This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Lord’s Supper” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, April 10, 1994.
Turn with me this morning to John’s Gospel, chapter 21. This is John chapter 21. We are beginning at verse 1 of this chapter. Give your attention to the Word of God. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and he appeared to them in this way. There were together Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other 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 immediately entered a boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, though the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any food?” They answered him, “No.” And he said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find something.” They cast the net, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore, the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his outer garment around him, for he was naked, and he jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in a small boat, for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits, dragging the net with the fish. As soon as they reached the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have now caught.” Simon Peter went up and drew the net to the land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three, and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he had risen from the dead.
So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, 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. He said to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me? And he said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, Simon was grieved because Jesus said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.
And then, turning to John chapter 6, beginning at verse 1: After these things, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude followed him because they saw the miracles or signs he did on those who were diseased.
Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples during the Passover. A feast of the Jews was near. Jesus withdrew to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, that is, the Sea of Tiberias. This is how we see the events laid out in the first verse of John chapter 6. Jesus withdrew. His departure on this occasion is like a future departure. Jesus withdrew on this particular occasion just as he shall yet withdraw. His departure at that later time will be like the departure he now takes. Both of these departures follow confrontation with the Jews in Jerusalem, not only at the end of his life, but also here.
Notice John 5. After a confrontation with the Jews in Jerusalem, those Jews sought to kill him, because he challenged their understanding of the law and because he called God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God. You might note, in this regard, John 5 verse 18. So presently, as Jesus crosses the sea, his departure here proclaims to us what is coming. As Jesus crosses this body of water to the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, we are able to see his coming departure from this world to the distant regions of his Father’s glory.
But you will note in this text, as the sixth chapter opens, the sea bears not only the name Galilee but also Tiberias. Why Tiberias? It seems unusual, since John alone among the Gospel writers mentions Tiberius in connection with the Sea of Galilee. Why Tiberias? And who is Tiberias? He is the Roman Emperor.
He is the successor to Augustus. He, like Augustus, recognized himself in his own eyes as a god walking on the earth, and so was recognized by countless others around the world at that time. Honored by many, among those who honored Tiberius was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, who currently rules over the territory of Galilee. You might recall that Herod is the one responsible for the execution of John the Baptist.
But Herod Antipas has built a city on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee and has named that city after the current emperor. He has given that city the name Tiberias and has even gone so far as to make it the capital city of Galilee. That is interesting, is it not?
For all that we read in the gospel accounts, we never read specifically of this city in connection with a visit from or by Jesus. Yet, in the estimation of Herod and so many others at this time, this city of Tiberias is the most important city in the territory. Its importance continues. Forty years after the crucifixion of Christ, that city became the residence of the Jewish Sanhedrin, because Jerusalem had been destroyed, you see. And it also became the center for Jewish education, from which the reputation of the Jews in connection with the educational enterprise has gone forth to the ends of the earth.
With respect to the name itself, the name Tiberias, I judge that you hear in it something of what is communicated. It speaks to us, does it not, of power—power that is ruthless, pretentious, and corrupt. Brought in connection with the sea, one could then think that the sea itself is under the power of this one Tiberias. But we are not to think of Tiberias in his raw and ruthless power as standing alone.
He is, in fact, venerated by some, is he not? And certainly there are a number of Jews paying homage to him. So you see, it is not simply raw political power that is in view, but power that is in league with religious authority, which claims to have power over the issues of life and death—just as those are symbolized in the sea. Jesus departs and crosses the sea. He is crossing over the realm which the political and religious authority claim. He is crossing over to the other side. Just as he crosses that sea that bears the Emperor’s name and speaks to us of Jewish complicity. Even as Jesus crosses over that sea and continues to live, so he shall also cross over the abyss. The emperor, political power, the Sanhedrin, Jewish power, no less, claiming authority over the abyss, claiming to have the power within themselves and in their name to determine who shall and who shall not live.
