Called to Care

May 3, 2026 homily on John 21:1-17 by Pastor Galen

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’” – John 21:15

After a Big Event
This is the time of year when there are a lot of major events. For families with children, there are proms and graduations, recitals, tournaments, final exams, award ceremonies, and the list could go on.

Even if you don’t have children at home, there are other events we might be excited about, like Opening Day for the Orioles which took place several weeks ago and Preakness coming up in a few weeks. Some of you may have big events in the life of your family, such as weddings or family reunions that you’re looking forward to.

After a big event, some people just want to curl up in a ball and relax. Or, as the campus minister of the college I attended used to say, “I’m going to go home and twitch in the corner.”

Other people, after a major event, just can’t sit still. They’re so filled with energy that they feel like they have to get up and do something.

Going Fishing

I don’t know whether it was pent-up energy or the desire to be in a peaceful and calm environment that led Peter to go out fishing on the Sea of Galilee in John 21, but I do know that he had just been through several major world-changing events back to back in the span of just a few weeks, starting with Jesus’ arrest and trial and subsequent crucifixion and then resurrection three days later, and then his appearances to the disciples. These significant events were really just the capstone of what must have felt like a roller coaster ride over the past few years as Peter and the other disciples had left everything to follow Jesus. Over those years there had been highs, literally, like when Peter witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. There were significant lows too, like when Peter denied that he even knew Jesus while Jesus was being tried and convicted and sentenced to death.

For several weeks after Jesus’ death, the disciples had locked themselves in a room, as we know from the previous chapter, where Jesus appeared to them in that locked room. Maybe Peter just couldn’t stand being cooped up anymore and he had to go out and work off some energy, and that’s what led him to announce that he was going to go out fishing.

On the other hand, it’s possible that the Sea of Galilee was his “happy place” —  the one place where he could gain a semblance of peace and quiet, away from the noise and crowds in Jerusalem. Perhaps going out to sea at night and waiting for the fish to bite could be seen as Peter’s equivalent of going home and twitching in a corner.

Either way, for Peter, going fishing represented going back to the life he had before he had met Christ. Perhaps after denying Jesus, Peter felt like he had failed at being a disciple and so he decided to go back to doing what he knew he was good at —  fishing. Except that night, even fishing wasn’t working out so well for him. He and the other disciples fished all night and caught nothing.

But then a lone figure standing on the seashore called to them, telling them to throw their nets on the other side of the boat. And when they did, they caught so many fish they couldn’t even haul in their nets. Peter realized it was Jesus, and he jumped into the water and swam to the shore while the other disciples hauled in the fish. When they got to the shore, they noticed a charcoal fire with fish and bread cooking on it, and Jesus invited them to come and have breakfast with him. 

Breakfast on the Beach with Jesus
There’s something so beautiful and poetic about this scene. Breakfast on the beach at sunrise with Jesus. In the stillness and quietness of the morning, Jesus feeds his disciples.

There’s only one other time in the whole Bible where we’re told that an event takes place around a charcoal fire. Of course, charcoal was probably a standard fuel for fires, so just because it’s not mentioned doesn’t mean it was rare, but it may mean that the author wants us to notice the connection. The other time when a charcoal fire is mentioned is just a few chapters earlier in John 18, when Peter denied Jesus while sitting around a charcoal fire outside the high priest’s home while Jesus was being tried and convicted.

For Peter, the charcoal fire on the beach with Jesus may have brought this painful memory of one of his biggest failures to the surface, when out of fear Peter lied and told a servant girl that he didn’t even know Jesus. But this time, Jesus gives Peter a chance to respond differently. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him, and each time Peter affirms that he does. And then Jesus says to Peter, “Feed my sheep,” and, “Feed my lambs.”

The Good Shepherd
The imagery of God as a shepherd can be traced throughout the Bible. Most notably, it appears in Psalm 23, where the psalmist says that the Lord is my shepherd. Ezekiel 34 says that God will search out the lost sheep, bring them in, bind up their wounds, and tend to them. And that God will feed them.

