Deal or No Deal

Scripture: John 21.1-19; Acts 9.1-20



I would like a volunteer from the audience. Please bring your purse or wallet with you.

What if I told you to give me everything in your wallet and I would give you something in return. Deal or No Deal? Whaddya say? Deal. Thank you.

What I give you is my religious blessing. Be warmed. Go in peace. Thanks for participating.

Now, this little scenario is, unfortunately, the way many people view their Christianity.
They look at like a losing proposition. Being a Christian will take up your time, steal your fun, drain your wallet. And what do you get in return? Not much really.
The picture we get here is a lot of sad churchgoers, sadly dragging feet into the building once a week, once a month. They do it because they have to.

But no one ever became a disciple of Jesus this way!

“No one who looks back after putting his hand to the plough is suited to the kingdom of God.” Luke 9.62

Why is this true? Because any who decides to be a true disciple understands the rich opportunity before them. Dallas Willard says, “One of the things that has most obstructed the path of discipleship in our culture today is this idea that it will be a terribly difficult thing that will certainly ruin your life.” You know, God will probably send you to Africa as a missionary.

This attitude of dread of what Jesus might do with you explains a lot of what transpires in our Gospel reading today. I love this passage for its power and its whimsy. The resurrected Jesus meets his disciples for breakfast. There is both power and intimacy in this scene. But the underlying theme is trust.

Some of the disciples have been out all night fishing on the Sea of Tiberias. Maybe they’ve already gone back to their old occupation. Maybe they are, in fact, waiting on God to do something and this is the best way they know how to wait. But the night is over and they have no fish to show for it, when Jesus shows up on the beach. They don’t recognize him at first. And this stranger tells them to cast out their nets one more time. There is no good reason for these experienced fishermen to listen to this suggestion. But they do and they bring in quite a haul. Their trust is rewarded and at this miracle one of the disciples sees that this stranger is the Lord. Everybody rejoices. Except that Peter does something kind of odd. He dives in the water. The scripture tells that “he was stripped for work”. He was naked. So did he jump in the water out of embarrassment that the Lord should see him naked? I don’t think so. He put his clothes first, then jumped in the water. I think something else is going on here with Peter. Peter was embarrassed because he had once again doubted Jesus. He had not trusted that any fish would be caught. Not a big deal. Except that it brought back the painful and none too distant memory of a rooster crowing and Peter skulking away in shame after repeated denials. Peter wanted to believe, but he had not yet trusted, and he knew it.

And Jesus knew it.

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Maybe Jesus was pointing to the boat and fishing equipment – Peter’s livelihood. Or maybe Jesus was pointing to Peter’s family and friends. The word “love” Jesus uses here is agape. It is the Greek for the highest kind of love, unconditional love, self-sacrificing love. The way God loves us.

“Yes, Lord, you know I love you,” Peter replies. But the “love” Peter uses is philo, which is a lesser form of love, friend to friend.

The exchange is repeated. Jesus is teaching Peter. He is using repetition to stress to Peter how important it is for him to take up the work of he Gospel. Jesus is bringing Peter to a point of clarity so he make a decision.

The third time that Jesus asks Peter of his love, Jesus himself uses the word philo. Peter is grieved and sad that Jesus keeps asking him, because Peter is grieved at his own lack of agape. In effect, Peter is sadly acknowledging that Jesus knows exactly the level and quality of his love and trust. Peter has clarity of his situation and the decision in front of him. Either go back to fishing or boldly step up to the command of Jesus to take up the leadership of the church and the work of the Gospel. What Peter is not allowed to do is to sadly and meekly muddled around on the fringe of love and trust.


Let me give you a hypothetical: Let’s say you have half a an MTO sandwich. It’s been sitting in your refrigerator since yesterday. And let’s say I offered you an envelope and said to you that in the envelope is something much better than than the MTO and you could have what’s in the envelope if you give me your sandwich. What would you do?

You’d take the envelope wouldn’t you? I mean, MTO”s are good when they’re fresh, but this is half a day old sandwich.

What if I showed you that in the envelope is a gift certificate to the Allegro or two tickets to see Seinfeld. Are you still holding on to the sandwich now?

“The kingdom of heaven is like a businessman who the lookout for beautiful pearls. He finds an incredible value is one pearl. So he sells everything else he owns and buys that pearl.” Matthew 13.45-46

One who truly sees the Kingdom of Jesus for what it is realizes that here is a thing of far more value than anything they possess. What a deal! What a bargain! Of course I will give anything I have to get this thing.

Unless we clearly see the superiority of Jesus and his Kingdom over every other thing that might be valued, cannot succeed in our discipleship to him. We will constantly be distracted and double-minded.

This is what brought Saul to the Kingdom. When Saul “saw” that the Jesus whom he was disparaging and persecuting was real, it was a moment of extreme clarity that Saul had been on the wrong side of the argument. Paul didn’t go reluctantly over to the other side, he went with joy and purpose and passion.

If you, any of you, find someone or something better than Jesus, take it. Give yourself to it. Don’t hold anything back. I am here to tell you there is no such person or thing. I am here to bring you to a point of clarity. Count the cost. Know the value of the things in question. Make a decision. Deal or No Deal.