Corinth Reformed Church
150 Sixteenth Avenue NW
Hickory, North Carolina 28601

Robert M. Thompson, Pastor
April 06, 2008
(more sermons)

Epilogue

If John's gospel were a movie, the screen would go blank at the end of chapter twenty. People would stand up and pick up their popcorn bucket, or kick it over, as some apparently do, and take a few steps toward the exit as the credits roll. At that point they would realize they were missing something akin to the animated outtakes at the end of Toy Story 2, or the montage of pictures at the end of Four Weddings and a Funeral that shows the future lives of the characters in the film.

One of the most memorable epilogues to a film in recent history is at the end of Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. The story of the film is the heroic effort of Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his squad of seven rangers to retrieve Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) from enemy territory in Germany following the Normandy Invasion in World War II. The quest is ultimately successful, but at a high cost to human life. Captain Miller himself is fatally wounded at the end of the film, and says to Ryan as he dies, "James, earn this. Earn it."

The film would not be complete without its epilogue, when an elderly James Ryan returns to the cemetery at Normandy a half-century later and pleads with his wife to tell him that he has been a good man and has deserved the sacrifices that were made on his behalf. Although no words are spoken, one clearly gets the implication that Ryan has been a man of integrity and honor. The epilogue brings closure and satisfaction to the viewer.

John 21 is an epilogue. John has really told the story of Jesus in all its essential elements. He's walked you through the highlights of Jesus -- from John the Baptist to the wedding at Cana to Nicodemus and the woman at the well, to conflict with religious leaders in Jerusalem and the feeding of the five thousand in Galilee, to his teachings about being the bread of life and the good shepherd. He has told the story of Jesus' final week -- from the triumphal entry to the Last Supper to his arrest, trials, and crucifixion. Finally, he has told you about the resurrection, closing with a scene one week after Easter when Jesus shows his hands and side to Thomas and tells him, "Stop doubting and believe."

John follows that story with his conclusion in 20:31 -- "These (stories) are written so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that by believing you might life in his name."

The end. Done. Story over. You grab your coat and your child's hand and head for the exit. But the curtain goes back up. The projector comes back on. There's an epilogue. He wants to give you some closure.

Remember, John is writing as many as fifty years after the events. A lot has happened. Peter, a leading character, has died at the hands of the cruel emperor Nero. John himself is the last surviving member of the original disciples, as far as he knows. But he is well aware that his life is fragile as well.

So he wants to go back to the story and add one more scene to give you some closure. There is something else he wants you to take with you as you finish reading the book. This is John's epilogue -- chapter 21.

Gone Fishin'

There are two main parts to chapter 21, and it's easy to forget that it's all one extended scene. Let it play out in your mind.

Seven of Jesus' disciples have decided on a post-resurrection fishing trip. You probably recall that this was their occupation -- at least several of them -- prior to Jesus' call to them to follow him. Peter says to the others, "I'm going fishing." They say, "We're there."

Commentators overanalyze this, in my view. There are all sorts of musings out there about whether this was a lack of faith on their part -- sort of an return to their old way of life when they should have been out, you know, getting a start on spreading the good news and building the church.

Well, Jesus hadn't given them all their orders yet, and the promised Holy Spirit hadn't come. They're just hanging around together, and there's not a thing wrong one saying to the other, "Let's go catch some fish." So that's what they did -- or at least they tried.

They fished all night and caught nothing. Now I'm not much of a fisherman, but I'm guessing that's pretty frustrating. These guys are professionals, and it's not just that they were somewhat unsuccessful -- they were total losers. Hour after hour, seven guys in a boat, nada.

Dawn comes, and a shadowy figure on the shoreline has a fire going and apparently has already had some of the success that had eluded these pros. "Hey, guys!" he calls out. "Any luck?"

"No," they answer humbly.

"Toss your net on the other side of the boat," he says. "I think there are some fish over there."

Now when you've been fishing all night, and you're professionals, I'm guessing this instruction was irritating. But then, on the other hand, if you have nothing to show for your efforts, what can it hurt?

So they throw the net on the other side. As soon as the net becomes overloaded, John recognizes immediately that it's the Lord on the shore. Peter grabs his clothes and jumps into the sea, swimming and then pushing his way through the shallow water a hundred yards toward Jesus. The others follow with boat, net, and fish.

Another place commentators with too much time on their hands spend a lot of it is asking why there were 153 fish, or why John noted that. Maybe Matthew was there, and accountants have to take inventory of everything. I don't know. Why does it matter?

So they had breakfast. Then follows Part 2 of the story -- but remember, it's all connected.

