The Rev. Thomas R. Cook
“Do You?”
Scripture: John 21:1-19; 3 Easter C
Any question but that question…
That is what I suppose Simon Peter is thinking in this moment beside the Sea of Tiberias. Ask me anything, Lord. Ask me about the fishing. Ask me about the family or about my health. Ask me what I’ve been doing since I last saw you. Ask me if I’ve missed you. But don’t… please don’t ask me if I love you.
Doesn’t the question just drive it all back home to Peter? Just stir the cup of bitterness and magnify his failure? All Peter’s denials of his Lord and friend, his disbelief, his faithlessness, his fear. Hiding in a locked room after the crucifixion instead of standing up for Jesus in his hour of need. The listlessness of he and his companions even after Jesus has appeared to them from beyond the grave. And the best I can do is go fishing? And now you ask me, “Simon, do you love me?” You know I do, Lord.
But I wonder… just how did Simon Peter expect Jesus to know he loved him? Was this one of those miraculous moments when Jesus should just know something despite all the appearances? It wasn’t too long ago that Peter stood in the courtyard of the High Priest and said not once, but three times, “I do not know the man!” And what of these “hardy” followers of Jesus, all prepared for the revolution, for the coming of the messiah and the fall of the Roman Empire, marching in triumph into Jerusalem with Jesus and then, when he is arrested, running for their lives? What had they been doing since Jesus was arrested? Apparently little more than hiding out. And now, finally, Peter, mighty Peter, has led them on a great mission… to go fishing. Back to the family business. No wonder Jesus asks him a second time: “Do you love me?” Yes, Lord, you know that I do.
“Do you love me?” Yes, Lord, you know that I do.
Three times Peter denied Jesus, and so three times the question is put to Peter: Do you love me? And this third time Peter’s feelings are hurt. Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. But I continue to ask: How is Jesus supposed to know? Has Peter told him so before this moment? Has he apologized for his transgressions and his denials? Has he changed his life? Is he more loving and caring, more faithful, more generous? I get that this is a man who has been defeated, who let his friend down, who has seen the impossible ---Jesus, who was crucified, now stands before him--- and now Peter struggles to comprehend it. He’s only human after all. Who can blame him for what has happened? I cannot. I believe him when he says: You know I love you. But each time he says so, Jesus has something to say as well: Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. Is it beginning to sink in, Peter? Love, though freely embraced, makes some obligations upon us. To love Jesus is to care for those he loves. Each profession of love by Peter is followed by a call to do something about it. You love me, Peter? Then take care of others. You look after my people. I think Jesus believed Peter when he said he loved him. But that love, actual and true, would make a difference in Peter’s life. His fishing days were over, though he hadn’t quite understood that. And for the second time, Jesus commissions Peter as his apostle and says to him, “Follow me.”
So, what do you think?* We’re going about our business here being Trinity Church, carrying out our work, coming to worship, maybe saying our prayers, going to meetings, singing in the choir, bringing our kids. And one day we arrive here on the scene and a charcoal fire is burning, a little bread and fish ready to be eaten. And a strangely familiar man is there by the fire, and he turns to us as if to ask a question. What do you think he would say? So, how’s the attendance holding up at the 11:00 service? Ooh, I love your windows. What did you do for Easter this year?
No. I have the feeling he would ask the one question we might prefer he not ask. Any question but that question. Trinity Church, do you love me? Well… yes, Lord, you know we love you. Tom, do you love me? Of course I do; you know that. Each and every one of you, do you love me? Sure, you know I love you.
Each and every one of you, do you love me? Sure, you know I love you.
But how would he know? Love freely accepted brings responsibilities to the way we live our lives. It isn’t that I think we would think we are being insincere, but… Are we feeding his sheep? Is that our priority? Is that what we are here for? Do we show our love? Not just affection, not just some socially appropriate relationship that isn’t too emotionally risky, but genuine love, sacrificial love, a deep concern for others, a desire to know one another beyond these few moments in church, the willingness to hurt with each other and celebrate with each other and share our gifts with each other. When we think of Jesus, do we feel love? Am I doing anything, sacrificing anything, for the well-being of the least, the poorest, the weakest, the outcast, to stand up for those in need? Do you tell others about Jesus or invite them to be a part of your community of faith? Do you participate in the ministries of the church beyond Sunday worship? Is that important to you? Would our bank accounts, the way we spend our money, reveal anything about a love of Jesus? Do we risk anything?
Two things with which Jesus confronts us as a church and as people of faith: “Feed my sheep.” “Follow me.” These things will be the tangible results of love.