Let us turn to God's Word and
the opening verse of that portion of Scripture that we read, the
Gospel according to St. John chapter 21 and verse 1. After these things Jesus showed
himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and on
this wise showed he himself. Then we have the opening verse
of this last chapter in the Gospel according to Saint John, after
these things. That is, those things spoken
of obviously in the previous chapter, but after all that had
been said previously throughout the Gospel, after these things,
Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias
and on this wise showed He Himself. And I want us to consider the
Lord Jesus Christ revealing Himself here after He had accomplished
His great work, the great work of redemption. Remember how He
previously says in the Gospel that His meat was to do the will
of Him who had sent him and to finish his work and he had finished
all that work in the course of his earthly ministry his preaching
ministry the great prophets also that one who was the great king
calling sinners to himself and also of course doing that great
priestly work when he made that one sacrifice for sins forever. The work was now done and now
he comes and he shows himself again to the disciples there
at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus then revealing himself. Now he must of course revealed
himself, because these disciples are to be witnesses to the great
truth of the reality of the resurrection from the dead. In the next book, in the Acts
of the Apostles, and there in the first chapter, what do we
read at verse 3? Concerning these disciples to
whom also he showed himself alive after his passions by many infallible
proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God." And then, remember Paul,
when he writes in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians, gives us a
catalogue of those who were the witnesses, who actually saw and
could testify to the reality of that physical resurrection
from the dead. He says there at verse 3 in that
chapter, I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according
to the Scriptures, and that he was seen of Cephas, or Peter,
Then of the twelve, after that he was seen of above five hundred
brethren at once, of whom the great apart remain unto this
present, but some are fallen asleep. And after that he was
seen of James, then of all the apostles. And last of all he
was seen of me, says Paul, seen of me also. as of one born out
of due time. He was not one of those who was
an apostle when the Lord was here upon the earth, but he was
called to be an apostle. And he bore that mark of a true
apostle. He had seen the Lord Jesus Christ. He had seen the risen Savior
of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And so, there is a reason
the Lord deliberately shows himself to his disciples again and again. This is the third time, as we're
told here at verse 14. This is now the third time that
Jesus showed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from
the dead. And we have the previous occasions
referred to in chapter 20 on the very day of his resurrection
that first day of the week there in verse 19 of chapter 20 then
the same day at evening being the first day of the week when
the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for
fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and says unto
them peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He showed
unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad
when they saw the Lord. He comes to proclaim peace. And
He's pleased through the blood of the cross. He is the propitiation
for our sins, having spoken those words. When He had so said, He
showed unto them His hands and His side. how we had purchased
that peace with God they were those like all sinners once alienated
and enemies in their minds they were those born dead in trespasses
and sins but now by Christ reconciled to the holy righteous and just
God that was the first day of the week the day of his resurrection
and then we're told verse 26 after eight days well it was
the following first day of the week The guy and his disciples
were within. Thomas had not been present previously,
but now Thomas was with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being
shut, and stood in the midst and said, Please, be unto you. This is his greeting each time
he comes. Shalom. Shalom. And then he turns to Thomas,
reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither
thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless,
but believing. And Thomas answered and said
unto him, My Lord and my God. All doubting Thomas now is assured. Now he can confess in faith that
Jesus of Nazareth is his Lord and his God. How the Lord comes,
you see, to reveal himself to show himself to his disciples
and so here in the text we're told how Jesus showed himself
again to the disciples how he must always show himself he must
reveal himself there's a spiritual significance surely also it's
not just a matter of him having to establish the reality of the
physical resurrection it's the same Lord Jesus who had been
crucified who is risen and that's what their witness is to that's
what they can testify to but there's a spiritual significance
he must open their eyes to see him he must open their eyes and
their hearts to know him and so what do we see subsequently?
