John 21: When Your Worst Sin Happened After You Became a Disciple

Today’s reading is John 21.

The final words of John 20 sure seemed like the wrap up to the book. But in good author fashion, John provides a postscript, an epilogue, an afterword. You might think of it as an after credits scene. He tells us of one more sign from Jesus, but this scene is all about Peter.

In a masterful stroke, Jesus arranged the scene to call to mind some of the most important days in Peter’s life. First, Peter has decided to go fishing. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be seen as a return to his former way of life or if it is just a person who is confused reverting back to what is comfortable. But, he’s fishing for fish, not men. This was his life before Jesus. Jesus recreates the miraculous catch by which He first called Peter as seen in Luke 5:1-11. It was the day Peter had told Jesus to depart because Peter knew he was a sinful man. It was the day Jesus called Peter to fish for men.

After the catch, the men come to shore and find Jesus at a charcoal fire with fish and bread on it. Two scenes are captured in one. Jesus provides a meal for the men reminiscent of the miraculous meal of John 5 with the bread and fishes. That was the event when Peter had confessed Jesus had the words of life, was the Holy One of God, and there was no other place to turn (John 6:68-69). At the same time, Jesus is cooking the meal on a charcoal fire. That wouldn’t be a big deal except this particular word for fire is only used in two places in the whole Bible: here and the fire around which Peter warmed his hands when he denied Jesus three times in John 18:18.

This entire scene is set up for Peter. And what a terrible place Peter must have been in. Can you imagine? He had given his allegiance to Jesus years earlier. At the time, he thought he knew what he was doing. He even declared what a sinner he was. But Peter’s worst sin came after he had been a disciple of Christ for a couple years. And in that moment, he realized he hadn’t understood precisely what it meant to follow Jesus. He hadn’t really known what it meant be a sinful man until the denials. At least, that is what it no doubt felt like.

Have you been there? I became a disciple as a teenager. I knew I was a sinner at the time. But I had no idea how much of a sinner I could be. Sure, I had lied, but I hadn’t had anything truly big to lie about. I didn’t really understand lust, I wasn’t old enough to. I wasn’t married and didn’t have kids. I didn’t know what it was like to hurt or betray the people I loved most. All of that came after I was a Christian. Additionally, I lived at home, with people encouraging me to serve the Lord. I didn’t know what it was like to really have an opportunity to betray the Lord until later. How many people have been in the same boat?

The fact is, most of us, like Peter, will commit our worst sins after we become disciples of Jesus. It doesn’t mean we aren’t actually disciples. And, praise God, it doesn’t mean Jesus will give up on us. This entire chapter is Jesus’s powerful means of drawing Peter back, of comforting him over his guilt and shame, of recommissioning him with work in the kingdom.

Committing your worst sins after you are a disciple doesn’t mean you have to get baptized again because the first one didn’t count. It means you’re pretty normal. In fact, it is only as we get to know Jesus more and more that we will learn how truly awful our sins are. It stands to reason they will cause us more pain after we are disciples.

Now, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying sins after becoming a disciple don’t matter. Peter’s sin mattered. Those sins cost the death of Jesus as much as any other. But Peter was a disciple. He didn’t have to give up. He simply needed to lean in. He needed to grab hold of Jesus and follow Him. And that is precisely what He did. You can too.

Tomorrow’s reading is John 21.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does John 21 prompt or improve your praise of God?

John 18: The Two Faces of Simon Peter

Today’s reading is John 18.

Peter had declared he would follow Jesus to the death (John 13:37). And he meant it. When the soldiers came to take Jesus away, Peter saw the opportunity to start the revolution. The Messiah was about to ascend to His throne and Peter would strike the very first blow. It was a suicide play. They were surrounded by soldiers and Peter had one of the two swords the disciples carried (Luke 22:38). Chances of survival in this situation were nil. But Peter yanked out his sword and started attacking. Don’t misunderstand; Peter didn’t sally forth with a surgical strike to remove someone’s ear. He was, no doubt, aiming for the head. However, he demonstrated how hopeless the situation was. Not only did Jesus’s band of supporters only have two swords, they were pathetic swordsmen. They were doomed. But Peter was ready to die.

Then Jesus did a weird thing. He stopped the fighting before it even got started. Honestly, this whole scenario is a nearly miraculous situation all on its own. How Jesus put the lid on this situation before the soldiers killed Peter and the rest of the apostles, I don’t know. But He did, and was even able to heal Malchus’s ear (Luke 22:51). Jesus, however, didn’t initiate a miraculous defensive strategy, He just gave Himself up. He let the soldiers bind Him and take Him.

Peter followed at a distance. What on earth was Jesus doing? He was the Messiah, wasn’t He? Why was He just giving up? Why was He letting them take Him? I wonder if Peter expected some miraculous display at the last minute.

Peter found his way to the trial in the court of the high priest. He sidled up to some folks warming themselves at a charcoal fire to watch the proceedings. As the minutes crept by, it became clear Jesus wasn’t waiting for a calculated moment to call in the troops, start the battle, or even bring angels down from heaven. This was it. The Messiah was just going to die. No revolution. No battle. If Peter followed Jesus now, he would die too, unceremoniously, not gloriously. His death would not put the Messiah on the throne, but would be meaningless. His life would snuff out the way the poet declared the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

Peter was ready to follow Jesus to glorious, embattled death, but he was not ready to follow Jesus simply to death. This plan didn’t make sense to Peter. His sense of glorious purpose was being hollowed out as he watched Jesus seemingly just give up without a fight. And as the confusion mounted someone asked, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” And Peter responded, “I am not.” Someone else asked, he repeated his denial. Then a third time, and a rooster crowed.

How many Christians today are like Peter in this moment? Christianity should be in the lead. It should take charge. We should draw swords and attack. Of course, we know enough now to keep the military out of it. But what about politics. Surely if Jesus were here today, He’d be heading up a political party to run the country right. Surely if Jesus were here today, He’d mount a social media campaign and skewer the competition until He controlled the platform. Surely if Jesus were here today, He’d call 12 legions of angels to conquer the enemy and run the world. Do we forget that at any moment, He can actually still send those angels and He continues to choose not to? Like Peter we’re ready to die a glorious, embattled death as we skewer enemies with our razor sharp posts. We’re ready to be dragged kicking and screaming to the gulag for campaigning to make Jesus president. But Jesus didn’t fight to save His life, He died to save everyone else’s. Are we ready to simply sacrifice in service to others? Are we ready to demonstrate our hope is not in our country, our retirement, our tax-exempt status, our control of the House and Senate, or any other earthly power or principle?

When Jesus tells us to put our swords away, we follow dazed and confused, unsure how to respond. We decide if that is how Jesus is going to run things, maybe we shouldn’t declare our support. I mean, no normal person would just let the enemy crucify Him. Of course, Jesus was no normal person and Peter had to learn that the hard way.

He would learn. Will we?

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does John 18 admonish you?