Jesus shall cross over the abyss, and he shall live. Jesus is just as much alive in his body now, having crossed over the abyss, as he was on the day when he crossed over the Sea of Tiberias and docked his small boat on its eastern shore. There is another day, another day in which the Sea of Tiberias is specifically mentioned in the account of John, and we have read the passage this morning, have we not? John chapter 21, verse 1—the Sea of Tiberias is mentioned again for us.
And here it will be, in this setting, that Jesus will set before us, in figures, the manner and method of his sovereign power, which stands in opposition to, and in contrast with, the world’s religious and political rulers and all their claims. You see in the story the manner and method of Jesus’ rule, the character of his kingdom. His disciples have gone out into their small boat. They have fished all night. They have caught nothing. The risen Christ now stands on the shore. He commands them to cast down their nets. And to draw in a catch.
Just as the disciples obeyed Jesus’ command and took in a great catch, so also now the Church, in the power of Christ, will prove to be the means by which a great number of souls are rescued from death, from illegitimate political and religious power, and even from the fires of hell. But note this: as you look further into the twenty-first chapter of John, the great number of souls rescued is not simply like many fish pulled from the sea. As the story continues, the image changes. These souls are, in fact, also like many lambs to be cared for.
Jesus calls Peter’s attention to this specifically, and He does it repeatedly, three times. Thus, you see, with respect to the matter of shepherding, Jesus proves to be a shepherd to Peter as He shepherds Peter with respect to Peter’s former threefold denial by asking Peter three times, “Do you love me more than these?” In this, you see, Jesus is also setting the manner and method of His kingdom in contrast to the ways and methods of the world—those very ways and methods that Peter had thought appropriate for the realization and demonstration of the Messiah’s kingdom. We learn then from this One who is the persistent, ever-living, faithful Good Shepherd, the One who has laid down His life for His sheep, the One who is willing to give His life in order to tend His sheep.
It is specifically as shepherds, you see, that Jesus crosses the sea in John 6. He does not cross it in John 21, because He has already crossed it. But it is in order to reveal Jesus as the shepherd, as the shepherd, that He crosses the sea, and the great multitudes follow Him.
The multitudes mentioned to us in chapter 6, verse 2, appear in the text of John 6 as the sheep, as the flock of God. Jesus will make them lie down in green pastures. Do you note what is said later in John 6? Verse 10: “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. Jesus will make these sheep lie down in green pastures, and there He will specifically relieve their need. There He will specifically minister to them in their truest and deepest need. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Now the multitudes have come to Jesus, following the signs he has performed along the way. In verse 2 of the sixth chapter, the signs are specifically mentioned—those signs by which Jesus has revealed his gracious and loving care. The purpose of these signs, however, is to lead to the other side of the sea. As the great multitude follows the signs into the eastern territories on the east side of the Sea of Tiberias, so we, the people of God, follow the signs of the Son of God into another world—a transcendent, heavenly world. And if we are the true people of God, we will, in fact, be distinguished even from this great multitude, because they stumble over the sign in the end. But if we are the true people of God, we understand the limitations of the signs. They are, after all, signs. They point the way. They are not the destination. They point beyond themselves. They even point beyond the world in which they function. For you see, these signs are there to be seen.
They are for the eyes of our flesh. While we who are the true people of God know that we must live by faith and according to the eyes of the Spirit, through which we behold and by which we appropriate Christ’s continual shepherding care for his flock, which we are. But note now what our Savior does once he has crossed the sea.
In verse 3 of John 6, he ascends the mountain. Are we here merely to see a mountain of this creation? Is that all that is in the text? In the Old Testament, you might remember the mountain of God in relation to the issue of battle and the critical matter of war. In the Old Testament, it is the victorious warrior who ascends the heights to assume his throne, his rightful place.
Do you recall Psalm 24? Do you realize what is happening in that psalm? It is a psalm about the victorious warrior, who appears as one with clean hands and a pure heart, worthy then to ascend the hill of the world. But notice the transformation as you move to Psalm 47.
