( Sermon John 21, 1-14 ) [ German Sermon ] [ Announcements (German)382.61 KB ]
So now he's gone! So many things they did together; such a beautiful time!
But his death - the death of shame on the cross at that - that made no sense at all. It was just frustrating.
What remains? Only memories of such a beautiful time. One would like to turn the clock back again, but that is not possible. So, there is nothing left but to go on living the way you lived before. What remains?
Today's text is the first part of an extended narrative describing one of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances, an account recorded only by John.
Sermon text John 21:1-14
There they stand, the seven disciples. What are they supposed to do now? Go fishing - the same thing they did before they went with Jesus. Back to the daily business.
They spent the whole night on the lake and caught nothing. What remains? Simply nothing!
That's not the kind of start to everyday life one would wish for. And then this early riser there on the shore, watching you work and giving good advice and knowing everything better.
Jesus stands on the shore and enters the everyday life of the disciples.
"Children, do you not have anything to eat?" The compassionate question of a caring person reaches the disciples. Jesus sees the need and failure of the disciples. Jesus is standing on the shore, but "the disciples didn't know it was Jesus."
They simply did not recognise Jesus.
Surely that wouldn't happen to us! If you know someone, you recognise the person immediately, especially if you last saw them only a few days ago. But the disciples simply do not recognise Jesus, even though they saw him only a short time before.
We, yes we, would also realise immediately when Jesus meets us in our everyday life.
Would we? Fine, if that's how it is. But I know from my own experience that it is often not as easy as it seems at first. You are stuck in your everyday life. A quick phone call here, a doctor's appointment there, a quick trip to the bank and the authorities are already asking for new documents. Worries about how to meet your basic needs, sadness because you are alone. In such situations it is often difficult to perceive the environment at all, because one is so caught up in one's own everyday life. Nevertheless, Jesus enters into the everyday life of the disciples and into our everyday life as he did then with the disciples - unnoticed and yet with all his greatness and power. His power shows itself and can be experienced.
This is also what the disciples experience. "Then they threw out the net and could no longer pull it because of the multitude of fish". Experienced men who could work have no strength left. Jesus makes sure that the disciples make a huge catch. A net full of fish. Actually, totally super, except that the disciples are suddenly faced with a whole new problem. A full net and no strength!
At that very moment, the disciples realise who the man on the shore is. Jesus is standing on the shore - their Lord. It is the Lord who has made them part of a miracle. It was he alone who filled their nets. The disciples did not expect Jesus at all, otherwise they would have prepared something for him. They were completely unprepared for their encounter with Jesus.
Jesus is standing on the shore.
And Jesus also enters our everyday life, sometimes quietly and unnoticed, sometimes with all power and clarity. When Jesus enters our everyday life, he enters more into our perception, because actually he is always there. Do we expect an encounter with Jesus in what we do and how we behave in our everyday life? Are we prepared or do we get caught like the disciples?
Jesus comes and acts. Jesus intervenes in our needs and our wants, whether we are prepared for him or not.
Situations in which we, like the disciples, stood there empty-handed. And yet! They changed. Jesus is in everyday life, only where? Perhaps we should also sharpen our perception. In everyday life and also in worship. And sometimes there are situations where my eyes suddenly open. I remember church services I went to on Sunday morning without any expectation. But very often it happened to me that I experienced something in the service, that something spoke to me. A song, a word or just one of the church windows triggered something in me. It might just be a feeling, an encouragement, inner joy. It doesn't have to be anything big, but for me it's like Jesus tapping me on the shoulder and saying, "I'm here and I know what you need right now." I am there in your everyday life, not only in the service. I am there in your everyday life, in your daily worries and also where everything is going well and life is successful.
Encounters with Jesus in our everyday life can be very small, but also so big that we can no longer grasp them. Encounters with Jesus often turn out strangely, as in our story. Suddenly doors open in life that offer new opportunities. The miracle of having a new job or finding a partner. It is not always nets full of fish, but also conversations with people we need, support and the knowledge that we are not alone, words of encouragement or a Bible verse.
For the disciples, the fish were of vital importance. Fishing was their livelihood and for us it is other things. 153 fish were in the net. 153 - a strange number. Does Jesus' care end at 153 fish? 153 is the number that signifies absolute abundance. If the disciples had 153 fish in the net, then they had received everything that could possibly be received. Jesus gives everything and that in abundance - more is not possible!
The disciples' problem becomes a solvable task in the presence of Jesus and in fellowship with Jesus.
The disciples come to the shore and Jesus has made breakfast. Jesus eats with the disciples and gives them what they need. He knows that his disciples are really hungry after fishing. Jesus provides and cares for his disciples. A Lord who cares for his disciples with love and out of love in a fatherly, caring way. And what remains? The disciples are left with the knowledge that Jesus is alive and cares for them once and for all.
What remains for us? Jesus remains as the Risen One and is also present in our everyday life.
Jesus comes into our everyday life. One who remains - forever and ever... No aloneness, no emptiness in us, but the joy of having someone who is there and cares for us. He is there and remains - joy, fellowship, help and care come into our lives because he comes into our everyday life. What remains? Jesus remains.
Amen
