Following Jesus: Take care of my Sheep ...

This week's blog bible study emerges from my participation in a Recovery Worship Celebration sponsored by the Faith Partners Addiction Awareness Ministry at Ashford United Methodist Church.  Whenever we offer acceptance, love, forgiveness, or simply a quiet word of hope, we offer wholeness.  When we share each other’s burdens and joys, we become channels of healing grace.  No matter how timid or tired, selfish or crazy, young or old, we all have something important to offer each other.  We are endowed by God with the gift of healing grace.    Adapted from a statement by Dr. Eric Ram, the Director of International Health at World Vision (Healing Places, p 126) 

John 21:1-19      (Clip Art courtesy of the Bible Picture Gallery)  Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.  This is how it happened.  Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.      Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”     “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.   At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.  He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”      “No,” they replied.      Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.   Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.  The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.  When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.   “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said.  So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.     “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.  This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.     After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”     “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”     “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.      Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”     “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”      “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.      A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”     Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”     Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.     “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.”  Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” 

Context:  “This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.”   This means that Jesus had appeared to the disciples twice before, both encounters in last week’s reading (John 20:19-25 and 26-31).   After Jesus appeared to Mary alone at the tomb (who is not technically a “disciple” in the biblical understanding of the word but was a loyal follower John 20:1-18) … he appeared in his first appearance to all of the disciples, except Thomas, where he commissioned them to go forth, “I am sending you.”   A week later he appeared to the disciples, including Thomas, where he encouraged them to believe and have life “by the power of his name!”  Within one week, the disciples had two powerful spiritual experiences of the presence of Christ.  Yet as commonly happens after powerful spiritual experiences, there is a fading … it seems from the text that the disciples did not go out, or if they did, nothing happened. 

Going Deeper:  We drop in on the disciples being led by Peter, who seems to have been a man prone to very high highs and very low lows.  During one of his very low lows, he denied Jesus three times (John 18:15-18, 25-27) which is an important element to remember when reading this passage.    Often when we travel far outside our comfort zone to the place of “unknowing” we retreat to “what I know” when the going gets rough.   The passage says that Jesus appears later, but it doesn’t say how later.  It seems that later was just a bit too long for Peter.   He is a fisherman by trade, probably a good fisherman.   So he gets up to go and do what he does best … a little success will do a body good.  His community jumps up and rallies around their leader and friend.  Perhaps they are just as eager to get back to the business of living just as much as Peter is.  Can you imagine what it must be like, after all this time, to return to what you are good at and to fail miserably?   Into this very low, low … Jesus appears, a miraculous catch results, and he is recognized in abundance!  

We listen in as Jesus has a “healing” conversation with Peter.  “Do you love me?” Jesus asks Peter three times.  Yes says Peter emphatically, three times!  “Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep” is the newest 3-fold commissioning that Jesus gives Peter, and the disciples, and us!  Have you ever denied Jesus like Peter did?  What were your feelings at the time?  What were your feelings later?  What is the significance that Jesus gives Peter 3 opportunities to proclaim his love for Jesus?  Does this passage comfort you in the highs, the lows, the good, the bad and the ugly of your life?  

Pondering:  Think for a moment about this community of disciples (and followers).  Remember how they have lived together and grown together and how they stay together through the highs, the lows, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Human beings were created to be in community with each other.   In Genesis 2:18, God says, "It is not good for the man to be alone."   Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, 4:10: “If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.”   The community we choose to be a part of has an impact on the stories we create out of the lives we live. 

Once upon a time a long time ago, I was in high school and I was hanging around with a large group of young people who loitered together on one of the large parking lots in town.  Late at night everyone would go to the apartment of an older guy.  We were all underage so he would buy alcohol and supply drugs for these late night parties.  Well, I never really went to these parties because I just wasn’t into the whole drug and alcohol scene.   I think deep down I must have thought I was better than they were … because I didn’t need that stuff to be happy.   How arrogant I was!  One day I met this man and he decided he wanted to go out with me.   I’ll be honest with you … I was barely 16 and I had never been out on a date and I hadn’t kissed anyone in my life.  So I’m like, “I don’t think so.”   I finally agreed because of all of the pressure my “friends” were putting on me.  Well, let me tell you … this man was as smoooooth as polished glass … I’ll bet some of you know this man!   Well, when he was finished with me (which was about 6 months) I was very much into the whole drug and alcohol scene.  And I very much understood the blank stares of the many young girls that littered his parties.  It produced a tremendous feeling of stupidity.  Drinking became a very familiar and powerful “coping skill” for me, especially when I was feeling stupid ... a frequent feeling those days.  Drinking was “what I knew.” 

