THE ENCOUNTER THAT RENEWS

Reflections on the Third Sunday of Easter: Acts 5:27-32,40b-41, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19

The Risen Lord’s meeting with his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias has a clear purpose: to renew and reorient a band of disillusioned disciples. Let us reflect on three dimensions of this renewing encounter.

1. Revisiting the Call:

The disciples’ meeting with the Risen Lord (today’s gospel) echoes multiple details of their initial call (John 1 & Luke 5), signalling a thematic parallel. In their initial call, Jesus intervenes in their lives when they are in the thick of their daily lives. According to Luke, Peter, James, and John are fishing in the Lake of Gennesaret. According to John, Andrew and John are in Jordan and Nathanael is home under a fig tree. In the post-resurrection context, the disciples have returned to their former lives. The scene beautifully reflects the disciples’ disappointment over the trauma of Jesus’ death and the looming uncertainty about their future. They have toiled all night but caught nothing, just like in Luke 5:5. Their empty nets and retreat to their former lives are indicators of their demoralised self, spiritual emptiness, and regression in purpose.

Jesus intervenes again, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something”, reminding us again of Luke 5:4. Now, the memory of their initial call helps them recognise their master. When they received the initial call of Jesus, the disciples’ response was immediate and hopeful, marked by curiosity and commitment. Philip, for example, declared, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Now again, the disciples’ response is immediate and hope-filled. The beloved disciple cries, “It is the Lord” and Peter jumps into the sea. As Jesus helps them revisit their initial call, their faith is reignited, their lost zeal is rediscovered, and their hope is renewed.

2. Reliving the Eucharist:

Jesus’ gesture of preparing breakfast for his returning disciples carries strong Eucharistic overtones, echoing themes of divine provision, sacrificial love, and communal fellowship. Jesus, the divine Host initiates and prepares the meal, just as he does at the Last Supper (John 13) and the feeding miracles (John 6). Bread is explicitly mentioned (21:9,13), recalling the Eucharist’s focus on bread as Christ’s body (John 6:51) and reliving the eucharistic communion that Jesus celebrated with them during the Last Supper. While fish is not part of the Eucharistic rite, it has a crucial significance.

During the persecution by the Roman empire, ancient Christians used the fish as a secret symbol (Ichthys) to mark their meeting places and tombs and to distinguish friends from foes. The breakfast reaffirms the Eucharist’s role of sustaining the disciples and reaffirming their identity as the Eucharistic community. Interestingly, the charcoal fire (ἀνθρακιὰν, anthrakian) in John 21:9 appears only one other time in John: at Peter’s denial (18:18). The fire’s recurrence ties Peter’s failure to Jesus’ forgiveness, evoking the sacrificial love of the cross in the Eucharistic context. Thus, the disciples’ gathering around Jesus to eat, echoes the sacramental nature of the Eucharist as their meal (to re-energise the tired disciples), sacrifice (Peter’s forgiveness), and communion (coming together). Additionally, the breakfast occurs at dawn (21:4), symbolising a new beginning. Just as the Eucharist anticipates the messianic banquet (Rev. 19:9), this meal points to the resurrected Christ’s reign and the renewal of creation.

3. Recommitting to the mission: 

The final part of the gospel reminds us of the difficult conversation between the Risen Lord and Peter. Jesus had just one question for Peter before sending him on his mission as the first-ever Pope and bishop of the Church. This one question is asked thrice: “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter responds thrice, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you”. This triple dialogue is not just an indirect reference to Peter’s denial. It is a powerful reminder about the strong link between love, forgiveness, and mission. Jesus does not remind Peter about his failures but encourages him to overcome them through love and thus gear up for his future mission. The Greek terms for love are nuanced. Jesus first uses agapao (selfless, divine love), while Peter responds with phileo (affectionate, brotherly love). On the third query, Jesus adopts phileo, meeting Peter in his humanity while inviting him toward agapao.

This progression acknowledges Peter’s limitations yet calls him to grow into Christlike love. The threefold commission: “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, “Feed my sheep”, entrusts Peter with the pastoral care of the Church. “Feeding” symbolises spiritual nourishment (teaching, guiding), while “tending” implies protection and leadership. The model that Jesus proposes here is servant leadership that is not based on perfection or merits but on love and the restoring forgiveness of the Good Shepherd. Peter’s journey from denial to apostleship explains how grace transforms brokenness into purpose, fuelling the Church’s mission to “feed” the world.