here they are they've They've been fishing all through the
night, fruitless work. Verse 4, when the morning was
now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew
not that it was Jesus. They didn't know Him. They couldn't
know Him. They would only know Him when
He opened their eyes. Oh, remember what we had told
previously in Luke's Gospel there, in Luke 24, we read of the two
on the Emmaus road. and their eyes were holden that
they should not know him. He has to reveal himself to them
and when they bid him to enter into the house he takes bread
and breaks it with them and their eyes are opened and then he's
gone. Though the Lord time and again
must show himself he must open the eyes of his disciples to
see him. and he must open the eyes even
in our day of those who would know him our eyes, our spiritual
eyes must be opened if we are to be those who see him by faith
and as he opens the eyes so is that one who also opens the minds
of his disciples We must open their minds that
they might understand what is written in the Scriptures. And
we see that again, of course, with regards to those on the
road to Emmaus. He had talked with them, and
he had obviously spoken to them concerning the Scriptures. But then, they suddenly realize
how he had talked with them by the way opened to them the Scriptures
they realized what a favor, what a blessing they had known and
they hurried back to Jerusalem and there they find the rest
and they're all saying the Lord is risen indeed He's appeared
to Simon and then suddenly the Lord comes again and utters those
blessed words peace be unto you and then what does He do? He
opens their understanding. Verse 45, the previous verse,
verse 44, these are the words He said, which I spake unto you
while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets,
and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened it their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures. So the Lord must
come and open our understanding to understand the scriptures
and as he opens our understanding and we understand the scriptures
our eyes are opened and we see what the scripture is all about
why the scripture is at the best testimony to the Lord he says
search the scriptures these are they that testify of me and this
is how we come to the word of God we want that the Lord himself
should come and reveal himself to us and make himself known
to us Oh, why are these things written?
Why are these things written? Remember what we read at the
close of the gospel, those words. These, there are also many other
things which Jesus did, which if they should be written every
one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain
the books that should be written. There's much written, but what's
the point, what's the purpose of all those things that are
written? Much more could be written. But what does the Lord say at
the end of the previous 20th chapter? Many other signs. Truly did Jesus, in the presence
of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these
are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his
name. There's the purpose of the Word of God. The reason why
God has given to us His blessed book, the Oracles of Heaven,
the Scriptures of Truth. They are written that you might
believe that Jesus is the Christ. But we can only come to that
when the Lord is pleased to come and show Himself and reveal Himself. After these things, Jesus showed
himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and on
this wise showed he himself. It's interesting because what
follows tells us the way in which the Lord reveals himself. The
very subject matter of the whole of this chapter is an explanation
to us of how the Lord reveals himself to his disciples, and
how does he do that? What is it that we read of here?
Well, in particular, in this chapter, we see the Lord's pastoral
care of a particular disciple. In many ways, this chapter principally
concerns one of the Lord's disciples, and it's Simon Peter. And the
Lord reveals himself in the way in which he deals with this man
who in many ways had backslidden in heart. He's that man who had
denied the Lord. And he denied the Lord with oaths,
deliberately. But let us consider something
of the way in which the Lord reveals himself in the pastoral
care that we see here. How does the Lord deal with the
matter? Well, it's the Lord who prepares the way for the restoration
of Simon Peter. He had denied the Lord three
times, and it's recorded in all of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John. We have it here in chapter 18,
verse 15 following. Three times he denied Christ. But now by degrees and in various
ways what is the Lord doing? The Lord is restoring this disciple
who had behaved so appallingly who had backslidden really in
hearts. And remember when Peter writes
in his first epistle and there in the second chapter he speaks
of the shepherd and bishop of your souls he commends the Lord
Jesus as that one who is the bishop or the pastor the shepherd of your souls because
he had known what it was for the Lord to pastor him for the
Lord to seek him out like that shepherd who leaves those 99
that are safe and secure in the fold and
goes out after that one that has been lost. All Peter knew
it. And so he can testify to what
Christ is. He's the shepherd, the pastor,
the bishop of the souls of his people. Now how does the Lord
deal with him? Well, there are these different
degrees as we read through the Gospels. Remember what we're
told there in Luke chapter 22 after Peter had denied Christ
the third time we read how the Lord turns and looked upon Peter
and Peter remembered the word of the Lord how he said before
the cock crowed twice thou shalt deny me thrice oh there is the
Lord he is in the judgment hall and Peter is there and the Lord
turns and the Lord looks oh what a look you see it's a revealing
look of the Lord because he touches Peter to the quick Peter went
out we're told and wept bitter tears but then also the Lord
appeared to him personally the Lord appeared to him personally in fact when the angel speaks
to those women at the at the empty tomb They're told, aren't
they? Tell his disciples and Peter
that he is risen from the dead and will go before you into Galilee,
as he said. He's to be sought out by those
women, they're to tell the disciples, they're to tell Peter and then
the Lord does in fact reveal himself to Peter personally.