Today, I can tell you that even though I have been in recovery for years; my whole life has been affected by the residual consequences of the choices I made and the community I chose to be a part of in those early years.   Yet, I have been incredibly blessed, obviously, over the years to have had opportunities to learn and to grow with people who have faith in God’s healing grace.  I have chosen to be a part of loving Christian communities and I always seek a “safe” group to be a part of.  A safe group listens, accepts you where you are and walks with you never demanding that you change but always inviting you to learn and grow into the best you that you can be.  For truly no one can ever change another person unless that person wants to change!  Many years ago, I joined a small prayer and share group. In my small group we developed a deep trusting relationship.  We shared our lives … the ups, the downs, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  One day my life got really ugly … and I was experiencing a very low low.    

I went to my kitchen and walked around and around the island in the center of the room … I was crying and praying … and suddenly I could hear the 2 bottles of tequila that I had tucked away in the back of the top cabinet over the refrigerator calling my name.  But I kept walking and walking.  Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore.  I pulled a stool up to the refrigerator and climbed up on it, reached all the way into the back of the cabinet, and rescued those bottles from their 5 year exile.   I climbed down, put them on the counter, dusted them off and stared at them for awhile.  One of them was almost empty and the other one had never been opened.  I couldn’t resist anymore!  I took the cap off of the one that was almost empty and “I smelled it!”   WOW!  I felt like my best friend had come to visit.   Those feelings absolutely shocked me to the core of my being.  I rushed over to the sink and poured that little bit of tequila down the drain.  And I knew that I needed to share this little bit of ugly with the ladies in my prayer and share group.  I needed their support and I needed to feel the love they had for me.  Can you just imagine the look on their faces when I pulled a full, unopened bottle of tequila out and put it on the middle of the table in church kitchen?   I guess you could have heard a pin drop.  Well, one of my friends said she would take it … But wouldn’t be better if we poured it down the drain instead.  I just couldn’t do that right then.   And that was it ... not another word.   She accepted me right where I was.  No judgment.   She trusted that God was walking with me ...  She trusted that I was walking with God.  Finally one day I asked her to bring it back to me and together we poured that old bottle of tequila down the drain.  As the last drop of my counterfeit best friend fell into the sink, my “real” best friend and I stood together as the Spirit of Christ embraced us and showered us with the healing grace of God.  

Addiction feeds on isolation, rejection, and disconnection.  The spiritual life is healing to all people but it is especially critical in the recovery process of the addict and in the journey of those who love them.  The spiritual life is healing because it is about making unconditional (agape) “love” connections … with God, with the self, and with others.  Our journey consists of movement upward (toward God) and inward (toward self) and outward (toward others).

Think about your spiritual journey and the “love” connections you have made.   How have you made an upward connection with God?  How do you keep that connection alive and vibrant?   Do you have a place to worship with others?  Do you pray ... by yourself or with others? 


Think about your inward journey.  Just like the flight attendant on an airplane tells us that in case of a drop in cabin pressure we should put the oxygen mask on ourselves first, before we take care of the one traveling with us, how do you take care of yourself in order to be able to care for others in a healthy manner?    Where and with whom are you able to share your authentic self … the highs, the lows, the good, the bad, and the ugly?   If you don’t have a small group “community” would that be helpful to you?  How might you find people to start a small group?  If you have a small group where honesty is valued, why not express your gratitude to your soul friends.  

Think about your outward journey.  Have you ever been in an unhealthy relationship with someone who needs to be needed, getting their own needs met by helping you?  You may be in a co-dependent relationship.   Co-dependency often affects the loved ones of an addicted person.  Co-dependency is an emotional and behavioral condition that affects an individual’s ability to have a healthy, mutually satisfying relationship.  Visit the Mental Health America website for more information.   If you are in a small group or a community that does not provide a safe haven, are you ready to move on to healthier relationships?  How might that happen for you? 

Jesus asks us all: “Do you love me?” and then commissions us for service.  Take care of my sheep … As you think of the people in your life or in the world, who is God calling YOU to care for?  

Prayer:  Take a few moments and come to a calm place within yourself … Spend some time in silence and then lift up the name(s) of person(s) who came to your mind.   Visualize Jesus sitting with you and your friend(s) on the beach eating fish.  Suddenly Jesus looks at you with love and says, “Follow me ... ”  Pray your response ... journal if it is helpful to you as you discern your call to follow Jesus.