Server Outage Notice: TheSeed.info is transfering to a new Server on Tuesday April 13th
| > Sermon Archive > Sermons by Author > Rev. Mark Chen > The Risen Shepherd Restores His Failed Sheep to Serve | Previous Next Print |
| Order Of Worship (Liturgy) TH 407 - The Day You Gave Us, Lord, Is Ended Psalter 55 - The Good Shepherd TH 585 - Take My Life, and Let It Be |
The Risen Shepherd Restores His Failed Sheep to Serve
John 21:1-25
Many Christians are marked by regret. We’re morose for having failed Christ. And sometimes that regret eats us up. Instead of going to him and accepting his forgiveness, we continue in guilt and inaction. Yes, it’s true many aren’t as regretful as they should be. And we dislike being told we’re wrong. But without sorrow for sin, there can be no restoration. But there’s a plague that infects many Christians - we can’t move on from our mistakes, regrets, and bitterness. We still feel our sins. And we feel deep shame when we remember them. We feel that our repentance and sorrow aren’t enough. But the glorious truth of the gospel is this - Christ forgives. Repentance is not the new work we must do in order to be forgiven. It’s an evangelical grace. Because of regeneration by Christ, we repent. We are grateful for his forgiveness.
In this passage, we see Christ’s restoration of his disciples. They failed him; but he sought them out to forgive them. He’d already appeared to his disciples - to Mary, the other women, the Emmaus disciples; to the disciples minus Thomas, and then to the disciples plus Thomas. And now, they’re all back to where it all began - in Galilee - where he chose them. This time, he would commission them, but not before restoring them. And central to that restoration was one man - Peter. He denied Christ thrice. The one who swore he’d die with Christ but then fled into the night, who, when the rooster crowed, went out and wept bitterly. He was undeniably a failure. But Christ reversed that failure. And in this reversal and restoration, we see a pattern of restoring grace for every failing disciple. We’ll explore this passage under 3 headings: firstly, we are restored from nothing to everything in Christ; secondly, we are restored from sin to serve Christ; thirdly, we are restored to serve sacrificially and humbly.
First, we are restored from nothing to everything in Christ. This chapter begins with a perplexing scene. Seven disciples - Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, the brothers Zebedee, and two others. And Peter said in verse 3 - “I go a fishing” and the others joined him. This isn’t surprising, he was a fisherman. But we learn they caught nothing, but Christ superabundantly supplied everything. It was the lesson they needed to be taught repeatedly - that only Christ blesses and makes us fruitful; that he can restore us from emptiness. Now, why did they go fishing? We should be careful not to read too much into this. Some people say they returned to their old life. Peter apostatized. I don’t think so. After all, the Lord Jesus had given them instruction beforehand to go to Galilee where he’d meet them. So they were simply returning home. Most of them were also from Galilee anyway. And most of them were fishermen by trade. So while waiting for him, they simply returned to fish. They probably needed sustenance. But what we must see here is what the Spirit is showing us. This was a set-up. Galilee was where Jesus first met them - when they also didn’t manage to fish anything - until they obeyed him. And so he met them there again to repeat that important lesson to them - that without him, they could do nothing.
We learn in verse 3 that after all night of fishing, they caught nothing. But these were skilled fishermen and Galilee teemed with fish. Remember, when James and John left their trade, they left their nets, boats, and hired servants behind. So they were a rich fishing conglomerate. Fishing was lucrative. The fish trade to make garum for Roman soldiers created many jobs. Mary of Magdalene was likely a famous rich business woman. A whole fish fermentation industry was discovered in Migdala. But here, they couldn’t catch anything - all night in the darkness. Now, there’s a point to be made here. This was not an isolated event. It was a repeat of their fruitlessness apart from Christ. Consider Luke 5:5, when Christ first called his disciples, he told Peter to cast the nets into the Sea of Galilee. Peter answered - “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” Skilled fishermen brought in nothing. But after they obeyed Christ to cast the net back in, they hauled in so many fish that the net broke, and had to beckon other fishermen to help them. And that moment was so profound, if you recall, that Peter fell on his knees at Jesus’ feet and said, “Depart from me, for I’m a sinner, Lord.” But what did Jesus do? Despite their sin, despite their ineptness at fishing, he made them his apostles - to follow him and be fishers of men.
