“Feed My Sheep”

John 21: 1-17

Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, May 18, 2025

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for the whole day. Teach a man to fish, and you'll get rid of him for the whole weekend!” Well, today we are talking about fishing. As I read today’s scripture, I began to wonder what thoughts were going through Peter’s mind. Perhaps he thought, “It's all over.” The past three years with Jesus were great. Jesus had healed the sick, given sight to the blind, fed the multitudes with just a few fish and five loaves of bread. Peter had even seen him walk on water and calm a raging storm. Now it was over. Jesus was dead. OK, he had somehow miraculously appeared to them after his death, but then he was gone again. How would they continue without him? If they preached to the multitudes, who would listen if Jesus wasn’t there? Could he perform miracles like Jesus did?

And besides, Peter had betrayed Jesus – well, not like Judas, good riddance to him – but he had denied that he even knew Jesus – three times! How could he ever live that down? He knew that that shame would follow him the rest of his life.

So Peter went back home to Galilee – back to what he had done before he met Jesus – he went fishing. Who’s coming with me, he asked? Several of the other disciples said they would: Thomas, Nathaniel, his old fishing buddies James and John, and a couple more. So they got in the boat and went out on the lake.

Maybe the sun was setting amid pink, orange, and purple clouds – the fishing was better at night. It’s peaceful out on a boat then with the brilliant stars shining down, little waves lapping as the nets swish into the darkened waters. A good way to forget all your troubles. But after fishing all night, they caught nothing. Peter had never felt so discouraged in his life.

Not only had he failed as a disciple, he had failed as fishermen, too – something he had thought he was good at. That night, Peter felt hopeless as never before.

Many of us have been feeling hopelessness at the state of affairs in our nation and the world. Several of you have asked me how to find hope in these difficult times. Let’s see if what happened to Peter and the others can offer us any hope for our lives.

As the dawn broke, a stranger called to them from the shore, “Children, you have no fish, have you? Cast the net to the right side of the boat and you will find some.” With nothing to lose, they cast their net one last time into the sea, and, amazingly, they hauled up so many fish that the net was too heavy to lift up over the side into the boat.

John was the first one to recognize the stranger: “It is the Lord!” he shouted. Whenever sorrow or despair overcomes us, it’s easy to forget that Jesus is there. Those first disciples were longing for Jesus’ physical presence. They had to learn to look for Jesus’ spiritual presence, and so do we. John recognized Jesus’ hand in the miraculous catch of fish. When we are blessed in an extraordinary way, do we see God’s hand in it? Giving thanks to God for life’s blessings, even in the midst of discouragement, can give us hope. The God who created the universe still has power to help us.

        When he realized it was Jesus, Peter threw off his robe and jumped into the sea, swimming ashore as fast as he could. Despite his failures, Peter was eager to see Jesus, to spend time with him, maybe to ask his forgiveness, if it was possible. In times of trouble, some are tempted to stay away from God,

to blame God, or to be angry with God. Yet, if in the midst of discouragement and doubt, we can draw closer to Jesus, we will find strength and wisdom to go on.

In the case of the disciples, strength came from a seaside meal. “Come have breakfast,” Jesus said, as he gave them bread and broiled fish. They were hungry after fishing all night. Jesus provided physical sustenance for their bodies. God wants us to take care of ourselves. After all, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Paul reminded us. You’ve probably heard, “You can’t take care of anyone else, if you don’t take care of yourself.” Taking care of ourselves physically can help our mental outlook as well.

This breakfast on the beach has been likened to communion – just as we need food for our bodies, we also need food for our souls. Staying close to Christ, listening to his words,

gathering for worship, studying the Bible – all these things can help us in times of discouragement and hopelessness.

In our Thursday Bible study this past week, we read Romans 12:9: “hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” This juxtaposition seems to imply that holding on to the good will help us reject evil and even overcome it. Eugenie Gamble, in her book on the fruits of the spirit advises, “…each day we are to cling to the good, even in our opponents, as to a rope thrown to a person gone overboard. What are the truly good things in your life and in our world? Today make a list of at least ten Spirit goodness things. Print the list and put it in your wallet or on your phone. When you take out your wallet …or your phone…, read over the list. When you feel tempted to focus on the harsh and the negative, add to your list of goodness instead…Today, thank God for every good gift.”

Being thankful for what is good in our lives puts things in perspective, and can make us feel more hopeful.

After their breakfast with Jesus, we find best-known part of the story. Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each time, Peter says yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Each time Jesus tells Peter, “Feed my sheep,” or similar words. Theologians believe that Jesus asks Peter to affirm that he loves him three times to make up for the three times that Peter denied him the night of Jesus’ arrest. Like all of us, Peter needed God’s forgiveness. And it is there, simply for the asking: As the Psalmist wrote: “I confessed my transgressions to the Lord, and you [Lord] forgave the guilt of my sin.”

Then Jesus gave Peter a task: “Feed my sheep.” When we feel hopeless and discouraged, it’s good to remember: God has also given us a task.

Jesus’ command, “Feed my sheep” is not just Peter’s work. It is also ours. Jesus doesn’t say to feed all the sheep in the world, but he asks us to do what we can. Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds, “he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” So many people today are like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus wants us to reach out to others, those we agree with and those we don’t. Just as Jesus fed his disciples that morning, we are to feed them – both spiritual and literal food. The ancient Jews saw people as whole human beings – they did not divide body and spirit as we tend to. And besides, how can we preach the gospel to people who are literally starving, and not show compassion for their needs? In Matthew 25 Jesus says that if we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and welcome the stranger – that includes immigrants, whether legal or not – we have done these things to him.

In clothing the naked, caring for the sick, visiting the prisoner, it is as if we have done these things for Jesus Christ himself.

“Feed my sheep” also includes spiritual food – sharing the good news of forgiveness in Jesus’ name, of God’s love and care for us and for all creation. How will people know that God loves them if we, as Christians, do not show them compassion and kindness? This is why I chose the painting on the cover of our bulletins today. It shows Dorothy Day, known for her works of charity and social activism, feeding a homeless man, identified as Christ by his halo, based on Jesus’ saying in Matthew 25, “As you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.” As she sits with the unhoused person, she puts her hand on his shoulder in solidarity and appears to be encouraging him – thus providing food for the soul as well as for the body.

Author Eugenie Gamble advises, “Look for one small thing that you can do today to make a difference for the good in the life of another.” We cannot fight all the evil in the world at once, nor does God expect us to. But we can focus on one area that concerns us and try to make a difference.

Today we have the opportunity to put our faith into practice by writing letters to our elected representatives on behalf of Bread for the World. It is a small but significant action. What else can we do? I challenge each of us to find some small task and to do it. Work together with others. Don’t forget to pray, worship, and seek encounters with Jesus to strengthen you in your work.

I will conclude with blessing from Pope Leo XIV:

God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! All of us are in God’s hands.

So let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another! We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together, as one people, always at peace.”

Amen.

©Deborah Troester, 2025