Today's
reading, it's not the first time Jesus gave a miraculous catch of
fish. The difference this time is that it's after his resurrection
from the dead. For John, this is much like when a movie has a scene
after the ending credits. It's an epilogue. It's one more reminder
for the apostles and for the Church, that Jesus doesn't stop
performing miracles for the Church, that the Church itself is a
miracle.
Jesus
keeps pulling miracles out of his hat.
So to speak.
But right off the bat, these are miracles that are according to his
promises, and they are miracles of the Word, miracles of the
forgiveness of sins (just ask Peter). And if they are, why does the
Church keep trying to pull miracles out of a hat in every other way
than these?
Let's look at the disciples who went fishing, as we heard in today's
Gospel. They tried their very best to catch some fish, and they got
nothing. The text says, “that night they caught nothing.” But
that word “caught”, John uses that word other times in his Gospel
account, but every other time it means “arrest”, as in Jesus'
enemies wanting to seize him, take him by force. This certainly
shows that the disciples with their best efforts, couldn't catch any
fish that night. But is that all it shows? If they can't “grab”
fish, can they “grab” people? In last week's Gospel, Jesus said,
“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” He sends
them out as apostles. Is it the same thing when it comes to their
“church work” to use the modern phrase? Can they forcefully
bring about faith in people's hearts by an act of their will? Can
they bring about success in fishing for men as little as they bring
about success in fishing for fish? That's right.
Now fishermen know that putting a line in the water (or in the case
of the apostles, a net) is no guarantee you'll catch anything. But
we still fish. We just don't demand that every time we fish that
we'll catch something. It's not up to us. Therefore, no one says,
“I'm going fishing.” “Oh, where are you going?” “To the
fish and chip shop. I always catch something there.” That's just
redefining the phrase “go fishing”. Do we know this as a Church,
however? If we can't “catch” people with the Gospel of Christ,
do we change the definition of what that means? The European
churches did. They drew a circle around the church building on the
map and said “Everyone in this circle is a member of the church.”
And that was the end of it. At the same time,
All the best efforts to “grab” people add up to the same
nothing. If we did “grab” people, then that would mean that all
we need are the right techniques, the right vision and mission
statement, and then we would grow the Church. But do we grow the
Church at all? Who brought about the miraculous catch of fish in
today's Gospel? This is how the Church keeps trying to pull a
miracle out of a hat. It happens every time a church looks elsewhere
than God's promises in Christ, elsewhere than the Word, elsewhere
than the forgiveness of sins. And it always starts the same way: “If
we can just. . .” “If we can just be more relevant.” “If we
can just have better leadership.” But whatever the IfWeCanJust is,
it always starts in the wrong place: we. Us. We're in charge. What
we decide is what's right. All we need to do is __. The lie
of IfWeCanJust sounds so good and disagrees with the Word of God so
much, because it relies on our own strength at all.
This doesn't take away our responsibility, the Lord does use us to
pass on the faith, but it reaffirms that we aren't the ones who
create faith. Again, not only did the disciples not catch any fish
until Jesus made it happen by his word, but when they brought in the
catch, “although there were so many, the net was not torn.” Even
bringing in the catch was a miracle.
And this is not surprising: we can't “grab” people for God
because we ourselves can't even find God. Those who think they can
aren't able to find comfort that they've done it just right; there's
always the worry in the back of your head about __ . Whatever __ is,
it doesn't matter, you'll never be able to do it well enough.
Our faith is a miracle. It's not that Jesus just shows you the way,
and if you obey you've earned eternal life. John doesn't even talk
about the disciples' obedience being enough to bring about a big
catch of fish, because when they do as Jesus say, they don't even
know it's Jesus. This way they can't say, “Oh yes, he told us, but
we, yes we obeyed him.” This way all the glory goes to God in
Christ. Trying to find God and to grab other for God is in the end
the same lack of fear, love and trust in him and putting our trust in
our works.
But on the other hand,
Jesus keeps actually pulling miracles out of a hat because he brings
eternal life through his death, and brings it by his word. Jesus
performed a miracle for his disciples even after his resurrection; so
don't be surprised that the Church is a miracle, and in the same way
– by his word! (What made the catch of fish happen? The disciples
putting the net in the water? No, that's how it happened. What made
it happen is Jesus' words: “Cast the net on the right side of the
boat, and you will find some.”)
Jesus brings the miracles: Jesus brings about the catch, just like
he brought about the feeding of the 5,000 (parallels) – fish and
bread should remind us of something here. Jesus didn't need help to
multiply the fish and bread at that time, but it was still the
responsibility of the disciples to be the stewards, to hand it out.
He brings about faith and the growth of the Church through repentance
and baptism, and these come to us as miracles also – by his
preaching we hate our sin and trust in him for forgiveness by his
cross. By his word and Spirit we are baptized.
Jesus brings about the Lord's Supper (“took” “bread” and
“gave” are in this chapter and in every account of Jesus
instituting the Lords' Supper; one meal's a miracle, what about the
other?), Jesus brought about Peter's restoration (Peter denied Jesus
three times, Jesus asks him three questions.) [Aside: Repentance
does hurt, Peter was grieved the third time Jesus asked him, but the
result is to our comfort and God's glory], and Jesus brings about
pastors to shepherd his flock with individual absolution (parallels)
- “Follow me” he says to Peter. These simple words link back to
Jesus calling his disciples way back in John chapter one. Jesus
tells Peter to shepherd his sheep, which links to the Good Shepherd
chapter (10), and Jesus' prediction of Peter's death which glorified
God links back to John 13 where Jesus says the disciples can't follow
but later they will (when they are put to death for being followers
of Christ.) (And Jesus' gift of forgiveness to Peter links back to
last Sunday's Gospel, where the poor scared disciples aren't scared
anymore when Jesus appears, and they are to use their office to apply
Jesus' forgiveness to the same sort of poor miserable sinners as
Peter was.)
The miracle of the feeding on the beach isn't bigger than the
miracle of the Church and the things the Church lives by: the cross,
the resurrection, the Word, and forgiveness. These are continual
miracles. They are God's work. This is God finding us. These
things are way more important than we give them credit for.
This is a comfort for pastors and for those who worry about the
Church. (It's there to keep us from playing the IfWeCanJust game by
continually repenting of our arrogance that 'it's all up to us.')
The reminder is to lock on to the Word which does the evangelizing.
We don't grab, we present the means by which God creates faith and
enlivens the heart: the Word. We don't act as if Jesus is absent.
(Jesus isn't an absent Lord of the Church, not through the work of
his Word and Sacrament by the Holy Spirit).
Jesus even says “bring some of the fish you took”, as if to say
“you know you didn't really catch that fish.” He says this as a
reminder that it wasn't them, and when they preach and baptize, it
won't be them at that time either. Jesus has done it just right
because he's able to and compassionate.
We define things like “Church” and “the Lord's Supper”
according to Jesus' words, not our opinions or what the world thinks.
If Jesus can do one thing, he can do another thing when it comes to
miraculous meals and the Lord's Supper. (today's reading isn't the
Lord's Supper but it's his qualifications that he can do the Lord's
Supper if he says so. Again, he's able to, and he's compassionate.)
Conclusion: This epilogue is a
bit of a failsafe for the apostles and for the Church of all times
and all places. The overtones for the work of drawing people into
the Church are everywhere. They are everywhere, and they are given
form and definition by our Lord Christ himself. May he grant that
his definitions once again are brought to open and joyous confession
in the Church that is the work of his hands. Amen.
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