The Lord is risen indeed, it says, and hath appeared to Peter. Oh, isn't that what was said
by the disciples when those two from the road of Emmaus came
back to Jerusalem? That was the talk. The Lord is
risen, he's appeared to Peter. Now the Lord is constantly seeking
this man out. It's all part and parcel of his
restoration. And again, in that portion that
we read in 1 Corinthians 15, as Paul gives that catalogue,
he mentions Peter specifically. He was seen of Cephas, that's
Peter, then of the Twelve. And what is the Lord doing now?
We come to the end and the Lord is, as it were, completing the
restoration of this man. After they had eaten, verse 15,
When they had died, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea,
Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed
my lambs. Oh, the Lord will deal with him.
The Lord will prepare the way that there might be a complete
restoration, that he might be restored to his ministry. And
then the Lord said to him when they were converted, when they
were restored, see motion, we sang it just now in the opening
praise, that lovely hymn of Charles Wesley, don't know as to why,
to bring me back, my fallen spirit to restore. All the Lord knows
how to deal with his people and now the Lord Jesus is that one
who is so kind, so tender, so compassionate, he doesn't break
the bruised reed and surely Peter was a bruised reed, he doesn't
break it. He doesn't quench the smoking flax, or there seems
to be very little life there, it's just smoke. Oh, but he founds
it to a flame. He restores. Christ prepares
the way then for the restoration of Simon Peter. But see how the
Lord does it. He comes with pointed words. He comes with piercing words,
really. Because three times He asks this
same question he says Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me three
times and see how he addresses him what does he call him what
name does he use he uses that name that was given to him when
he was born he was the son of Jonas But he had forfeited, you see,
the name that the Lord gave him. The Lord changed his name, didn't
He? There in the opening chapter of this Gospel, according to
St. John, when his brother Andrew
brings Simon to the Lord, what does the Lord say? Thou art Simon,
the son of Jonas, thou shalt be called Cephas, which by interpretation
means a stone. Well, Cephas was his new name. Cephas really is the same as
Peter. Again, when he made that great
confession as he did at Caesarea Philippi, when the Lord asked
the disciples whom they say he is, he'd asked previously what
the people were saying and they told him the various opinions
that they were hearing, but the Lord is concerned to know their
opinion. And it's Simon Peter who boldly
declares, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Oh, what a confession! From whence
did that confession come? Well, Peter tells him, Blessed
art thou, Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And thou art Peter. Oh, I say unto thee, thou art
Peter. and upon this rock I shall build my church." Why? He's Peter. He's the stone. He's Cephas.
But no, that's not the case now when the Lord addresses him.
How humbling. He simply says, Simon, son of
Jonas, he's forfeited. He's forfeited the new name. Or the Lord says to his people,
doesn't he, a new name I will give thee. But what of that name now? Is
there no hope for this man? Why, three times he had denied
the Lord. Christ had said, The cock shall
not crow before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest
me. And three times, three times
the Lord comes to him and asks the same question. How pointed! Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me more than these? Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? Oh, how the Lord is piercing
this man to the very quick with his questions. searching to the very depths
of the man's soul and how the Lord is so persistent so persistence
in these probing questions it's interesting when we examine the
words more closely I'm sure you're aware that there are different
words in the New Testament which are translated by the word love
in our authorized version. There are two particular words. You've probably heard the word
agape. That's the purest, the highest
love of all. It's that love that he's spoken
of in 1 Corinthians 13. But then there's another word,
philo. which is also a good word, it
speaks of a very pure love but it's not such a high love as
would be conveyed by that other word agape and as Christ is asking
the questions here in verses 15 and 16 lovest thou me The Lord uses that word, the
highest of all, the purest of all loves. But when Peter answers,
he uses the other word. He uses the other word. Maybe he is reluctant now, you
see, to claim that his love is that pure and that good. And then, when we come to verse
17, The Lord uses that same word that Peter had used. He saith
unto him the third time, Simon son of Jonas, love hast thou
me. Peter was grieved because he
said unto him the third time, love hast thou me. What is the
Lord doing? Why the Lord is querying in Peter's
mind even the reality of the love that Peter would claim.
