THE RESURRECTION
OF Jesus is yearly celebrated at Easter, which is the oldest and most solemn
Christian feast and considered the center of the Liturgical Year. But what is the meaning of the raising of
Jesus from the dead? Admittedly, every
New Testament writer has his own distinctive understanding of what the Resurrection
of Jesus is all about, but in John, one of its meanings is mission. In John’s story of the Lord’s appearance on
the shore of Tiberias (John 21:1-19), that significance derives, as in Luke
5:10, from the symbolism of the fishing scene.
It may be recalled that before he was raised, Jesus promised that he
would draw all women and men to himself (John 12:32). Since he has been lifted up, he could now
fulfill his promise. If the Matthean
Christ commanded the Eleven to make disciples of all the nations (Matt 28:19),
that account has an equivalent in John in the instruction to throw the
net. And the meaning of the symbolism of
throwing the net is made clearer in another metaphor: the commissioning of
Peter to feed the lambs/sheep (John 21:15-17).
Of course, the mission remains the
risen Lord’s. The disciples are simply
his instruments. Christ takes the
initiative and sustains it. For this
reason, the success of the mission does not depend on the quality and effort of
the disciples. A doctorate degree, a
high IQ, one’s being honed at Hardvard Divinity School, the ability to attract
huge crowd—all this does not guarantee automatic success. Rather, it rests entirely on their obedience
to the word of the listen Lord. By their
own effort the disciples could not catch fish (21:6). Which reminds us of Jesus’ saying that
“without me you can do nothing” (15:5).
One may work in the mission with much effort, but without the presence
of the Lord, that mission would be fruitless.
No wonder then that the disciples were able to experience a miraculous
catch—the Lord called them to throw their nets and they obediently did so: “they cast it, and were not able to pull it
in because of the number of fish” (21:6).
But what is the purpose of throwing
the nets? If Jesus promised to draw all
to himself, if he asked his disciples to cast the nets, the object was the form
one community, one people coming from all nations. In this narrative, the net images the Church,
and the fishermen stand for its leaders.
The 350 kinds of fish represent all the races of men and therefore
universalism. (In his commentary on Ezek 47:9-12, St Jerome says that according
to the ancient naturalists there were 153 species of fish.) Thus, the mission of the Church is universal
salvation. Which reminds us of Jesus’
words: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also must I lead, and they will hear my
voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd” (10:16). His plan to gather all into one is reflected
in the prophecy of Caiaphas, the high priest, “that Jesus was going to die for
the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the
dispersed children of God” (11:32).
(It goes without saying that to say that salvation is only for those who
know the Bible, or who are born again or who accept Jesus as their Lord and
Savior is to misread John.) It is
interesting to note that although the fish were numerous, the net was not
broken (21:11). For John, this
symbolizes the unity of diverse believers that is to be preserved by the
leaders of the Church.
And how will the Church leaders
accomplish the mission? If a shift in
image may be permitted, it may be said that they will fulfill their mission by
shepherding (Ps 80:2; Isa 40:11; Jer 31:10) in love of Jesus. This is precisely the reason why Jesus asked
Peter thrice: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” For without such love, the pastoral efforts
of the shepherds or ministers of the Church (1 Pet 5:2-4; Act 20:28). will be
in vain. As Paul puts it, “If I have the
gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have
faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I
hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1
Cor 13:2-3).
This implies that the exercise of power proper to secular society or
to the military has no place in the Christian community. That Jesus repeatedly asked Peter the
question about love—this was meant to show that he had a devoted love for Jesus
(see Matt 26:33). Here, of course,
Peter, far from declaring it, merely appealed to Jesus’ intimate
knowledge: “Lord, you know everything;
you know that I love you” (John 21:17).
With this, John would have understood that freeing love for the
sheep is the essence of shepherding. A
priest who does not freely love his parishioners is scarcely worthy of
his pastoral office. Peter’s love for
the Lord was to be manifested in the taking care of the latter’s flock. Moreover, he also would shepherd them with
love because he was a disciple who loved (John 13:37).
Out of his love for Jesus, Peter
would have to deny his very self. In
contrast to the shepherds who, following their wicked inclination, did not
pasture the sheep with integrity (Ezek 34; Jer 3:15), he would not demand that
they serve him. On the contrary, he
would have to lay down his life for them: “A good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep” (John 10:11). As Jesus
was concerned with the good of the flock (John 10:3-4.14.27-30), so would Peter
who must feed and shepherd Jesus’ sheep.
That is why Peter could go where the unexpected awaited him (John
21:18). In the end, he proved his love
by dying a martyr’s death under Nero.
Such is the call of every ministers of the Lord: To testify to the
mission of salvation by dying for it and for the sheep in love.
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