Third Sunday of Easter

MinistryHealth
Sermon Starters

Support and Resources For Pastors and
Christian Ministry Professionals
Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A., Editor

Third Sunday Of Easter
Series C

Option #1: "Upon Further Review"
John 21:1-14
Rev. Wayne Dobratz, B.A., M.Div.

1) Of the big catch--vv1-7, Lk 5:1-11

2) Of the feeding of thousands--v9, Matt 14:21 et al

3) Of Christ’s coming to them alive--v14, John 20:19-29

Football plays are dissected on replay, basketball and hockey scores are subject to review. With all the surveillance cameras around us, who knows what else is being watched these days. In today’s text, Jesus comes to the disciples to give them a FURTHER REVIEW of His impact upon their lives and of the work He has for His disciples, then and now, to do.

Commentary: vv7-8, Richard Lenski, Interpretation of John’s Gospel, p1406ff:

"By means of the mass of fish, Jesus makes himself known, and Peter abandons everything, boat as well as fish, and runs straight to Jesus." (See Lk 5:10)

Re: v9ff: "The surprise of the disciples is marked by the present tense, ‘they see,’ namely here on the shore a charcoal fire that has been laid, the coals glowing! And on these coals a fish has been laid, lying there roasting! And bread is there, a cake of bread to go with the fish, the same word used in 6:9 & 11 (an echo of the Feeding of the 5,000). Everything is ready for a meal! ...The fire, the fish, and the bread are here through the miraculous power of Jesus." Note: A greater meal will be provided in our Father’s House, see Rev 19:7-9."

Re: v14: "When Jesus first called the two pairs of brothers he taught them by means of a miracle that their success was absolutely sure if they would obey his Word, no matter what their own skill and reason might advise..."

(In this second great catch) "Human effort is nothing. The Lord’s Word and promise filled the net, these and nothing else. What the Lord revealed in the day of his humiliation he now corroborates in the day of his glorification."

"The Lord would provide for all their needs. They are to eat nothing taken from their own catch, they are to be fed with the bread and the fish provided in advance by the Lord. Let the Apostles see and learn again, more graphically than before, that the Lord himself will feed and care for them as his own chosen and called servants. Their one thought is to do his will and his work according to his word; all bodily and temporal cares belong in the Lord’s hands."

+ + +

Children's Message

Do you know what a "rerun" is? (Allow for answers) Yes, a "rerun" is when a TV program is repeated. Reruns are used because there aren’t as many programs made during a season as the times the show is on. You might not like a rerun if you were looking for a new show, but you might appreciate it if you hadn’t seen the show the first time around.

The gospel for today is a kind of "rerun." But it was a really good "rerun." It was the third time the disciples had seen Jesus since He rose from the dead. Sometimes a "rerun" is really "review," like what your teacher does to make sure you understand something really important. That’s what is happening here. There are some really important things that Jesus wants them to remember.

1) His Word causes them to catch a really big number of fish in their nets again. He’s reminding them that He is Lord of everything, even the fish!

2) They get out of the boat and wade to shore and they find a cook-out waiting for them! Jesus has a fire of coals burning with a fish cooking on it. Jesus is reminding them of the two times He fed thousands of people by the power of His Word. He is telling them that He will take care of them and their families in the future as they serve Him. They will work for Him as "fishers of men." They will catch people with the good news of Jesus dying for our sins on the cross and rising again.

3) When they ate with Him once again, He is reminding them of His promise that there is a place waiting for them and all of God’s children in our Heavenly Father’s House. It will be a wedding meal and we will never be hungry or thirsty again. God will take care of everything forever and ever.

Wow! That’s the best "rerun" I’ve ever seen! Praise the Lord!

+ + +

Option #2: "Easter Gifts"
Revelation 5:11-14
Rev. Kelly Bedard, B.A., M.Div.

1. Power, dunamis {doo'-nam-is}: strength, ability; inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth; power for performing miracles; moral power and excellence of soul; the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth; power and resources arising from numbers; power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts. (Blue Letter Bible) "Christ the power of God" (1 Cor 1:24)--not just planning but never achieving. He is able! (William Barclay)

2. Wealth, ploutos {ploo'-tos}: abundance of external possessions; fullness, abundance, plenitude; a good, i.e., that with which one is enriched. (BLB) "Though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor." (2 Cor 8:9) "The unsearchable riches of Christ." (Eph 3:8) "There is no promise that Jesus Christ has made that He does not possess the resources to carry out. There is no claim on Him which he cannot satisfy." (Barclay)

3. Wisdom: sophia {sof-ee'-ah}: wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters; the wisdom which belongs to people; specifically, the varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, and summed up in maxims and proverbs; the science and learning; the act of interpreting dreams and always giving the sagest advice; the intelligence evinced in discovering the meaning of some mysterious number or vision; skill in the management of affairs; devout and proper prudence in intercourse with people not disciples of Christ, skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth; the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living; supreme intelligence, such as belongs to God, to Christ; the wisdom of God as evinced in forming and executing counsels in the formation and government of the world and the scriptures. (BLB) "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God," (1 Cor 1:24) knowing the secrets of God and the solution of the problems of life. (Barclay)

4. Strength, ischus {is-khoos'}: ability, force, strength, might. (BLB) "Christ is the strong one who can disarm the powers of evil and overthrow Satan (Luke 11:22). There is no situation with which he cannot cope." (Barclay)

5. Honor, time {tee-may'}: a valuing by which the price is fixed; of the price itself; of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold; honor which belongs or is shown to one; of the honour which one has by reason of rank and state of office which he holds; deference, reverence. (BLB) "...at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow...and every tongue confess." (Php 2:10-11)

6. Glory, doxa {dox'-ah}: opinion, judgment, view; opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone; in the NT, always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory; splendour, brightness; of the moon, sun, stars; magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace; majesty; a thing belonging to God; the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity; a thing belonging to Christ; the kingly majesty of the Messiah; the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty of the angels as apparent in their exterior brightness; a most glorious condition, most exalted state; of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth; the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour's return from heaven. (BLB) "We beheld his glory, from glory as of the only Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) "Glory is that which by right belongs to God alone. To say that Jesus Christ possesses the glory is to say that he is divine." (Barclay)

7. Praise, eulogia {yoo-log-ee'-ah}: praise, laudation, panegyric: of Christ or God; fine discourse, polished language; in a bad sense, language artfully adapted to captivate the hearer: fair speaking, fine speeches; an invocation of blessing, benediction; consecration; a (concrete) blessing, benefit. (BLB) "All these things Jesus Christ possesses, and every one of them He uses in the service of the people for who He lived and died; He does not clutch them to Himself." (Barclay)

Go to Main Page

Main Site: http://ministryhealth.net/

Microsoft FrontPage and Microsoft Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
Adobe Acrobat and PDF are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated

Contact Support for any technical issues with this website!

This page was revised on: Friday, January 20, 2006 12:10:34 PM