Jesus and Peter

Jesus Reinstates Peter

(Jn. 21.15-22)

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Much of this sermon is an edited version of S021

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Can you think back to a time when you have really let someone down, or failed in something important.

Such times can often be very painful.

I may have previously mentioned such a time which happened to me about 6 years ago.

It was a time in my life when I was under a lot of stress from various directions.

I was getting more and more involved with things at Holy Trinity Church, and was beginning to wonder a bit more seriously if God might be calling me into the ministry.

Jan had had a difficult pregnancy with Emily, and soon after she was born we were worried by a succession of small health problems which she had.

I was under increasing pressure at work, and needed to spend more time there to do my job properly. Yet church and family commitments prevented me from doing much overtime.

Well all this came to a head in February 1989.

I had been sent to Amsterdam with my work to do a specific job. I had two days to do it in, but towards the end of the second day I started to get anxious about the number of outstanding things I still had to finish.

When I only had one hour remaining, I felt a pain in my chest, my arm went numb and my heart started to beat irregularly. I'd never felt anything like that before, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. (A heart specialist later told me that there was nothing wrong with my heart, but I didn't know that at the time). So I immediately stopped what I was doing and tried to relax.

Later, at the airport I realised that anxiety was killing me, and that some drastic change was needed in my life.

Up until that point I had been relying on my own gifts and skills and determination to get me through life. And I had been successful at nearly everything I had turned my hand to. But now I felt that all this had come crashing down, like a house of cards, ...I couldn't cope any more, ...I had failed!

And then I felt that I had let others down. I had to go back to my boss and tell him that I hadn't completed the job in Amsterdam that I had been sent to do.

And further more, from now on I would be doing even less overtime than before.

Well if you too have experienced times when you've really let someone down, ...or failed in something important, ...then perhaps you can begin to identify with how Peter was feeling after the death of Jesus.

But lets turn the clock back three years, to the time when Jesus called the first disciples.

Remember how St. Mark describes the scene.

"As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men'. At once they left their nets and followed him.

(Mk. 1.16-18)

Among the band of disciples Peter was to become the leader. I guess that he was a natural leader ...a physically strong man, (v11) ...and full of passion. And it was Jesus who gave Simon his new name, ...Peter, which means 'the Rock'.

It wasn't easy following Jesus, and St. John tells us in chapter six that:

"...many of [Jesus's] disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

So Jesus asked the Twelve, 'You don't want to leave me too do you?'

And it was Peter who answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.'"

(Jn. 6.66-68 - my paraphrase)

Peter was determined that he wouldn't let Jesus down, ...and even on the day before Jesus was killed, Peter declared,

"Even if all fall away, I will not... Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you" (Mk. 14.29,31).

But we all know that these turned out to be hollow words. When it came to the crunch, Peter caved in, and he disowned Jesus three times.

Peter knew what it felt like to have really let someone down, to have failed in something really important, (...and he wasn't alone, all the other disciples ran away too).

Now when we let someone down, we can feel really devastated especially if we know that the person we've let down can't forgive us.

And many people do find it very hard to forgive others.

I don't know how many of you watch Eastenders, but it seems that the whole programme is built around the grudges that people hold against others.

Kathy can't forgive Sharon.

Ian can't forgive Kathy.

Bianca can't forgive Ricky.

Alan and Carol can't forgive David.

...and so it goes on.

Now I know that all these grievances in a small community is an exaggeration of reality for the sake of dramatic effect. But nevertheless, these story-lines are written because they reflect what does happen in real life.

We can relate to them because we have all come across people who have similar grievances that they can't let go of.

But that wasn't Peter's problem.

The person that he'd let down was Jesus. And Peter knew that Jesus was the very last person who would hold a grudge against him, and refuse to forgive him.

Our God is full of compassion and mercy, and he freely forgives those who turn to him in repentance and faith.

The Bible gives us the assurance that:

"If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

(1Jn. 1.9)

But I guess Peter's problem was that he couldn't forgive himself.

For some people. forgiving themselves can be even harder than forgiving others. But on the shore by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus helps Peter to do just that.

And he does it by taking Peter back to three important events in the past.

First of all, notice how Jesus has physically brought Peter back to the place where it all began. It was there, beside the Sea of Galilee, that Jesus had called Peter to follow him three years earlier.