In John 10, Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd, that he cares for his sheep. And here on the beach next to the Sea of Galilee, Jesus is caring for his ‘sheep’. He has searched out Peter, going to the exact place where he knew Peter would be, fishing, just as when he first called him. Jesus knows that Peter is wounded —  a self-inflicted wound, that is causing him shame and guilt. Jesus invites him to rest, and feeds and binds up that wound by restoring Peter in his relationship with him and giving Peter the opportunity to reaffirm his love.

And then Jesus reinstates Peter, extending to Peter the invitation to take on the role of a shepherd after Jesus ascends to heaven. Jesus invites Peter, and the other disciples, to be those who feed the sheep.

Feed My Sheep
I find it interesting that here Jesus uses this analogy of feeding sheep rather than the earlier analogy of fishing for people. Fishing for people involves bringing people in, inviting them to follow Jesus. Tending to sheep is a very different kind of image. It involves those who are already part of the flock, including those who may have wandered away and need to be found again. It is an image of attentiveness and care.

Just a few weeks after Jesus and Peter have breakfast on the beach, it will be evident what Jesus meant when he said previously that Peter would become a fisher of people. On the day of Pentecost, Peter will preach an impromptu sermon that results in 3,000 people becoming followers of Christ and joining the Church. Talk about a huge catch of ‘fish’!

But here Jesus wants Peter to understand that bringing people in is just the beginning. Being a leader involves not just gathering people, but also caring for them, searching for them when they wander away, tending to their wounds, and walking alongside them.

There’s a reason that we use the word “pastor” when we speak of spiritual leaders in the church. The word “pastor” is rooted in the Latin word for “shepherd.” Leading people involves caring for them, shepherding them. But this is not just the role of people with the title ‘pastor’. It’s the role of every leader who has been given the responsibility to care for others, whether in a church or home context, whether you are caring for children, teens, or adults. Good leadership involves tending to those under your care, not just making sure they have what they need physically, but also nurturing their spiritual lives.

Fishing and Shepherding
Leadership in the church involves both fishing and shepherding. There is a call to reach out and welcome new people into the life of the church, and there is also a call to care for those who are already part of the community.

At times, it can be easy for churches to lean more heavily in one direction or the other, focusing on growth without the same level of attention to care, or focusing inwardly without the same sense of outward invitation.

As I think about our context here at Hampden UMC, I wonder what it would look like for us to keep both of these aspects in mind. Certainly, we should always be looking for opportunities to ‘fish for people’, thinking of ways to help people encounter the goodness and grace that Jesus offers.

At the same time, when they do come, we need to make sure they are cared for.

When people walk through the doors of our church, they are often looking for connection. They’re looking for meaning, and purpose. And they are looking for community — people who will walk with them when life is difficult, who will listen to them and pray with them, and who will share in both the joys and the struggles of life. 

Big events can be great. Certainly in the life of a church, events like church anniversaries and Christmas Eve services and Easter are critical celebrations in the life of the church, and can certainly help to draw people in and point them to Christ. But the work of the church doesn’t end there. It’s often after the big events are over, in the weeks that follow, on a normal Sunday when a visitor walks through the door searching for community, when the work of healing takes place. 

The relationships that are formed in the life of the church are meant to grow over time. This is part of what it means to feed the sheep, not just catching them and bringing them in, but offering the kind of care and connection that people need.

Conclusion 

When I think about Jesus preparing breakfast and inviting his disciples to sit and eat with him, it reminds me that this is where ministry often begins. It often begins with taking the time to sit with people, to listen to them, to feed them, to extend grace to them, and to walk alongside them in whatever they may be carrying. 

This morning, may we be encouraged to remember that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, that we are sheep of His fold. He searched for us when we were lost and found us. It is through his mercy and grace that we have been healed. 

May we receive the healing and forgiveness that Jesus offers, and may we, like Peter, learn what it means to feed Christ’s sheep.

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection

1. After a significant event or season in your life, do you typically respond by seeking rest, staying busy, or returning to something familiar?
2. Can you think of a time when you felt like Peter, returning to something familiar after a disappointment or failure?
3. What stands out to you about the way Jesus meets the disciples with a meal before asking anything of them?
4. Where might you be called to care for others in simple, attentive ways this week?
5. What might it look like for you to take part in both inviting others into community and caring for those already around you?