However, the Pope was anxious about getting to the meeting on time. He told the driver to get in the back seat. He would drive. The Holy Father put the "pedal to the metal" and was traveling 85 mph on the Interstate, and almost immediately a state trooper pulled the car over.

The trooper could not believe it! He immediately called his Captain and laughingly says,

            "I really got a big catch today."

            "You mean the District attorney?"

            "Oh, no sir. Much bigger than that!"

            "Then you mean you have a Senator"

            "No sir, you don't understand. This is the Guy at the top."

            "You have the President?

            "No, no! Please. This is someone REALLY  big."

            "Well for heaven's sake, who do you have pulled over?

            "Well, Captain, I can't be sure, but the Pope is driving as His     

                        chauffeur!

Imagine the surprise to Peter, to the other disciples and the women when they finally realized it was the really Big One--the Lord Jesus Himself--who had in fact risen from the dead!

Our teaching today, from John's Gospel, contains many details in order to substantiate the reality of the resurrection. The risen Christ was not a vision, not a dream, not some hallucination, not a hoax, nor the appearance of a phantom or a ghost. No! Ghosts don't eat! This is Jesus in His earthly resurrected body eating.

This is a poignant story charged with emotions—fear, guilt, remorse, excitement, self-doubt, and bewilderment. Simon Peter is certainly feeling all of those and much, much more, and we’re invited to see ourselves in his sandals.

Our Gospel contains one of Jesus' more unusual invitations, "Come and have breakfast!"  We like those invitations, and the meal is far more enjoyable if the host does the cooking!

Think about the context. Jesus had conquered death and had risen from the grave. He's got a kingdom to build, and He's now inviting the people through whom He'd change history to what might be called the "First Easter Brunch."  Jesus said to His disciples, "Come and have brunch."

Now this is nothing new for Jesus. He frequently described the Kingdom of God as a banquet, where all the places are set. One day we read where He fed 5000. He was always socializing and upset the Pharisees by partying with questionable characters. Remember Matthew throwing a party so his friends could meet Jesus, and the Pharisees become indignant:  "Why does Jesus eat with sinners and tax-collectors? Doesn’t He know that they will make Him unclean. Doesn't He know who this fellow is?"

Then, of course there is the night before His death when Jesus hosted a final feast, the Last Supper. It would be the last time they got together before Jesus' death. As His disciples reclined on couches called tricliniums, normally set around three sides of a "U" shaped table, Jesus instructed His friends to continue getting together. He commanded them to"remember"  Him, and they would discover that He would be there in their midst.

There are some important messages here for us. God likes to feed His people. He doesn't like to see people go hungry. He cares about their needs and feeds them physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually, spiritually. And from the earliest days, the Church was a lot about socializing.

Well, on this day, it is not just the usual brunch. Think about the setting of Jesus' invitation to seven fellas who were with Him for three years, had witnessed His cruel crucifixion, and had seen Him raised from the dead. 

Our teaching for the day is a realistic portrayal of these disciples struggling with the news that Christ had really risen from the dead. Rather than being out on the highways and byways of Judea telling the Good News that the Lord had risen, they had gone back to their boats as if the time they had spent with Christ was a total bust. They had been given some bold and audacious promises by Him. They had been called to a high service for Him and the world. But now their world had fallen apart and nothing seemed to be happening.

Don’t we find them doing what we often do when we feel dejected, disappointed, and find ourselves depressed. We retreat back into our comfort zones, to that which is familiar. You throw in the towel to go back to the old life, the old ways. That's always the temptation, isn't it? even for people of faith? When times get tough, we are tempted to give up, to backslide, to go back to the old lifestyle. So Peter says he's going fishing and Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples join him.

They had worked hard all night and had caught nothing. As they rowed the boat back toward shore, they were tired, they were hungry, and they were discouraged. They can’t even catch fish! Each person seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as someone standing on the shore called out:  "...have you caught anything?"  And when they replied in the negative, the person on shore called out:  "Throw your nets on the other side and you will catch some."  They obeyed, perhaps out of desperation, maybe inspiration and we're told they caught 153 large fish...a number probably symbolic of the Church reaching all the peoples/nations of the world.

As they recognized that man on shore was their Risen Lord, they brought their “catch” and discovered how hungry they were for some “real” food.

Jesus has already been about cooking breakfast for them over a charcoal fire—another significant detail. It's hard to escape the symbolism.

Remember the night Jesus was arrested and brought to trial, Peter was warming himself by a charcoal fire in the high priest's courtyard when he denied three times that he even knew Christ (John 18:15-27).

On the seashore the disciples eat breakfast, scrape the plates, throw the dirty napkins into the fire, pour a second cup of coffee—decaf for Peter, who's already fidgety enough! But Jesus won’t just do brunch. He looks at Peter across that charcoal fire and asks, "Do you truly love Me more than these?”  What a devastating question. Jesus is really grilling“fillet of soul?”   That question lays Peter open like the fish on the grill. The problem was Peter’s pride.

Just what was Jesus talking about? Who or what are "these?"  “Do you love me more than these other disciples? More than these things--fishing, boats, nets, fishing gear?  Do you love Me more than your present lifestyle and identity.” Probably some of each. After all, Peter had acknowledged that Christ had asked them to give up everything else to follow Him

But, can you imagine what is racing through Peter's head…what he is feeling. We know Peter was an achiever. It was never enough for Peter to be just one of the pack. He had to be better, more appreciated, more visible, more vocal and more valued than the others. He would say things without thinking things through, but always quick to answer. It was at the Passover meal that Peter told Jesus, “I don't care what these guys do. I won't forsake You, no matter what happens. I will lay down my life for You!"  In a sense Peter had been claiming that his love for Jesus was greater than theirs. That he was better than them. Not only did he desert Jesus; he denied even knowing Him three times to save his skin.