They're all sitting around munching on bread and roast fish like the time when Jesus fed 5,000 men plus women and children. (There are these subtle connections in the epilogue to previous events John has told -- the fishing, the feeding of the multitude, the miracles, the good shepherd teaching, the denials of Peter, and so on.)

Then follows this moving passage where Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" We didn't read that story this morning because of time, but I'm sure you remember it well.

Jesus: "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"

Peter: "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus: "Feed my lambs."

Jesus: "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"

Peter: "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus: "Take care of my sheep."

Jesus: "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter: (hurt) "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus: "Feed my sheep."

Three times Jesus asks Peter to reaffirm his love. This is a Captain Obvious statement, but you have to connect those three affirmations to Peter's three denials.

Then Jesus goes on to predict Peter's martyrdom and imply John's long life. And John, writing all these years later, repeats this final comment that there are more stories to tell than he could possibly fit in one book.

And he's done. End of epilogue. Book over. Roll the credits.

So what?

And we are left asking the question, "What is it about this particular story that John thinks is so important to include as an epilogue?" There's something he wants us to take with us.

There is certainly the matter of closure. Peter and John are the two leading characters of this gospel, other than Jesus. He doesn't explicitly say but John certain implies the end of their stories. You feel like the story came full circle.

But there's more. In Saving Private Ryan, the epilogue is also more than closure. I remember where I first saw that film. We were on a family vacation in Myrtle Beach. My son, Philip, was 17. It was an R-rated film -- for good reason -- and it certainly was not appropriate for our younger daughters to see. So Linda and the girls went to a different film, but I thought Phil needed to see it. As a young man, he needed to know what others had sacrificed for him. He was headed off to an academic career instead of a military one. He needed to understand more of what it cost an entire generation to make possible the freedoms we now enjoy.

I was one of those films that just left you in stunned silence when it was over. And the question you found yourself asking was the same one that James Ryan was asking a half-century after so many men had died so he could live. "Am I worthy of this?" Have I honored freedom's sacrifice on my behalf?

That's what a good epilogue does. It leaves you thinking about why the story was told.

So what does John want to leave you thinking about in chapter 21? What are we supposed to take with us from our three months of study in his gospel? Here are a few thoughts.

First, life with Jesus is more often than not ordinary. Had John's gospel ended with chapter 20, you might have come away thinking that the normal Christian life is full of miracles and life-altering conversations and dramatic near-misses to martyrdom until, finally, we face injustice and cruelty like Jesus did at the end. No, life is more often like going fishing with the guys -- doing the familiar thing. It's more like the all night unsuccessful fishing trip.

We too often are looking for the emotional or spiritual highs, when we should just be going about our daily routines -- getting up in the morning, going to work or school, eating meals with family and friends, relaxing with loved ones, enjoying the good gifts God has given us, taking care of our homes and families. John wants us to know in his epilogue that life with Christ is really about the ordinary.

Second, and this is a point often made in the resurrection stories, Jesus is not always recognizable at first glance. We have to take a second look before we realize that's who it is. We have to look closely, and see him in unexpected places, in unfamiliar forms. He's always there, and sometimes more visibly than others. We just keep doing what he's called us to do and he will show up.

Third, the question he asked Peter, "Do you love me?" is a question he is constantly asking us. As life changes, as material possessions increase or decrease, as uncertainty rises and falls, as other loves and potential loves enter our worlds, he wants to know again, "Do you love me?" It's that that he doesn't know the answer. He wants to know if we still know the answer. Who's most important? When your life falls apart and all that you dreamed of is crumbling before your very eyes, is he enough? When your blessings are innumerable, is he still at the center? "Do you love me?"

And finally, although maybe you have some more thoughts of your own from this epilogue, John in his epilogue wants us to be leave the theater of his gospel with the message of God's grace and power to restore the one who has fallen. Maybe it's you; maybe it's someone you love; maybe it's someone you've only heard about. We're so quick to write people off. Who would ever have thought that Peter, the thrice-denier of Jesus after his boastful arrogance, could have been restored, forgiven, made whole? Could Jesus ever forgive him? Could the other disciples ever accept his mantle of leadership? Could he ever forgive himself?

Yet there he is, thrice-commissioned by Jesus to be the shepherd for the others and for still others who would believe. If you take away from John's epilogue the vivid reminder that there's always a chance to start fresh, you got it. If you remember that the very reason Jesus lived, died, and rose again, was to bring the message of grace, you nailed it. Amen.

Copyright 2008 by Robert M. Thompson, Pastor. Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures quoted are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1978 by New York International Bible Society.