So consider the repetition. At dawn, Jesus stood on the shore. The disciples hadn’t recognize Him. But he spoke - “Children, have ye any [fish] meat?” They answer, “No.” So he commanded them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. When they did, they couldn’t draw the net because, while it didn’t break, contained a great number of fish - 153 in all. This number may or may not be symbolic, but whatever the specific symbolism, the point was clear - the catch was abundant when they had no catch - because of Christ alone. The provision came entirely from Christ.
But consider what happened next. After John told Peter it was Jesus, just look at Peter’s response! Instead of saying - “Depart from me!” this time he jumped into the water to swim to Jesus. Same miracle, same command, same result of fish, but a different response by the sinner. The distance from shore wasn’t very far, 200 cubits or 100 meters; but he just couldn’t wait.
And coming ashore, they found a coal fire burning. This is significant. The word in Greek for that coal fire is anthrakia. It appears only twice - here and in John 18:18, where Peter stood by a coal fire outside Caiaphas’ house and denied Jesus three times. That first fire was one of denial and shame, this was one of love and restoration. The Lord deliberately recreated the scene for Peter’s restoration. And there, Christ, the risen Lord, did something astonishing - he invited them for breakfast, serving bread and fish to these exhausted and depleted men. Come and dine - he said.
From shame to restoration. From nothing to plenty. From “depart from me I’m a sinner” to approaching Christ despite his sin. The place was a reminder of Peter’s first obedience to Christ’s word, and now it was a reminder of how far they had fallen - when they all fled from Gethsemane. They were taught a lesson by Christ before he died. In John 15:5, he said - “apart from me, you can do nothing.” This is what they were learning - again. Also - apart from me, you have nothing, no fruitfulness. But in the Christ, they have everything. This is the gospel.
But here was another lesson - in me you have forgiveness. Secondly, we are restored from sin to serve Christ. In verses 15-17, after breakfast Jesus turned to Peter, to restore him. Three times in the courtyard, Peter had denied Christ by a coal fire - “I do not know him.” So three times by another coal fire, by the seashore, Jesus asked him - “Do you love me?” The Lord didn’t ignore the sin, nor did he pretend it didn’t happen, but he confronted it, forgave him, and gave him a ministry. Remember that Peter had boasted to Christ in Mark 14:29 that “even if all fall away, I will not.” He claimed to have a love and commitment superior to all the others. But he failed. He loved his life more than Jesus.
So the Lord asked him - “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” Meaning, do you love me more than the other disciples? More than your nets, your boat, your old life? More than your reputation, your pride, your self-confidence? More than your life itself? Peter responded humbly - “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” But there’s a difference between what Christ asked, and how Peter answered. Christ asked - do you love me with agape love; a love that’s sacrificial, giving, and divine? Peter would’ve once answered “Yes!” to that, but now, could only respond by saying -“Yes, I love you with a phileo love;” with a brotherly and human affection. From this, we see that Peter has learned something. He knew he couldn’t manufacture the love that Christ required - he knew by his own strength, he couldn’t love divinely. He’d failed before - many times. So all he could do now was to cling to what he had in his imperfection, which was Christ.
Christ asked a second time if Peter would love him with a divine love; again, Peter could only muster up the commitment to love with human love. Christ asked a third time - but this time, he condescended to Peter’s weakness - “Do you love me with a human brotherly love?” And Peter responded with grief, in verse 17 - “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.” Now why did he grieve? We see from the text it’s because he knew Christ knew all things - that Peter did indeed love him with this human love. So why did he ask multiple times? But also implicit from the text, it’s because Christ stopped asking for this divine love - something Peter thought he couldn’t give. “You know everything. You know me better than I know myself. You know even now, my failure and weakness; that I’m not the man I thought I was. That I’ve failed in loving divinely. But you also know that I love you with what I have.” Three denials, then three questions with three weak responses. But this was Jesus’ purposeful way of restoring Peter by the coal fire - by confronting the sins, by Peter admitting his sins by his weak answers.