No doubt as Peter was fishing the night before, and caught nothing, he mind would have been filled with memories of that day, ...when Jesus said "I will make you fishers of men" ...and of the great excitement with which he left his nets, and followed Jesus.

Special places can release very powerful memories and emotions, ...and Jesus had taken Peter back to such a place.

Secondly, I believe that Jesus reminded Peter back to the events of the Last Supper. In the gospel reading last week you may recall that while Peter was fishing, and catching nothing, Jesus was cooking breakfast on the shore. He was cooking bread and fish on a charcoal fire.

And then Jesus took the bread, ...and gave it to him.

With such an action, how could Peter not be reminded of the way Jesus had shared bread with them the night before he died. ...and of course that would have triggered those very painful memories.

...Jesus' teaching:

"I am the vine, you are the branches ...apart from me you can do nothing." (Jn. 15.5)

...Jesus' warning that before the cock crows Peter would disown him three times.

...and Peter's arrogance:

"Even if all fall away, I never will. ...Even if I have to die for you, I will never disown you."

Certain actions can trigger powerful memories and emotions, ...and with the sharing of bread, Peter was reminded of his own boasting and his misplaced self-confidence.

And thirdly, Jesus takes Peter back to the time when Peter had disowned him.

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?'"

Notice how Jesus calls him Simon. The 'Rock' had crumbled, and so for a while Jesus uses Peter's old name.

Three time Jesus repeats this same question, ...a painful reminder that Peter had disowned Jesus three times.

Certain words can trigger powerful memories and emotions, ...and with these three questions, Peter was taken back to the worst night of his life.

And then Peter heard the words that he most wanted to hear in the whole world. ...Jesus said to him, "Follow me!"

I guess that Peter had always known in his head that Jesus had forgiven him, ...but that morning, as Jesus took him back through the important events of his past, and lovingly helped him to face them, ...Peter knew in his heart that Jesus had forgiven him.

...And I guess that was the start of Peter being able to forgive himself.

So where does that leave us?

I want to finish by briefly thinking about two things that this has to say about our attitude towards forgiveness.

First, perhaps there is someone here this morning who can't forgive themselves for something that they have done.

Perhaps you have failed at something really important, ...perhaps you have really let someone down, ...perhaps, like Peter, you have really let God down. ...And you just can't forgive yourself.

Well, if you're in that position, take heart. ...If God can forgive Peter for disowning Jesus in his greatest hour of need, then he can forgive us too.

Now you may say, "I already know that God has forgiven me". ...to which I'd like to ask you, do you know God's forgiveness up hear (point to head), or down hear (point to heart).

And if you haven't felt God's forgiveness in your heart, then can I suggest that you ask him for that assurance this morning.

I believe that it was as Peter met with the risen Jesus, shared bread with him, and talked with him, that the reality of his forgiveness dropped down from his head into his heart.

And so perhaps this morning, as we meet with the risen Jesus, share bread with him, and talk with him, you too may know his forgiveness deep down. ...And as we receive God's forgiveness in this way, we can begin the process of being able to forgive ourselves.

Secondly, perhaps there is someone here who can't forgive someone else.

People can do some very terrible things to us.

All the clergy in the diocese have had to attend a seminar on Child Protection.

And there I heard how last year, in Coventry alone, there were about 1000 reported cases of child abuse. ...physical abuse, ...emotional abuse, ...sexual abuse, ...neglect.

And that's just one example of the very terrible things that people can do to us. ...and our newspapers are full of many other awful examples.

Now, if we've been the victim of some terrible thing, ...then we need to recognise that what others have done to us was very, very wrong.

We shouldn't excuse the terribleness of sin. Jesus didn't make excuses for Peter's denial. He didn't say, "O don't worry about it Peter, ...you'd had a long, long night, and you were ever so tired."

As Christians we believe that sin is wrong, and we shouldn't excuse it, ...but there again, we also believe that it's God who's the judge, and so we can leave the past with him.

Despite his failure, Jesus forgave Peter, and said "Follow me".

And as followers of Jesus, we're called to do the same thing today.

It's as we recognise our own failures, our own sinfulness, ...and yet at the same time, God's generosity in forgiving us, ...that we too can begin to forgive others.

Jesus freely forgives us, ...and has followers we are called to have the same attitude to others.

And so perhaps this morning, as we meet with the risen Christ, share bread with him, and talk with him, ... let us ask him to help us to forgive others, as he has forgiven us.

Amen.