May 1, 2022 – Easter +2C
John 21:1-19
“After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 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. 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.
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 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.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. 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. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 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. 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. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.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.” 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.” 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. 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.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Fred Snodgrass, Bill Buckner, and Steve Bartman all have something in common – do you know what it is? They each have made one famous (or should I say infamous) mistake – a mistake for which many will never forgive them. Here is just a brief synopsis of each. Fred Snodgrass was an outfielder for the New York Giants playing centerfield in the 1912 World Series, against their future hated rival the Boston Red Sox. The game was tied in the 10th inning when a fly ball was hit his way. The ball landed in his mitt, for a second, and then fell to the ground. He dropped it. The New York Giants went on to lose the World Series and his error was remembered for years as the turning point in the series. Bill Buckner was playing 1st base for the Boston Red Sox in game six of the World Series against the New York Mets. Again the game was tied, and the bases were loaded when a soft grounder was hit to Buckner. The ball hit his glove briefly but then squirted through his legs and out into the outfield, allowing the winning run to score on his error. The Mets went on to win the 7th game and the World Series, and many people looked at Buckner’s error as the turning point of that Series. Finally, Steve Bartman was not a player – he was just a fan who was attending game 6 of the National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins. He, like a lot of Chicago Cubs fans, was feeling good about this opportunity – could this be the year the Cubs actually win a World Series. He was sitting in a seat along the 3rd base line about one deck above the playing field, listening to the game on his radio and occasionally watching the play on the field. The Cubs were ahead in the game, and actually were ahead in the Series. A pop fly was hit his way, and Steve and several other fans leaned out toward the ball to try to catch a souvenir. As he and the others reached for the ball, it deflected off his hands, not allowing Moises Alou (an outfielder for the Cubs) to make a play on this easy foul ball. As you can guess, the Cubs went on to lose this game, and then to lose the Series, and many blamed poor Steve Bartman as the one to turn the “Baseball gods”, once again, against the Chicago Cubs. Steve went on to receive numerous death threats for his efforts.
Fred Snodgrass died sixty-two years after his famous dropped ball, and when the New York Times printed his obituary it led with this headline: “Fred Snodgrass, 86, dead, Ball player muffed 1912 fly!” Imagine what they will write about Bill Buckner and Steve Bartman when they die? For that matter, imagine they printed an obituary for Peter, the disciple: “Simon Peter, 44, dead; Fisherman denied Jesus three times.”
Our world has a long memory for the mistakes people make – especially the big mistakes. The early Christians didn’t forget the time Peter “dropped the ball” the night he was standing out in the courtyard while Jesus was being interrogated by Pilate. Someone recognized him as “one of the followers of Jesus”, and Peter went on to famously deny any involvement with Jesus – not once but three times. Here he was, he was in the limelight, on the biggest stage of his life, and he dropped the ball – he let the soft grounder go through his legs, he let it deflect off his hands, and it is recorded for all of perpetuity. Truth is, we should all have a soft spot for Peter in our hearts, because we all have dropped the ball many, many times when it comes to standing up for Jesus – actually dropped the ball in many, many places in our lives. Let me ask you, is there anyone here this morning who has NOT dropped the ball in some way, at least once in their lives? Has anyone here ever forgot a birthday, missed an appointment, forgot to pick up their kid after a practice, chose not to speak up for a friend, forgot to pay a bill…..I could go on, and on, and on. WE seem to remember the people who have become infamous for one well known incident, one big time failure – and that is what they are remembered for the most – like Fred Snodgrass – like Thomas (the famous disbeliever) – or Judas (the famous betrayer). This is where Jesus could have left it with Peter – we could remember him only for his denial – or this is where Jesus could have left it with Thomas. But the Risen Jesus showed up a second time for Thomas – and he showed up for breakfast on the beach with Peter. The disciples seemed to have decided to call it quits – well, at least some of them. After the death of Jesus, and after his appearance to them in the Upper Room, seven of the disciples decided to call it quits and to head home – decided to go back to their old jobs.
But after fishing all night, they have nothing to show for their efforts. They are fishermen, they know what they are doing, and yet this night they have been skunked. But then a stranger appears along the shore. They think he looks familiar, but they are unsure, and besides they are discouraged with their lack of a catch. The stranger says “Hey, try again, but over the other side of the boat”. Now, for many of us, if someone we did not know, offered a suggestion for something we think they knew nothing about, how many of us would have simply said “Thanks but no thanks?” But for some reason, the disciples agree – and they are overwhelmed with the response. And Peter, overwhelmed with the thought that this might just be the Risen Jesus, jumps overboard and joins Jesus beside a charcoal fire – just like the charcoal fire in the courtyard where Peter denied Jesus. Jesus pulls Peter aside and asks him, three times: “Peter do you love me?” And each time Peter responds “You know that I love you, Lord” – it must serve as an opportunity for Peter to feel forgiven for the three times he denied the Lord. And each time Jesus calls him to a mission: “Feed my Lambs”, “Tend my Sheep” and “Feed my Sheep”.
There is a lesson here that is something we need to heed: when we think we know it all, or no matter how strongly we feel G-d’s calling in our lives, there will be times when we deny the Lord, and times where we are humbled – especially when it comes to the doings of Jesus. So many people seem to claim that they know exactly how Jesus works, exactly how Jesus thinks, and how Jesus loves. My friends, when we think we know everything about Jesus, and know exactly how G-d works in the world, we need to be prepared to be humbled by G-d. And thank the Lord the memory of Jesus is a short one, even though ours is long and punitive. Christ makes no distinction – there are no qualifications. The Risen Christ doesn’t care about our past – he wants to re-commission us for the future.
Here is my last thought. I imagine one day they will print my obituary. And, it just may read something like this: “Dave Schreffler, Dead; He wasn’t only Bald, he failed as an Assistant Manager at Pizza Hut.” And if they do, So What. The Risen Jesus has my back.
Pastor Dave
Lutheran Schreff 