Now, Peter is facing the most crucial decision of his life. What will it be:  Will I serve Christ or forget about Him? Will I take up the torch of His ministry. Will I go on with it knowing the great risks involved, and knowing painfully that I've already failed miserably. I wimped out, denied my Lord three times! How could He ever forgive me anyway. How could He ever trust me again?  I bragged, I boasted about my strength and commitment, I talked big, but when the crises came, I let Him down."

I’m sure you’ve noticed that Jesus has a way of asking penetrating questions that make us uncomfortable, that prick our conscious and make us cringe and blush. Every one of us knows those sensitive spots in our lives. But Jesus' persistence in asking questions that zero in on those specific spots, demonstrates far more than a tit-for-tat scorekeeping of rights and wrongs. His questions are not meant to hurt but to heal us. He wants Peter, you and me, to understand that our lives are not futile; our failures are not fatal, and our deaths are not final.

So once for each denial, Jesus asks, “Do you love Me more than these?”

These questions and answers are only clear in Greek. There are different words for love in the Greek language:  “Agape”  is the word describing unconditional, unfailing, never denying, never withholding, love.  It’s the way God loves us. Then there is “Phileo”  which is brotherly love, human affection. It is the well-intentioned love that may make bold claims one moment and fails bitterly the next. Are we really unlike Peter? Have you ever—and you don’t need to raise your hands—have you ever made a commitment you didn’t follow through on? Or make a promise that you didn’t make good on? Have you ever claimed to have a love, an affection or devotion that your actions later denied?

The first two times Jesus asked, “Do you ‘agape’  Me?”  Peter could have replied in characteristic pride, “Of course I have this love for You”  but he knows Jesus knows Him all too well. Peter’s soul, already having been filleted, responds with humble pride, “Yes, Lord, you know that I feel ‘phileo’  for You. You know I have the best of intentions, but you also know that I fail.”

Then Jesus changes the formula in a stunning way with the third question.

Jesus asks, “Do you really have that well intentioned, but occasionally floundering ‘phileo’  affection for me?”  Peter responds, “Lord, You know everything. You know that I love You that way. You know I have ‘phileo’ for You.”  

There are also different words for “know”  in the Greek language.
Twice when Peter responds, “Lord, You ‘know’  that I love you”  he uses the form of ‘know’  that means “intellectual knowledge of a fact.”  The third time Peter uses the word ‘know’  he uses a form that means “knowledge gained through experience.”  There is a difference isn’t there? You and I might know a fact because we read it in a book. It’s something else to have lived it. In this encounter with Christ we can see Peter’s understanding of Christ move from his head to his heart, from an intellectual knowledge to an experiential knowledge.

And then Christ ties each of Peter's confessions of love for Him to a thrice-repeated command to “Feed my lambs. Care for them, and Lead the sheep." Peter was receiving a re-newed invitation…a loving invitation to “come home”  from the far country because acceptance awaits, an invitation into forgiveness knowing restoration is possible, and now being invited to re-assume the position of leadership in caring for the young flock of new Christians. Peter was to feed and nurture them through his leadership and faith.

While Jesus certainly knew that Peter was not capable of ‘agape’—God-like love, He knew that His disciples, like we, could strive for it with His power and ever-assuring presence.  That’s all Christ asks of any of us, that we strive for agape God-like love. Then when we arrive at ‘phileo’, brotherly love, it will be genuine.

Max Lucado tells the story about his 4-year-old, Jenna. Jenna confessed that she wrote on the wall with a crayon. Trying to be a wise father, Max took Jenna up in his lap and asked, “is that a good thing to do?” Through her tears, Jenna replied, “No.” “What does daddy do when you write on the wall?” Max inquired.  “Spank me,” sobbed Jenna. “What do you think daddy should do this time?”  “Love me.”

Is that not what happens here by the sea? Jesus loves Peter with a love that will not end. That is what grace is all about. And Jesus wants Peter and us to learn to love others as He loves us.

Loving Christ and loving and tending Christ's flock are one and the same thing. Love is a verb. It isn’t a state of being, it is a state of doing. Love is the authentic sign of discipleship. Confessed love becomes expressed loveand takes many different forms and not all of them are pleasant. For every loving moment spent cuddling a new baby, there are an awful lot of equally loving, but not so lovely moments, spent changing smelly diapers. Tending sheep and loving Christ is sometimes messy, inconvenient, upsetting and uncomfortable. It takes more than just good intentions to make the kind of loving commitment Jesus was trying to get Peter to acknowledge

You have probably figured out by now that I think this story, written as it is, placed where it is, is about the Church and the mission Christ has entrusted, not only to Peter, but to you and me. Just as our Lord was about the salvage and restoration business, so He has entrusted that purpose to us. “The Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.”  And, “go make disciples of all 153 nations!”  There are fish who need hooking. There are sheep who need feeding, and there are Simon Peters who need healing and re-instatement.

So, who are we? Are we fish? Are we sheep? Are we Peter? I think that's something we all need to figure out for ourselves. If not right now, at least after breakfast!

Because our Lord gave Himself so completely to the work of salvaging souls, is it any wonder that here, just before His ascension, He would come to be with His disciples? Is it any wonder that He would come to share a meal with them? Is it any wonder that He would come to remind them that their mission was to continue the work of salvaging souls by proclaiming the Good News of His love, His acceptance, His ability to restore broken lives into new life?  Is it any wonder that He would come to remind them that their mission was to turn the world upside down proclaiming God's love for everyone?

History reveals that Peter and the other disciples were not only picked up from their doldrums, but they got back into the race with renewed zeal. By the grace of God, so can we. Breakfast is ready...no, maybe it's brunch....would you believe a banquet!

AMEN!