But then Jesus commanded him to serve him. And this command was given three times in slightly different ways - feed my lambs, shepherd my sheep, and care for my sheep. Before this, he didn’t take up the towel to wash feet. Before this, he thought a forgiveness of 7 times was generous. Before this, he fell asleep in Gethsemane, rebuked Jesus for wanting to do God’s will, was called Satan by Jesus, sank into the Sea of Galilee, and wanted to be first in the kingdom. But now that he was humbled, he could receive these commandments; he could love and serve others. So even though he himself only thought he could love with human love, Christ was commanding him to love with agape love. So even though he said he couldn’t, Christ was saying he could. His ministry as an apostle would not rest in his own strength, but his experience of God’s grace with Christ working through him.
If Peter did that, he’d love God’s people with divine love. Because that’s what Christ, the good shepherd does; and if the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, his shepherds would as well. So Christ here was delegating this role to Peter. The one who denied the Shepherd was now commissioned to feed the Shepherd’s flock. Peter, while doubting if he could, would.
And like Christ who loved divinely, it would cost Peter his life. Thirdly, we are restored to serve sacrificially and humbly. In verses 18-19, Christ spoke of Peter’s future - “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.” This was a prediction of Peter’s own martyrdom. This is how he’d feed the flock and love them - until he died. Church history records that Peter was crucified under Nero, likely in Rome, in the mid to late 60s AD. Tradition holds he requested to be crucified upside down, being unworthy to die in the same way Christ did. So Peter, who denied Jesus to save his own life, would now be given the grace to die for Jesus. He who tried to save himself would learn that true love was to give of himself. Just as Christ sacrificially gave of himself, Peter would also. That he who fled from the cross would be given strength to embrace the cross. And after giving this prediction, Jesus said simply - “follow me.” It was the call to sacrificial service. And this was no different from the call Peter received in the beginning. Come follow me, and I will make you fishers, or here, shepherds of men, a man who’d divinely lay down his life for the sheep. But Peter failed that calling then, but now, he was a restored man - a weak man, clinging on to Christ’s strength, to love. The call didn’t change - but the disciple did.
And it was a call to serve humbly. Peter in the past wanted to be first - and now knew that he’d be last - to die. And he had a natural curiosity, when he saw John the beloved disciple. So he asked Jesus in verse 21 - “what about him?” Meaning, what would happen to him? Will he die? Will he suffer? Will he have to endure this in loving the flock? The Lord simply said - “what’s it to you? You follow me!” Now, what’s going on here? Was it some kind of comparison - the same spirit as before? I don’t think so. I think it was genuine curiosity and concern. If Jesus had this path for him, one to shepherd and love God’s people until he tragically died, he probably was curious if others would die the same way. But the path for all Christians won’t be the same. We know John died of old age after he was exiled. But our path is simply to follow Jesus - to be his servant. Now, John himself knew of this conversation. In verse 24 he said he recorded this accurately. And the last verse - verse 25 - there was much more he could’ve written down because Jesus did many more things. What’s John saying here? That he was eyewitness of all of this. That was his calling. Peter’s was to love and die. John’s was to love and witness. And both of them served Christ sacrificially and humbly. And that’s Christ’s work in each of us. He’s using each of us failed sheep that have been redeemed, weak, and unable in and of ourselves, to serve him by loving others.
So what does this passage say to us? How can we apply it? We’re also restored from nothing to everything in Christ. We have nothing. Our intellect, our experiences, our worth - nothing. We must count them as dung. Our only fruitfulness in ministry is his. Peter recognized that. His fishing skills couldn’t reap anything. But only Christ in him, hauled up such a load. Only Christ in him, could cause him to love divinely. Only Christ in him, could caused him to serve sacrificially. And as God wasn’t done with him, when he was a bumbling disciple, he’s also not done with us. God called him to serve, and he calls us, because he forgives and enables us. Many of God’s people do feel disqualified by failures. But failures don’t define us, God restores. And the restoration happens when we acknowledge it. Let’s not hide our weakness, because the path to restoration includes confession. Maybe this evening, you are keenly aware of your failures. But our Lord whose eyes met with Peter’s at the first coal fire, fed him at the second - and he looks with compassion at you ready to fill you. Let him fill you. Come and dine. And then love Christ, not because you’re able, but because he helps you. And follow him - serving sacrificially and humbly. How can you love him? How can you love his people?
1. We Are Restored from Nothing to Everything in Christ
2. We Are Restored from Sin to Serve Christ
3. We Are Restored to Serve Sacrificially and Humbly
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2026, Rev. Mark Chen
Please direct any comments to the Webmaster