Oh Peter's not going to claim the greatest of all love but
he's using a word that is good, it's a pure love and now the
Lord is querying the reality of that weaker love. Oh Simon
Peter is there any real love at all? Is there any real love
at all? Peter was grieved. when the Lord
says to him the third time, love us thou mine. What is the Lord
doing here? Well, the Lord is probing the
wounds and it's all in order really to the cleansing of the
wounds. The Lord's probing is an act of tender love really.
It's part of his restoration. Isn't this the way the Lord deals?
Remember what we read in the book of Job concerning God. He
maketh sore and bindeth up. He woundeth and his hands make
whole. This is the way of God. There's
a negative. There's always a negative. There
must always be that realization with the Lord's people as to
what their need is as sinners and they need to understand how
awful that is who does the Lord come to call
not the righteous he comes to call sinners all sinners are high in his esteem
you see that will make them feel what they are and it's not only
there in Job go back to Deuteronomy 32 and verse 39 And what does God say to his
servant? Moses, see now that I, even I am he, and there is
no God with me. I kill, and I make alive, I wound,
and I heal. Neither is there any that can
deliver out of my hand. All the Lord he kills to make
alive, and he wounds to heal. And what is it? The truth is
this, is it not? I think it was William Huntington
who said it's where we get our woundings that we find our healings. That's a remarkable thing. But
this is the way the Lord deals with us, His Word. All that Word
of God is so quick, so powerful, so sharp, sharper than a two-edged
sword. It pierces to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow. It's a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart. and it's a word and
it's the word in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ who himself
is the incarnate word and what is the Lord doing then as he
persists and as he probes this poor man who had so bitterly
denied the Lord even with oaths and curses all but the Lord is
restoring him I will heal their backsliding he says I will love
them freely. Oh, the freeness of the love
of the Lord Jesus Christ. After these things Jesus showed
himself again to the disciples at the tree of Tiberias, and
on this wise showed he himself. It's not just a matter of them
seeing him now and able once more, because this is the third
time he has showed himself able to testify to the reality, the
blessed reality of his resurrection from the dead, but he is discovering
again something more of himself to them. they see something of
the kindness of the Lord Jesus in the way in which he is dealing
with Simon Peter. And so what do we see? We see
ultimately Peter restored. This is the great objective,
that Peter will be completely restored to his apostleship. Oh, he's not Judas Iscariot. Although he had sinned so grievously,
the Lord restores him. What do we read? Verse 4, When
the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but
the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said unto
them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he
said unto them, Cast a net on the right side of the ship, and
ye shall find. They cast therefore and now they
were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Why?
They had such a fruitless night at their fishing and they were
experienced fishermen. This is a miraculous draft of
fish. And John certainly recognizes
that. Verse 7, Therefore that disciple
whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord Nobody not showed
himself in the miracle. It is the Lord. Now when Simon
Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fishers coat unto
him, for he was naked, and he cast himself into the sea. As soon as Christ is revealed,
what does Peter do? Well, as soon as the Lord is
revealed, Peter wants to be there with the Lord immediately. Well
immediately he must be there where the Lord is, he must go
to him. Now he is still very much an impulsive man and we
see that time and again. But surely now what has gone
is all that creature strength and all that vain self confidence. What did he said to the Lord?
