This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, July 28, 1991.
About this sermon
The sea carries symbolic weight in Scripture, and Christ masters it again and again, which frames the breakfast on the shore in John 21. Christ and the church together fish for men, and Christ renews that calling for Peter after his denial. Partaking rightly of the Lord’s Supper belongs to the same restored calling.
Sermon transcript
Then our picture reading begins in John’s Gospel, the twenty-first chapter. John’s Gospel, the twenty-first chapter, beginning with verse one. Here is the word of God. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And on this lie showed he himself.
There were together Simon Peter and Thomas, called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a-fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth and entered into a ship immediately, and that night they caught nothing. When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat?
They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find They passed their floor, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishers. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved, that saith unto Peter, is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girthed his fisher’s coat unto him, for he was naked, and he did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship. were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits, dragging the net with fishes. At soon then, as they were come to land, they saw a fire of foals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three. And for all that, and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
Jesus saith unto them, Come, and dine. And none of the disciples thereof asked him, Who art thou, knowing that it was the Lord? Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than thee?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou art young, thou girdest thyself, and walkest with her, thou wouldst But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shalt gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldst not. This spake he, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.” Then from Philippians chapter 2, verses 5-8, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in passion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Thank you.
The text says, at the Sea of Tiberias. At the opening of John 21, the text says, at the Sea of Tiberias. That sea, that body of water, commonly known by another title, the Sea of Galilee. but here so called because it itself has been overshadowed by Jewish and Roman, Semitic and Gentile politics. Herod Antipas, the ignominious son of a more ignominious man, Herod the Great, has built a new capital city for Galilee along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he has called this city, after the name of the present Caesar, Tiberius. And now he is bringing pressure to bear upon the entirety of the territory under his survey, that all in that territory might call the sea, formerly called the Sea of Galilee, by Caesar’s name, the Sea of Tiberias.
So it is at the Sea of Tiberias in the night, as the darkness deepens, that a group of seven men led by one named Simon Peter, launches out to fish into the night. As if they had nothing else to do, Peter speaking for them all, I go a fishing. They set out then across the waters of the sea of Tiberias in seek, in search of satisfaction. In search of fish that will satisfy, meat that will satisfy, fish to be eaten, fish to be sold. in an affirmation of their lives, taking up a task that has an importance of itself, a confirmation of the creation order, if you will.
In this creation, men go fishing. They do things that are important, and in pursuing these things, they lend to themselves a sense of well-being. They lend to themselves a sense of value and worth. Men doing fishing are deeply into reality, the stuff of life. So out upon the sea they go. Going out upon the sea there is this marriage of the task of fishing with the enterprise of life itself. So when they embark upon their trip it’s like you see in their little journey something of their journey in and through the world. Men will work. Men will make money. Men will catch a catch of fish for profit and for self affirmation.
But there is also that which speaks to them of the brooding troubles in and of the waters. Just as in life there are threats, so upon the sea all the threats of life are compounded. The waves themselves dissolve, they rise, they dissolve. There is the uncertainty of the sea. Who knows what the face of the sea will be in the next moment? The sea itself speaks of chaos. The waters may even represent an abyss, a gaping and insatiable mouth that would devour.
Written in and upon these waters then is the sign of those waters that we read about in creation. The Spirit himself then hovering upon the face of the waters to calm them in order to bring order. With regard to these waters we hear about the Word of God that separates the waters from the waters and causes the dry land to appear. We may even hear within these waters, in the roar of a wave, the voices of those who have gone down into the depths, even those who went down into the depths in the days of Noah. We may see a banner read out across these waters, the Red Sea. there to see the salvation of the people of God and also hear the cries of the Egyptians as they are overcome.
