleven knew full well that Peter had had a private audience with the Lord, for they were speaking of it when the Emmaus couple burst in with their own testimony to the Lord's resurrection. "The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon", said the disciples (Lk 24.34), and Paul the apostle would later testify, "He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve" (1 Cor 15.5). The fact of Peter's repentance, and its genuine nature, must have been known to the other disciples who, as they had done prior to his failure, willingly followed his lead when he announced he was going fishing (Jn 21.3). Also, it is difficult to imagine that the Lord would sit at meat with Peter if confession and repentance had not already taken place.

There are important lessons in this for us all. Whilst it is true that confession of sin brings immediate forgiveness, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn 1.9), we must not assume that service can continue as though nothing had happened. It would seem that Peter had this mistaken idea because, as he returned to a work that he knew so well, he found that his night's toil was absolutely fruitless. Truly repentant and remorseful he may well have been, but his failure had had the effect of spoiling his sensitivity to the Lord's guidance and dulled his sense of total dependence on the Lord. The impact of his earlier experience of toiling fruitlessly all night when "he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Lk 5.8), seems to have been forgotten. He had repented, yes, but he had not yet been restored.

The appearance of the Lord on the shore was another of those post-resurrection occasions when He deliberately withheld His identity until He chose to reveal Himself. He had done so with Mary at the tomb, and with the two disciples from Emmaus, and now He did so again. In each case those who would have the tremendous privilege of knowing the Lord in resurrection were initially downcast and disconsolate, and the weary fishermen were no exception. Interestingly, it was John who first realised that the man on the shore was the Lord. Was that because his eyesight was better, or his hearing more acute than Peter's? Was it not rather the result of recent nearness to the Lord? "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother…and the disciple standing by, whom he loved" (Jn 19.25-26), but of Peter it was said, "Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire" (Mk 14.54). In those awful hours when their Saviour had suffered and died, John had been marked by nearness to the cross, but Peter by nearness to the warming fire of the ungodly. Broken-hearted, he had confessed his failure to the Lord and been forgiven, but restoration to service had still to come.

David had known the same dealings of grace after his sin concerning Uriah and Bathsheba. Psalm 51 is often referred to as David's penitential psalm but, more accurately, Psalm 32 describes that great man's repentance. In Psalm 51 David is a man who has confessed and been forgiven, but he is seeking the restoration of joy and fellowship with his God. Where there is true repentance there will also be an overwhelming sense of one's guilt and utter unworthiness of further divine mercy. Perhaps Peter, like David before him, was in danger of being "swallowed up with overmuch sorrow" (2 Cor 2.7). Gratitude for forgiveness was accompanied by the feeling that all useful service had ended. Possibly, when the Lord called to His loved ones from the shore, Peter did not recognise the voice because he was no longer expecting to hear it. However, far from their failure debarring them from further service for the Lord, both David and Peter would later prove to be stronger shepherds by reason of gracious divine restoration.

Peter's confession and repentance had been in private audience with the Lord whom he loved but had failed so badly. His restoration was to be witnessed by his brethren. If the sight of the fire of coals brought bitter memories of failure flooding back to Peter's mind, the loaves and the fishes would surely have recalled happier days when Peter and his brethren had worked together with the Lord to satisfy the need of 5,000 men beside the women and the children. We should not wallow in our sins when they have been confessed and forgiven, but neither should we forget our tendency to weakness and failure. The one will render us useless, the other will make us cling to the Lord for strength in service. In His public restoration of Peter to service for Himself, the Lord was also going to teach the disciples the meaning of forgiveness. Is it not true of ourselves that, if one should fail us and badly let us down, we might forgive but we find it desperately difficult to trust them in the same way again? That is not how the Lord forgives. He was about to entrust Peter with the care of His lambs and His sheep, those for whom He had shed His life's blood and who were most precious to Him. This was not grudging, qualified, limited forgiveness. It was total. Do we, would we, dare we forgive our brethren in the same way? Forgiveness demands repentance, but it is demonstrated in restoration. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal 6.1).

What was it that had caused Peter's failure? It was the same source as that of our own shortcomings: pride and self-confidence. "Lovest thou me more than these?", the Saviour asked Simon. He had promised, with pure motive but in ignorance of his own weakness, "Although all shall be offended, yet will not I" (Mk 14.29). That proud, self-confident claim had been put to the test, not by soldiers but by a maid. The strong man who could drag a net full of great fishes to the beach (Jn 21.11) crumbled under the questioning of a girl. Now it was the Saviour who was asking the questions, not to shame His servant but to strengthen him. What is the primary requirement of a shepherd of the Lord's purchased flock? We might reply "a love for the saints", but the Lord asserted it was love for Himself. Is this not crucial whatever our service?

To Peter, now restored, the Lord solemnly stated a final "Verily, verily". Peter, the fisherman turned shepherd, was going to serve the Lord in his life and glorify God in his death (Jn 21.19). He was the one believer we know of who could not look forward to the Rapture, because his Master had told him that he would die the death of a martyr. Was this something cruel by way of punishment? Far from it. In fact, the Saviour's words would be of great comfort to Peter as he was imprisoned by Herod in Acts 12. How could he sleep when James had already been slain? Because his Master had told him that he would live to be an old man. One day he, like his Lord before him, would be put to death by wicked men, but dependence upon God and love for his Lord would give him strength to live and grace to die. "This is the way the Master went; should not the servant tread it still?".

Concluded.