Although all shall be offended he says yet will not I all Christ
had said they were all going to be offended at his crucifixion,
never me and that's when the Lord told him before the cock
crows thou shalt deny me thrice you see now all that was there
previously is gone even as the Lord questions him he can't He
can't answer the Lord and say that that love that he has is
the best and the finest of all. It's not a gapay love. He can
only claim a philo-type of love, a weaker love, a lesser love. And why was it like this? Well,
what had Peter experienced? He had been in the sieve of Satan. He had been in the sieve of Satan.
Luke 22 verse 31, what does the Lord say? Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan hath desired to have thee that he might sift thee, desired
to have you, I should say, desired to have you that he might sift
you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not and when thou art converted strengthen thy
brethren and it's very striking what we read there again the
Lord addresses him you see by his first given name he calls
him Simon Simon Simon this this self-confident man this proud
man this boastful man Satan hath desired to have you, that's the
plural pronoun, isn't it? The beauty of the authorized
version there, in those verses in Luke 22, Satan hath desired
to have you. Plural, that's all of you, the
whole of the disciples. But Simon says the Lord, I have
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not when
thou art converted. It's a singular pronoun. And
that's why, you see, we argue for the retention of that distinction
in the pronouns between you, the plural, and thee, the singular.
It's so important there. Because this man, Simon Peter,
is so vulnerable. All Satan wants all of them,
but who is the one that's going to fall? Who is the one most
likely to sin and to deny the Lord? The Lord knows. All the
Lord knoweth them that are his. He need not that any should testify
what is in men. He knew what was in the hearts
of men. He knew how vulnerable this man was. I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not. And so he falls into Satan's
sieve. And what is the outcome in the
sieve of Satan? Well, his faith is being sifted
now. oh how it's being sifted and what falls away in the sieve
why there's a separation between the wheat, the pure grain and
all the dross and all the rubbish all that is of himself, all his
pride all that must be sifted out of the man that's what the
Lord is doing you see and so he comes to what we sang just
now in the hymn of William Cooper Lord it is my chief complaint
that my love is cold and faint yet I love thee and adore all
for grace to love thee more isn't that what Peter is saying as
he answers the Lord he won't make great claims anymore but
he does have a love oh it might at times be a cold love and a
faint love but it's a real real love he loves the Lord and we
see that he wants to be where the Lord is he wants to go to
the Lord Oh, it's faith. It's little faith. It's weak faith. Ah, but it's
real faith. What a comfort that is to us.
Maybe you feel sometimes, do I have any faith? Do I have a
little faith? Maybe you think sometimes I don't
know that I've got any faith at all. If I have, it's very
weak. but there are many that we read
of in the gospel, are there not? There's that man who comes and
says to the Lord, Lord I believe, help there my non-believers the
disciples they come and say, Lord increase our faith I don't
say that we're to be satisfied with a little faith and a weak
faith surely we should desire that we might be favoured to
know the full assurance of faith but we're not to despise weak
faith, it was always there in Simon Peter though he went into
the sieve of Satan though he denied the Lord Jesus Christ
he never really lost his faith because he had faith and if we
have just a weak faith you see if it's a real faith we'll never
lose that faith we'll be kept by the power of God Where do we obtain this faith?
We can only obtain it by looking onto Jesus. That's what we're told there
in Hebrews 12, looking away to Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith. And what does the Lord do? He
does come and He does, by His Spirit, work that faith in the
soul of the sinner when He comes to show Himself. And this is
what the Lord is doing here, He is revealing Himself. And even as we come together
tonight and turn to such a chapter and consider such a verse, what
is the Lord doing with us? Is not the Lord here? Is not
the Lord in His Word? Is not the Lord revealing Himself? Telling us something of Himself?
Revealing to us how He is that One who is the Shepherd. the Bishop of his people, who
cares for their souls, who ministers to them, who restores such as
Simon Peter. After these things, Jesus showed
himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias and on
this wise showed he himself. There were together, and who's
mentioned first of all? Simon Peter. All the Lord will
minister to such as do backslide at times in their hearts. How
often we are guilty of that, backsliding in heart, but there
are those restoring mercies, and they're all found in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Well, the Lord be pleased to
bless the text to us. Amen.