About This Guide: This weekly groups guide, “Life to the Full,” is designed as a companion to our Eastertide / Pentecost 2022 teaching series, fostering discussion, study, and prayer, especially in a group setting. Join a group for a meaningful way to connect to our community.
exploring Lies
Teaching Text: John 21:1-22
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it,and some bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
Themes
Consider these themes and ask your group what else they see in the passage:
Shame
Despair
Presence
Take a moment of silence and think about these questions:
Name the worries and distractions you may have right now.
Tell God how they worry you and ask him to lift the burden they are off your shoulders. Entrust the most significant parts of your life to him.
Confess any hopelessness and invite him to bring hope.
Formation
Thoughts and notes you can use for discussion:
Eastertide is about LIFE TO THE FULL that Jesus offers and the primary barriers to that FULL LIFE
Acts We see Peter do remarkable things after he denied Jesus.
What we do see is Peter’s life stretch out from this breakfast healed of shame and despair
We know there is a man missing from this breakfast. Judas. He followed his shame and despair into the grave.
2 PATHS from failure
Both Peter and Judas failed Jesus in significant ways in the lead up the Cross.
We know they both felt awful and wanted to make things right on some level
Judas took his own life in his shame and despair
Peter brought his to Jesus and was healed over a process.
Shame threatens to smother the image of God in us
Shame can trap us in despair
Shame threatens the unique good that we can offer and do in the world
God wants to lift shame and restore lives so that we can live in the fullness of our true identities and callings
there is freedom and joy we are missing
this is some courageous good
there is some creative love
WHAT IS BURIED RIGHT NOW UNDER SHAME AND DESPAIR IN YOUR LIFE?
Guilt: I made a mistake
Shame: I am a mistake
PETER and JESUS
1. Peter’s name was changed. - Jesus walks up and looks at him intently (GAZE) and says you are Simon Son of Jonah - You will be called Peter (which means Rock) (Peter went back to fishing)
2. Peter was called to follow Jesus (skipping the whole cultural educational process for training Rabbi’s apprentice)
3. Peter witnesses the miraculous catch of fish (he is told that he will fish for people)
4. Peter becomes a leader and representative of the group
After the feeding of the 5,000 - Jesus knows people are misunderstanding him and he lays it out in shocking terms
67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
JOHN 6
5. Peter has incredible faith but he is very human
he walks on the water but he sinks
he confesses Jesus is Messiah in Matthew 16 and then tells Jesus he will never go to the Cross
Peter is the only one ever vocally correct or speak a NO to Jesus
“get behind me satan moment”
6. He grapples with his vision of God and Messiah and the reality of Jesus
most teachers of the day didn’t believe Messiah would suffer
they were doing the suffering
Messiah was going to be doing the liberating
this tension builds in Peter
7. He sees who Jesus really is
Transfiguration
wants to make tents
8. Confusion at the last supper
Peter was treated like a servant getting ready for it
He isn’t next to Jesus at the meal
Judas seems to be
there is an argument about who is the greatest among them (several times)
When then foot washing happens - HE TELLS JESUS NO AGAIN
Jesus says if i dont wash you - then you have no part with me
Wash my whole body
PETER MAKES HIS BIG PROMISES
Jesus tells him He will deny he even knows him before the rooster crows
9. Asleep at the Watch
three times they doze off - but Jesus questions are for Peter
then finally Jesus relealizes they have come for him
Peter draws a sword against hundreds of armed soldiers and cuts Malchus’s ear
SO HE IS BRAVE even if misguided
PETER encounters JESUS at this breakfast:
His Shame is Healed
His Despair is Transformed
He becomes the Rock the Jesus first called him
This shapes his life and writing.
THE WORLD IS CHANGED by the GOSPEL pouring out of this healed man’s life
Jesus Heals Shame By:
Abundant Mercy- what he has done on the Cross
Aligning Our Love- he has been on a long journey with Peter of ridding his hearts of false gods and lesser loves
Affirming our Calling - Shame isn’t removed its replaced
SHAME BECOMES ACCEPTANCE
say who you are in Christ
DESPAIR BECOMES HOPE
speak the promises
PARALYZED IN FEAR BECOMES ACTIVE LOVE
God wants to lift shame and restore lives so that we can live in the fullness of our true identities and callings
TO DO:
Where has shame taken root in your heart and soul?
What truth is Jesus speaking to that shame?
Love
Read these notes and discuss the questions below:
Spiritual practices for this series: Gratitude and Generosity
During this series we will explore and practice together aspects of these two practices. It begins within our own hearts, cultivating Gratitude in our own hearts, yet it does not stop there but ultimately overflows and results in the practice of acts of generosity.
Gratitude: Our world tells us incessantly how much we lack. Every ad, social media and our hearts alone are huge contributors to us believing a narrative that we dont have enough and that God has not been faithful.
Express gratitude to God that he pours out abundant Mercy- aligns Our Love - Affirms our Calling
Generosity: Often we say or subconsciously believe that we don't have enough to be generous with, and that It will leave me lacking if I am generous. Our world then convinces us to hoard, to hold on, to self preserve.
The Kingdom of God is different from this. King Solomon describes the way the kingdom of God works in this way:
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24
Who Has God put in your life that can you affirm this week?
Could you show mercy to someone, perhaps underserving, this week?
Pray for one another in the group.