We may hear the cry of the psalmist as he speaks about a descent into the waters as if he was descending into the grave. We may even hear the voice of Jonah the prophet as he is thrown overboard and swallowed up by a great fish. and is overcome and overwhelmed with the threat of death. Or there may be the intimation of demons themselves. Demons once inhabiting men who are cast into a lot of swine on a hillside. who then rush down a bank and over a precipice and into the gaping jaw of the waters and there drown. Yes, the sea and life itself and as with life all of the threats that are signaled in the waters themselves But Herod says, this is Caesar’s sea. This is Tiberius’s sea. It belongs to him. He rules. He owns. It is his possession.
And we, who are lesser luminaries, lesser lights in the world, our purpose is to serve these greater lights and bring honor to these greater lights by our accomplishments, the things that we can do in their service, and thus help ourselves, of course. But now we have these seven fishermen who had launched out into the night of such a world. And even though they labor, toil, extend their energies, do what they ought to do, do as fishermen do, though they give themselves over to the realities of life, Those realities demanding hard work, they labor into and through the night, they catch absolutely nothing.
In the light of the early morning, I see a figure on the shore. He appears distantly. He speaks. He speaks through the distances, through the mists of the morning light. As the light of dawn rises upon the seven and the empty world and their discontent. You went out upon the waters to find that which would satisfy you, that which would affirm your existence and the reality of all things about you, and you end up with nothing. A stranger says, throw your nets on the right side of the boat.
It’s not just a suggestion, it is a command. As if now there comes forth from this one a command over the sea of Tiberius, imagine it, a command over the sea of Tiberius, the emperor of Rome, and all that that entails. And this one exhibiting a mastery, a supremacy unmatched, almost as if He speaks from a place that is His and His alone, as if the shore belongs to Him. And not only that, the waters obey His commands. They are His as well as that boat and the men who are in that boat. The seven obey. They throw the net on the other side. The sea itself capitulates. It yields up treasure, a net full of fish. And at that moment, the one who loved Jesus says, it is the Lord. It is the Lord.
That one from whom alone their satisfaction will come, This one who alone rises, no, all rises, as if by resurrection, a resurrection appearance manifestation to reveal himself in the early light of the dawning day for the purpose of disclosing his sovereignty over Caesar’s world and all worlds. It is this one, then, who will send forth the little boat of his church into the world, threatened though it is, for a great catch. It might then be said, if there is an answer to the futility of men, even as they partake deeply of life’s reality, even as they go fishing and engage themselves in common tasks, if there is to be anything that redeems them in the midst of this, it will be in light of the great catch that is being harvested for God, for Christ, for the kingdom of the Lord. Every task will have its affirmation in light of this task and in relationship to it. The emptiness you feel, the frustration you experience, the distress that you know in your jobs, will they not, all of these problems, be dispelled in light of the great task? the commissioning of the Church, as we all are related to the Gospel and its progress.
But the story is hardly over. Lessons about Jesus’ sovereignty come fast and hard upon the heels of this great display of might Caesar’s sea of power Herod’s complicity and schemes his plot will offer their own Temptations to a little ship adrift as it were upon the waters of this world There are after all advantages to be found in the world and There are advantages, after all, to acknowledging Caesar’s sovereignty. There are advantages to be found even in Herod’s court. We all know that. There are ways in which we might proceed, ways in which we might learn how to exercise power, how to use our influence, how to assert our privilege of position, how to use it, how to manipulate, how to organize, how to structure, how to bring people under our rule, under our thumb.
There are churches like that, you know. But Jesus on the shore has prepared lessons in grace for his little band. He has already prepared breakfast when they arrive. They’ve labored. They caught fish. Jesus has even invited them to bring some of the catch to lay on the fire. But yet, they are fed by Him, because the sufficiency is found to be in Him alone, and that all of grace. In all that we gain, in all that is given to us, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is exalted.
It is extolled so that we must never think more highly of ourselves and our efforts than we ought. And note him who speaks here. He is among the seven as one who serves Indeed, he comes to them by the root of his service. So while it is true that he commands the church, that he commands Caesar’s sea, while it’s true that he commands the realm of Herod’s various intrigues, while it’s true that he even commands the chaotic world and the abyss of death and hell, he is among us as the one who serves. The Lord is the servant. And now he pursues a course with the seven that is designed to press them into his service so that theirs matches his.
