Some mornings we wake with the ache of failure still warm on our hearts — the places we blew it, the promises we broke, the doors we stepped away from. John 21 meets that ache head-on: a burned-out fisherman, an unexpected breakfast on the beach, and a patient, piercing question from the risen Lord. It matters because it shows how Jesus meets our shame with provision, restoration, and a call that is both loving and demanding.
After the resurrection Jesus appears again to some of the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Peter and others have gone back to fishing but catch nothing until Jesus, standing on the shore, tells them to cast on the right side; they haul in a great catch. They share a charcoal-fire breakfast of fish and bread. Then Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”—a deliberate response to Peter’s three denials—and commissions him to “feed my sheep,” calling him to care for the community. He also predicts the manner of Peter’s death and gently rebukes curiosity about John’s fate: “What is that to you?”
This scene reveals Jesus’ tender authority. He doesn’t humiliate Peter; he restores him publicly and entrusts him with responsibility. The Kingdom Jesus brings is about mercy that leads to mission: grace doesn’t erase accountability. There’s also a pastoral boundary here — every follower has a calling; comparing callings distracts from obedience. The weight of the moment is heavy: resurrection life includes forgiveness, provision, and a summons to serve despite our failures.
That summons is your invitation today. Start small and concrete: confess one specific failure to Jesus, receive his forgiveness, then do one act of care for someone in your orbit — cook a meal, make a caring call, serve on a team, or gently shepherd someone younger in faith. If pride tempts you to ask about others’ roles, answer Jesus’ question to you instead: “Do you love me?” Let your love be visible in service. Feed his sheep where you are, trusting his provision and his call, even if the net feels empty now.
After the resurrection Jesus appears again to some of the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Peter and others have gone back to fishing but catch nothing until Jesus, standing on the shore, tells them to cast on the right side; they haul in a great catch. They share a charcoal-fire breakfast of fish and bread. Then Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”—a deliberate response to Peter’s three denials—and commissions him to “feed my sheep,” calling him to care for the community. He also predicts the manner of Peter’s death and gently rebukes curiosity about John’s fate: “What is that to you?”
This scene reveals Jesus’ tender authority. He doesn’t humiliate Peter; he restores him publicly and entrusts him with responsibility. The Kingdom Jesus brings is about mercy that leads to mission: grace doesn’t erase accountability. There’s also a pastoral boundary here — every follower has a calling; comparing callings distracts from obedience. The weight of the moment is heavy: resurrection life includes forgiveness, provision, and a summons to serve despite our failures.
That summons is your invitation today. Start small and concrete: confess one specific failure to Jesus, receive his forgiveness, then do one act of care for someone in your orbit — cook a meal, make a caring call, serve on a team, or gently shepherd someone younger in faith. If pride tempts you to ask about others’ roles, answer Jesus’ question to you instead: “Do you love me?” Let your love be visible in service. Feed his sheep where you are, trusting his provision and his call, even if the net feels empty now.
John: 21:1-23
After Jesus appears to several disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, he directs them to a miraculous catch of fish and shares breakfast with them on the shore. He then three times restores Peter—ordering him to "feed" Jesus’ sheep and predicting Peter’s death—and, when questioned about the beloved disciple’s fate, tells Peter to follow Jesus rather than worry about another’s destiny.
Open Verse