Backsliding: An Ever Recurring Possibility for the Church

The disciples abandon their mission for fishing. Jesus restores them through shared fellowship, renewing the church's calling to continue his work in the world.

John 21: 1-14

Originally, the Gospel of John ended with the twentieth chapter. The twenty-first chapter was an addition made by the early church in the context of backsliding of the church. Though the disciples had many encounters with the risen Jesus, they took these encounters for granted and went about their business as usual, without sufficiently paying heed to their calling and mission to be “fishers of men”. The appearance of the risen Jesus should not be an event locked in history, a past event frozen to be sentimentalised by posterity, but it should be a continuing experience of us as individual Christians and as a church. Today, we must be able to say that we have seen Christ and that he has appeared to us.

Jesus appeared to the disciples in Jerusalem and directed them to go to Galilee and wait for him in the mountain where they would meet him. Galilee is not a sacred place but a place of secular, humdrum and ordinary human activity. The disciples, unable to wait for Jesus’ appearance in the Galilees of their daily life, became bored and decided to go back to fishing, an occupation that they knew very well. When Peter says, “I am going fishing”, we can sense defeat, dejection and resignation. They failed to realise that they could bear fruit only when they stay connected with Jesus. They fished all night but caught nothing.

Jesus once told them, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15: 5). We cannot be satisfied with a one-time encounter with the living Jesus; we need to have a continual experience of his presence and fellowship. This story represents the story of the church. Though it had come into being after having an encounter with the risen Jesus, we, as a community of disciples, as the church, have failed to live in continual experience of him and bear witness to his transforming power. Hence, we have become barren and fruitless. The disciples fished all night, but caught nothing. Is this not our story as a church and as individual Christians?

Fishing is symbolic of the missionary work of the church; Jesus recruited the disciples and turned them into ‘fishers of men’. But now we find them a community that has lost this sense of mission. But Jesus has not given up on them; he follows them to the sea shore. Unrecognized, Jesus comes to their side. “Children, have you any fish?” (Jn 21:4) All his concern and love for them are found in these words: “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”

There are times when darkness descends on our life; when failure depresses us; when we no longer have courage or strength. Even though our eyes do not see, even though we do not recognize him, even though we see only darkness around us: he is standing at the shore of our life, deeply caring for us. Christ is near us, even when doubts and dejection torture us. He stands at the shore commanding us to cast the net to the right side of the boat, promising us a big catch.

The disciples did; they had such a big catch that they were unable to haul the net in. “Apart from me you can do nothing”; but with him, all things are possible to us. John, who had experienced this abundance of blessing at the beginning of their ministry during a similar fishing expedition, remembered how Jesus intervened to give them a similar catch of fish. He recognised Jesus and announced that the stranger in their midst is none other than Jesus Himself.

Peter reacted to this revelation as he had done when he was called almost three and a half years ago. At the time, he said to Jesus, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man”. He acknowledged his sinfulness and state of estrangement from God. He repeats the same here also, but not with words but by his action: “As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.” (Jn 21: 7) He realised that he was naked. In the intimacy of companionship, one does not feel one’s nakedness. But, when the intimacy is lost, we become conscious of our nakedness. This is what happened to our grandparents, Adam and Eve; after eating the forbidden fruit, when God called out to them, they felt their nakedness and hid themselves.

Now, Peter also experiences it. He realises that he is naked. But Jesus is standing on the shore inviting them to the intimacy of a table fellowship. Jesus is already there with a hot breakfast, another sign of his grace and provision: “When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread (John 21: 9).” But Jesus, truly reflecting the characteristic style of his ministry, did not want this to be a one-man show. Jesus invites them: “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” The disciples shared their catch of fish with Christ. They had the joy of not only an abundant catch of fish, a mission accomplished, but also the joy of having the intimacy of sharing a breakfast, a meal, with Jesus.

Jesus needed the five loaves of bread and two fishes from the disciples to feed the five thousand. Are we ready to bring the labours of our hands to the table? In a similar appearance in Luke’s gospel, the last appearance cited in the gospel, Jesus asks the disciples “Have you anything to eat?” (Lk 24: 41) Jesus invites us into a relationship of mutuality and not that of one-upmanship. The words of the institution of the Lord’s Supper echo in the words at this breakfast table as much as we heard it during the feeding of the five thousand: “He took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish”.

Mission is the joyous experience of fishing for people in the company of Jesus Christ: in his continuing, living and nourishing presence, and friendship. Jesus makes his presence felt in these table fellowships; the disciples recognise him in the breaking of the bread. He is both a host and a guest at these meal fellowships that the church celebrates every time they come together. Without Jesus, we can do nothing. While he is already there for us, it is important that we offer ourselves to him; we read in Revelation 3: 20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

The Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, is meant to continue and renew the transforming presence and friendship of the living and risen Christ and to offer ourselves for his mission of ‘fishing’ for people in Christ’s style in the world. We would definitely be for a big catch if we let him command us and direct us and be with us in our boats, if we have fellowship with him. A one-time encounter with the risen Lord is not enough; we need a continuing indwelling in him and experience of his living presence and transforming friendship.

~ Prayer ~

O God, the father of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ, forgive our failures in living up to our high calling in Jesus Christ; we acknowledge that we, instead of fishing for people as you commanded, have returned to our mundane chores of ‘fishing’ for our livelihood. But yet, we realise you are there at the shores of our life, waiting with a hot breakfast, and encouraging us to contribute our share of the catch and celebrate our life with you and our brethren. Thus renewed and refreshed, we may be able to become joyful witnesses of the inbreaking of the new reality of your reign in our midst. Amen.