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JESUS RECALLS, RESTORES, AND REPURPOSES FAILURES.
In the name + of Jesus.
C: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Simon Peter was a failure. He never thought he would be. He had even boasted about it. Despite Jesus’ warning to him that Peter
would deny him, Simon Peter insisted, “Even if I have to die with you, I
will never deny you” (Matthew 26:35).
Peter had even compared his commitment to that of the other disciples: “Even
if all fall away, I will not” (Mark 14:29). But just a few hours later, Peter denied any
association with Jesus three times. St.
Luke tells us that Jesus and Peter had exchanged a look at each other right
after Peter’s denials. Crushed in
spirit, Peter left the courtyard of Caiaphas and wept bitterly over his failure.
You can imagine
how horrible Peter felt. After all his
boasting, Peter failed. After exalting
himself over his fellow apostles, Peter failed.
The others may have fled from Jesus, but only Peter denied him. Since Jesus had been executed, there was no
chance to make things right with Jesus.
Guilt. Shame. Regret.
Failure. It all piled up.
Then there
were the reports on that Sunday morning from a number of women who had gone to
the tomb. It was empty! There was a message from an angel at the
tomb: Jesus had risen! The angel also
had given the women a message for the apostles.
“Look, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him” (Matthew 28:7). So, after a week or so, the apostles went to
Galilee to wait for Jesus.
Simon
Peter was never that good at waiting. He
told his fellow apostles, “I am going fishing” (John 21:3). He may not have been good at being a
disciple, but he could still do that.
The disciples spent the night on the water, but caught nothing. In the gray of the morning, a figure on the
shore asked them, “‘Boys, don’t you have any fish?’ ‘No!’ they answered. He told them, ‘Throw your net on the right
side of the boat and you will find some.’ So they cast the net out. Then they were not able to haul it in because
of the large number of fish” (John 21:5-6).
This should sound familiar. About three years prior, Jesus had sat in Simon’s
boat and taught the crowds while the disciples were mending their nets. They had not caught anything that night, either. After teaching, Jesus told Simon and the
others to go out into the deep waters for a catch. It was the wrong time and the wrong place, but
they went out at Jesus’ word. They
caught such a remarkable catch of fish that both boats began to sink. Peter recognized that the man in the boat was
no mere man. He fell at Jesus’ knees and
pleaded, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord” (Luke 5:8). Being in the presence of God, Simon had become
acutely aware of his failures. He did
not want to be reminded of his sins. He
certainly did not want to be condemned for them. His solution was to beg the Lord to
leave. But Jesus loved Simon too much to
leave him. He had a new purpose for him—to
become a full-time disciple of our Lord.
When Simon Peter was in the company of
friends, he boasted about his allegiance to Jesus. When he was surrounded by unfriendlies, he
was afraid and he failed. Like Peter, we
are often influenced by the people we are surrounded by. We care too much about what other people think
of us. We care too much about what we
think they think of us. Because we are
afraid of their scorn, we adopt their manners.
Longing for acceptance from the godless will cause us to shrink from
godliness. If your coworkers drop all
kinds of vulgarities into their speech, you may find yourself copying
them. If your friends talk about their
drunken escapades, you may find yourself bragging about behavior that you
should be ashamed of. Because the world glamorizes
carnal pleasures, people can make us feel ashamed for chastity. It is as if they are appalled and ask, “You
are not one of his disciples, too, are you?”
It is an accusation more than a question. Like Peter, we fail. That kind of shame eats at you because you can’t
ever forget it.
You
are not alone. Do you think Simon Peter
ever forgot how he denied Jesus? Do you
think St. Paul ever forgot that he persecuted Christians? Do you think David ever forgot his affair with
Bathsheba and his killing of her husband to cover it up? Odds are, you will not forget your failings,
either. You could be like Simon Peter and
beg for the Lord to go away. Worse, you could
be like Judas Iscariot who was overwhelmed with grief and killed himself. Judas chose to die for his own sin, which
saved no one.
Dear Christians, rejoice in this: The Lord
Jesus did not come into this world to rub your sins in your face. Rather, the Lord Jesus came to take your sins
from you. Though all his disciples
failed him, he appeared to them and greeted them, “Peace be with you” (John
20:19,21,26). That peace is yours,
too. Jesus did not fail you in his work
as your Savior. He claimed responsibility
for all your sins so that he could pay the price for them. He did not fail to suffer the blows of
injustice, of brutish soldiers beating him, of the scourge ripping his back open,
or of the nails piercing his wrists and feet.
He did not fail to drink the cup of God’s wrath down to its last drops,
taking into himself the full punishment for all iniquities. Jesus did not fail to atone for any sin—not denial,
not betrayal, not even blasphemy or any failure that haunts you.