For here, the victorious warrior is not a human being, but God himself, who has become king of all the earth after triumphing over all his enemies. He is the one who ascends with a shout, with the sound of a trumpet. Having experienced the humility of battle, God himself is now brought into a coronation, becoming king in a way that was never before possible. There is Psalm 68, once more: it is the Lord himself, it is God, who is the victorious warrior, who ascends on high, who leads captivity captive, and from his position of glory, receives gifts from people, that he might distribute blessings to all his own. But note the relationship now to Jesus Christ. For he will fulfill both aspects that we have observed in these psalms. He is, after all, the human warrior with clean hands and a pure heart. He is also, as you see, God himself who ascends from a self-imposed humiliation to glory.
But Jesus, in John 6, verse 3, not only ascends the mountain, but he sits down. Jesus takes a seat. And in taking that seat, we are reminded of other Old Testament passages, are we not? The so-called Session Psalms. Consider Psalm 2: “Sit at my right hand.” Consider Psalm 110: “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand.'”
God’s Son takes the seat of honor and glory at the right hand of Him who has exalted Him. But you should also note Psalm 29, where we are told that the Lord sits as king at the flood—that is, when He has triumphed over all His enemies, He is exalted as king. And once more, is it not Jesus Christ who fulfills both aspects that we observe in these session psalms? He is, in fact, God’s Son who assumes His seat of honor in the resurrection from the dead, but He is also the Lord Himself who, in the crisis of salvation, reveals Himself to be the reigning sovereign by whom His people are redeemed. John 6, verse 3, tells us further that Jesus sits upon the mountain with His disciples, for these, too, are given positions of authority and rule. They are given thrones. But it is important now that you understand the nature of the rule that comes forth from the mountain.
Will it be like the rule of Tiberius? Will it be like the rule of the Jewish Sanhedrin? Will it be like the rule of the religious and political powers of this world? The rule of the oppressed, or the rule of those joined to Him who are seated with Him, is defined by Christ’s own shepherd posture.
Later in this very text, John 6, Jesus will reject the earthly crown. And even after His resurrection, even after He crosses over the abyss, He continues in this shepherd’s mode. This is the manner of His rule. But note also that the particular nature of this rule is as it is because this one who shepherds has Himself been a sheep. He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Thus, as you are looking at John 6, verse 3, let your eyes move to the fourth verse. Now, John will remind you that the Passover is near. But Jesus is not in Jerusalem, nor are those who follow him. They are here on the eastern shores of the Sea of Tiberias, away from the celebration taking place in Jerusalem, and now brought to these shores, this unfamiliar place, not in order that you might understand that a new Passover is being instituted and is being set before you here. A new Passover has come upon this great multitude, and in it the Passover lamb is none other than Jesus himself. He is the one to be slain.
By him and his blood, the angel of death passes over. The New Passover has brought with it the new exodus, the new and final exodus, out of bondage to the temporary, out of bondage to the provisional, out of bondage to the realm of tyranny from the forces of religious and political oppression, across the sea. This is also reminiscent of the Red Sea, through which the great multitude of God initially traveled. Having witnessed the signs performed by God’s servant, they too come into a mountain, there to receive God’s provisions for them, that they might be sustained.
We, by faith, have become part of the new Exodus. It carries us from the old world to the new. We, by faith, are now assembled beneath the authority of Jesus Christ and his apostles, who are in fact enthroned in glory. And we, by faith, in him, the one who ministers to us, are recipients of the unique and rich benefits of his eternal kingdom. We do more, then, as we come to the table, than feast with Jesus. This one who is our Passover is the one upon whom we feast. We partake of him, and in him we are satisfied.
Our Father, we know that the Passover and the Old Testament Exodus are not isolated from the work you perform in your Son. We realize, O God, that even as Jesus ministers to a great multitude on the eastern shores of the Sea of Tiberias, there is a remarkable fulfillment of the types and shadows that had preceded. From that day forward, this fulfillment draws more people to perceive the heart and soul of what transpires at Calvary—the death of Jesus, his resurrection, and his ascension to heaven—so that we may follow. Even as we are now here, in a wilderness, we are nourished by him, fed to the full, and satisfied. Lord, this nourishment comes by your word, and it also comes as your word is set before us in the sacrament. We are nourished not only with Jesus, but by Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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.