He loves his flock so much that he became a lamb, that through the sacrifice of himself upon the cross, he would become the source of their forgiveness, as they would stand before their Father in glory, in righteousness. And by such a route, he has become the source of eternal life, which he has prepared for them in his Father’s house above. for them who are savingly trusting in Him. Peter is engaged directly now by this One, the servant who is also the Lord.
Peter, that One, who before the Jewish scorn and Roman power had melted in cowardice, who before the presence and in the knowledge of all the evidences of the resurrection can find no comfort or direction But for him, it’s as if the world goes on as usual. After seeing the empty tomb, he goes home. And after being visited by the Christ, the risen Christ, twice, he says, I’m going fishing. But now Christ commands this one. to tend lambs, to feed sheep, and is even promised an inglorious death as the price of his service.
Peter ate with Christ that day. On that day Jesus took bread and blessed and broke it, and gave the bread to those who were there. And Peter ate with Christ. But to eat with Christ means, you see, to partake of Christ and to participate in Him so that the life of that one who would partake would be remade after the image of Christ Himself.
In Luke’s setting of the Lord’s Supper, you may recall the disciples get into an argument about who’s greatest. Jesus says to them, the kings of the Gentiles, think of Caesar and the sea of Tiberius, the kings of the Gentiles lord it over their subjects. But it is not to be so among you. Rather, let him who is to be leader among you become your servant. Why? Because that’s what I have done.
And in another setting, for the night before Christ’s death, the setting related to us by John himself in his thirteenth chapter, there we have no record of the distribution of the bread or the sharing of the cup. John doesn’t tell us about those things. It’s not as if those things aren’t important to John, but his focus is elsewhere.
He tells us about Jesus, who actually gets down on his knees, wrapped with a towel, in order that he might wash the disciples’ feet. And then he says to his disciples, Do as I have done. such service as you have seen in me, you are to imitate.” Will you celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Do you not tend to concentrate on the question, how is Christ present with me here in the sacrament? That is a fundamental and most important question, but it is matched by a corollary question. And that question is, what is the significance of my partaking of the supper?
For the supper to be a blessing to you, you reaching out to take the elements, You must realize that you are taking Christ to yourself, not simply so that you might be benefited personally, but so that you might become a benefit to others. For the supper to be a blessing to you, you in receiving Christ in the sacrament, Then take Christ to yourself in the posture in which He offers Himself, and that is the posture of a servant, a servant for others. Will you not then concern yourself with others? Will you not think of them? Will you not give yourself over to others and even sacrifice yourself for their sake? Isn’t that what you see in Christ? Will that not be the completion of your salvation?
But certainly this is not meant merely for a little band of apostles in a ship on the Sea of Tiberias in the first century, nor is it meant for preachers standing in pulpits in the third or eighth or 18th or 21st century. century alone. It is also for all who would be called by Christ’s name. Is that not the significance of the fact that you are then welcome to the table? It’s not just for priests. It’s not just for preachers. It’s not just for apostles. It’s for the people. So then apostles and preachers, so then elders and deacons, they are not servants alone in the house of God.
You are kings who demonstrate your service and priesthood through ministry one to another. a kingdom of priests you are to serve in God’s presence and to serve one another have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus who although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself taking the form of a bond slave and being made in the likeness of man and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on the cross.
Therefore also God highly exalted him and bestowed upon him a name that is above every name. Let’s pray. Set us free our father into service for you in such service Wherein we are not intimidated and by the powers of this world May well be father that we are called by you to honor those who are over us and have authority with respect to us But yet Lord we pray that we may not fear them in the sense that We are threatened with the undoing of our lives because of their power. Rather, we are servants of the Lord. And I ask, Lord, that each of us here may prove to be servants indeed as we partake of the supper now and demonstrate for all to see that we love Jesus and we wish to be like Him. Dina.
The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.