The Shepherd’s Voice

Readings for Sunday, April 18^th
Acts 9:1-6
Rev 5:11-14
John 21:1-19

Feed My Sheep – The Shepherd’s Voice from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
Download The Shepherd’s Voice – Sermon Video (.mp4)

Our gospel text today is rich with food for thought. If we take the whole gospel into account we get mixed metaphorical messages that misinform. There have been some studies done about mixing metaphors.

Calvin College English department has collected some mixed metaphors for us to ponder here this morning as we begin to dissect the text. Listen to some of them:

• “She’s burning the midnight oil at both ends.”
• “It was so cold last night I had to throw another blanket on the fire.”
• “He’s up a tree without a paddle.”
• “Keep your ear to the grindstone.”
• “Sometimes you’ve gotta stick your neck out on a limb.”

Here’s one my mom used to say to us kids and at the time I never questioned it -

• “Don’t come running to me when you break your legs riding your bike that way.”

If we look at our gospel text today perhaps we might find these mixed metaphors:

• Let’s all become fish-herders for the sake of the gospel.
• Feed my fish – sounds a little peculiar don’t you think.

However, this shouldn’t stop us from taking today’s gospel message seriously. The first part of the gospel is all about Jesus giving direction and the results that occur when we actually listen and act accordingly.

Peter and friends have been fishing all night, but catch nothing. Jesus says children, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” Of course they switch sides and ‘now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.’

This is not just another fish story as Simon Peter counts out 153 fish. Does that seem odd to you? There have been some interesting thoughts around these 153 fish.

Cyril of Alexandria in the 5th century said that the 100 represented the fullness of the gentiles, the 50 symbolized the remnant of Israel and the three of course was there for the Trinity.

Another 5th century theory by Augustine was a little more complex. He said, there are 10 commandments and 7 is the perfect number of grace and that’s 17. Now if you add all the numbers from 1 to 17 together, you know 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 all the way up to 17 you’ll get 153. And not only that, but if you were to arrange them with 17 fish in the first row, and 16 in the next row, and 15 in the next row, all the way down to a row of 1 you get a perfect triangle which once again symbolizes the Trinity.

Jerome, who also lived in the 5th century, suggested that there were 153 different types of fish in the sea and this was symbolic of the church reaching all the people in the world.

I have a theory; you will need to listen very carefully as its based on a very complete and rigorous understanding of Lutheran theology.

There were 153 fish in the net.

That’s right, Luther said the best theological interpretation first takes the simple, straight forward words for what they are and does not add to them to understand scripture. Don’t get lost in the weeds when analyzing or interpreting scripture. There were 153 fish in the net.

They caught the fish based on Jesus direction, brought them to shore, counted them out and had breakfast. It’s what happened at breakfast that has a deeper and more important meaning for us this morning.

At breakfast Jesus asks Peter a very important question. “Simon son of John, do you love (ἀγαπάω (agapaō)) me more than these?” Peter gives a simple response, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love (φιλέω (phileō) favors an affection based on association) you.”

What’s interesting about this question is something we don’t see in the English translation of the text because in English we have but one word for love. In Greek there are four different words and the specific word we see in the text from Jesus is ἀγαπάω (agapaō), indicating a God form of love, a love that expects nothing in return.

When Peter responds he uses the term φιλέω (phileō) for love, which is more like having an affection for another person who is a friend, a companion. This kind of love is connection driven, it depends on the mutual feelings one person might have for another when you call a person friend.

Jesus is looking for something from Peter that is deeper than, yes, sure, I’m your friend. Jesus asks the question three times, and still on the third try Peter still replies with the term φιλέω (phileō). If Jesus was asking you this question today, how would you reply?

What we’ve talked about so far is interesting, but less significant than how Jesus responded to Peter each time Peter said yes Lord you know I love you. Look at our text again, verses 15, 16, and 17. Jesus uses some terms that may sound a little strange in our 21st century mind. He uses agricultural terms:

“Feed my lambs”
“Tend my sheep”
“Feed my sheep”

To the uninitiated ear, the untrained ear, the un-agricultural ear these all seem about the same, however, I grew up on a farm and let me to tell you how they differ in my ear.

“Feed my lambs” – When my dad would say go feed the calf or calves as it were, it meant that they needed to kept alive. Maybe it was to help the little baby calf find its mother, or maybe it was to feed a young calf with a bottle because it wasn’t getting enough nourishment from the mother and if I didn’t do it, they would die.

As Christians, once we have been born anew by God’s grace, once we have been called by the love of Christ, we may be new to the faith, new to the church, or God might be once again reinitiating us in the kingdom, we need to be fed otherwise we will die. This is critical work, demanding work, but I believe most of us who know Christ can feed a baby calf or lamb as referred to in scripture.

“Tend my sheep” When my dad asked me to tend the sheep or cattle it was all about getting the milk cows healthy food. It was about herding them to and from fresh grass, good pastures. It was about providing wholesome food, food that would bring about good results in the life of the herd.

God calls us to the same task as Christians. We are as Luther said, one beggar showing another beggar where to find food, good food, wholesome food, food that allows all to produce abundant milk, abundant fruit of the spirit. (Gal 5:22-23) Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

“Feed my sheep” Again, I can hear the words of my father asking me to feed all the livestock. The Greek word here for feed is βόσκομαι (boskomai) or graze. It involves watching over the cattle, all the cattle who may be in the fields grazing on left over corn in the field or the hay that didn’t get picked up during baling.

This task requires responsibility, trustworthiness. In Christian terms it means we need to watch out for one another in love, all the cattle. Paul in writing to the church in Thessalonica said it this way: (1 Th 5:9-11) For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
We may have started off with mixed metaphors, but we end with a clear message of mission. Feed my sheep. Just like Jesus gave good direction for Peter after he had caught no fish, Jesus said put your net on the other side of the boat and they were filled, overflowing. That’s the way grace works. God provides it free, abundantly, packed down, overflowing…. (1 Tim 1:12-14) Listen to God’s encouragement!
God provides when we listen. This gospel message is all about God’s grace, Christ’s love, and our hands working in response to God’s call to, Feed my sheep.
Jesus used a simple term, a simple statement to summarize all of this, he said “Follow me.” When we follow Christ, when we can say with confidence “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you, he will give us the encouragement to Feed my sheep.

Amen

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