Third Sunday of Easter
‘You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?’
Peter said, ‘I am not.’
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire... and Peter was also standing there keeping warm.” - John 18: 17-18
These words appeared in the Gospel a few short weeks ago on Good Friday, and they show a very different Peter than the one we encounter in today’s readings. The Peter of Good Friday is overcome with fear and doubt to such an extent that he denies even knowing Jesus. The Peter we meet in today’s first reading is one who boldly proclaims the death and resurrection of Jesus to the entire Sanhedrin, and who leaves “rejoicing to be found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of [Jesus’] name.”
Where does this boldness and joy come from? We can understand it better by looking at Peter’s intimate encounter with Jesus in the Gospel of John. Today’s Gospel is the magnificent “series finale” to Peter’s dramatic friendship with Jesus--it contains many parallels and perigons (full circles) of events they experienced together. After everything they have been through, after witnessing Jesus’s death and finding his tomb empty on Easter, we find the apostles back in the trappings of their former life: they are going fishing. And just like in their first encounter years ago at the Lake of Gennesaret, they meet Jesus by the sea after a night of catching nothing. And just like in that first miracle of their friendship, Jesus instructs them where to lower their nets, and they bring in an astounding number of fish. This familiar miracle triggers their recognition, and Peter--ever impetuous--jumps out of the boat into the water to run and greet Jesus. This “all-in” enthusiasm of Peter echoes some of his previous acts of faith, like stepping out of the boat to join Jesus in walking on water, or being the first to declare Jesus the Christ, or asking for Jesus to wash him all over at the Last Supper.
When Peter reaches Jesus on the shore, he encounters a familiar sight: a charcoal fire, just like the one by which he denied Jesus three times after the Last Supper. But as Peter approaches this charcoal fire, he is not greeted by taunts or accusations; instead, he is met only with Jesus’ peaceful invitation: “Come have breakfast.”
In the conversation that unfolds between Jesus and Peter, Jesus does not condemn Peter or reduce him to his worst moment. Instead, Jesus invites Peter to renew his love and faith in him. Peter is painfully aware of his shortcomings and sin, and he knows that his love for Jesus is feeble in comparison to Jesus’ love for him. But Jesus is unfazed. He wants whatever love Peter can give, knowing that God can make even the humblest offerings of love perfect and powerful enough to change the world.
What encouragement and hope we can draw from Peter’s journey! From profound moments of faith, to shameful moments of sin, Jesus never gives up on Peter, and he still invites him to lead his Church. Jesus does not call us by our sin, he calls us by name and he beckons us to love him in whatever simple and heartfelt ways we can.
-Jule Coppa, Penn Campus Minister