This Savior who went into death made it a point
to see Simon Peter after he had risen from the dead. He did not come bearing a grudge. He did not express regret for his horrendous sufferings
and death. He came in mercy. He had compassion. Jesus recalled, restored, and repurposed the
failed disciple. That’s why this time
Simon Peter did not beg Jesus to go away.
The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard, “It is the Lord!” he
tied his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the
sea” (John 21:6-7).” Simon Peter wanted
to get to Jesus as fast as he could, knowing that he is the one who covers our
sins with his innocence. Jesus recalled
and restored Simon Peter, no longer regarded as a failure, but as a faithful
disciple.
Now, forgiveness restores us to God’s favor,
but it does not erase all consequences.
The man who embezzled from his company will have to go to jail. The man who cheated on his wife may have to pay
alimony and child support. The woman who
gossiped about her sister may never get invited back to her house. The pastor who is guilty of scandalous living
is no longer eligible to serve as a pastor, having sullied the name of Jesus
Christ before the world. Being restored
to God’s favor does not reverse the damage that was done. David’s repentance did not bring Uriah back
to life. So, you may have to suffer the
consequences of your failures and bad choices for now. But do not confuse the consequences with God’s
wrath. Jesus has endured the full
curse. There is no curse left for you. God is not angry; he bestows grace and peace.
Simon Peter had denied being a disciple of
Jesus three times. So, where did that
leave him regarding his position as an apostle?
Could he ever have the right to hold such authority again? In an act of pure grace, Jesus recalled,
restored, and repurposed this failed apostle.
Just as Peter had denied Jesus three times, so also Jesus asked Peter
three times, “Do you love me” (John 21:15,16,17)? It is as if Jesus reversed Peter’s denials. Then, three times, Jesus commissioned him: “Feed
my lambs” (John 21:15). “Be a shepherd
for my sheep” (John 21:16). “Feed my
sheep” (John 21:17). After an earlier
miraculous catch of fish, Jesus gave Peter a new purpose as his disciple. After this miraculous catch of fish, Jesus
repurposed and restored him to apostleship.
The Lord recalled, restored, and repurposed the one who had failed.
The love that Jesus had for Peter filled his
heart with both gratitude and conviction.
Toward the end of his life, Peter demonstrated his conviction to the
Lord Jesus. This time when Peter was
facing dire consequences for being a disciple of Jesus, he did not fail to
confess. Jesus assured Peter that he
would receive the strength to make the bold confession with his very life. Jesus told him, “‘Amen, Amen, I tell you:
When you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out
your hands, and someone else will tie you and carry you where you do not want
to go.’ Jesus said this to indicate the
kind of death by which Peter would glorify God” (John 21:18-19). Tradition tells us that Peter was sentenced to
die by crucifixion. In humility, Peter declared
that he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. So, the Romans turned his cross upside down
and crucified him that way. Peter was
willing to suffer all things, even death, rather than fail his Lord. Peter departed this life not as a failure,
but as a faithful disciple of Jesus.
It is unlikely that you will be asked to
glorify God in a martyr’s death. But you
are presented every day with opportunities to glorify God. These may not seem to you like great acts of
courage, or even noticeable events. But
God knows. And the world will recognize
it, too. When the Holy Spirit sets you
apart for godliness, you will stand out in a godless world. The world will not stop trying to influence
you to turn from God. You will either be
encouraged to embrace wickedness or be ridiculed because you won’t. The pressure can get uncomfortable. The temptations can be intense. You may even fail.
But the Lord Jesus recalls, restores, and
repurposes failures. David failed, and
he was recalled to the Lord’s kingdom. Peter
failed, and he was restored to apostleship.
Paul failed, and he was repurposed to preach the faith he once tried to
destroy. If you fail, then flee to
Jesus. Confess your sins in private
absolution to hear Jesus’ words of pardon.
Flee to this altar to receive the body and blood which were given and
shed for you. The Lord will not treat
you as a failure. He will recall you to
God’s kingdom. He will restore you to God’s
favor. And he will repurpose you to be one
who lives and serves for his honor. If
you’ve sinned against your spouse, repent and commit yourself to seeking your spouse’s
good. If you’ve cheated your company, repent
and dedicate yourself to faithful employment.
If you’ve gossiped, lied, or cursed, repent and pledge your mouth to honesty,
decency, and blessing. The God who
restores you also repurposes you to a godly life. For this is good and right and pleases our
Savior.
“How blessed is the person whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How blessed is the person whose guilt the Lord does not charge against him” (Psalm 32:1-2). This is why, like Peter, we run to Jesus. The Lord recalls, restores, and repurposes failures. With him there is forgiveness. With him, sinners find peace, and failures are made faithful.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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