Leaders Lead
for good or ill
In the big picture of the gospel of John, chapter 21 seems to be something like an afterward. John’s purpose seems to be, at least in part, to explain what Jesus meant about his and Peter’s deaths (see verses 20-23). But there is much more to the chapter than that.
Chapter 21 begins with Peter’s announcement of his intention to go fishing. The language used suggests more than a weekend getaway. This wasn’t a chance to relax and wind down before getting on with the serious business of apostling. The Greek suggests this was a return to his former fishing business and career.
There are other reasons beyond verb forms and such to believe that was the case. First, they got into “the boat.” That is, they got into the boat Peter and John had left behind when they committed to following Jesus wherever He was going. Then, there was the providential fruitlessness of the venture. They fished all night and caught nothing. This is an echo of the night of their encounter with Jesus that led to their calling to follow Him and become fishers of men.
So, I don’t believe this is a casual weekend away. This was a return to that which they had left to follow Jesus. It was an abandonment of their calling. It wasn’t spurred on by unbelief. These were not postmodern Gen Xer’s deconstructing their faith who were posting about their “deconversion” on Instagram.
These were men who were convinced of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The group included Thomas who had, just days prior when he saw the risen Lord, exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”
Yet here they were headed back out to sea with their nets to labor on their boats. We can guess why they were doing this, and I think we can guess fairly accurately. There was some uncertainty for them as to what it was they were supposed to do next. Not that Jesus hadn’t told them, but like so much of what the Lord said to them, it didn’t compute. Some of them had wives and families to care for. They needed income. And they knew how to fish. So it made logical sense.
Peter led the way in this. I believe that is why so much attention is given by Jesus to him in this encounter. Peter was a natural leader. For whatever reason, people just followed Peter. No wonder he was one of the leading three disciples. Even with all of his faults, Peter was a leader. And the thing about men like that is they tend to lead even if they aren’t trying to.
It doesn’t seem as though Peter was recruiting these other six disciples to go fishing with him. But the force of his personality and his natural gifts made them want to follow him back to the boat. Jesus had to get Peter straightened out and back on track because he was going to lead others for good or for ill.
You may not like it, or you may think it's not fair, but you are probably leading someone (maybe a lot of someone’s) whether you are trying to or not. As a father, you are leading your family. As a mother, you are leading your children. Maybe, like Peter, you just have a natural gift and a personality that makes people want to follow you. Where are you leading them to?
Leadership, even when it is incidental or accidental, is a serious responsibility. You should choose the road you travel wisely because it is likely someone else is walking behind you, going wherever it is you are going.
Excellent!