WHEN YOU ARE OLD SOMEONE ELSE WILL TAKE YOU WHERE YOU DON'T WANT

In the Synoptic Gospels Peter, After being scolded and accused of being like Satan, receives a second call, Similar to that of Abraham in Gen 22, After that of Gen 12: “If someone wants to come behind me deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.

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Towards the end of the first century someone integrates the Gospel of John with his current chapter 21, even if the work seemed already finished in the previous one, that of the apparitions of the Risen One.

This is explained by the fact that times were rapidly changing for the church, with the signs of the first differentiations within it and the formation of a primitive, specifically Christian literature. More, allows the writing to be glimpsed, the death of two great apostles had occurred: Peter and the beloved disciple, the inspiring source of that Gospel. Today we read only a section of the chapter 21, but to understand its scope it is advisable to read it all. Here's the song.

"During that time, Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples on the Sea of ​​Tiberias. And it manifested itself like this: they were together Simon Pietro, Thomas known as Didymus, Nathanael of Cana of Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples. Simon Peter told them: “I'm going fishing”. They told him: «We're coming with you too». Then they went out and got into the boat; but that night they took nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them,: “children, you have nothing to eat?”. They answered: “No”. Then he told them: “Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find”. They threw it away and could no longer lift it due to the large quantity of fish. Then that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter: “It is the Lord!”. Simon Pietro, as soon as he heard that it was the Lord, she tightened her dress around her waist, because he was undressed, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples instead came by boat, dragging the net full of fish: in fact they were not far from the ground except a hundred meters. As soon as I got off the ground, they saw a fire of embers with fish on them, and some bread. Jesus told them: “Bring some of the fish you caught now”. Then Simon Peter got into the boat and brought the net full of one hundred and fifty-three large fish to land. And although there were many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them,: «Come and eat». And none of the disciples dared to ask him: “Who are you?”, because they knew well that it was the Lord. Jesus approached, he took bread and gave it to them, and so is the fish. It was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples, after rising from the dead. When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter: “Simone, son of John, you love me more than these?”. She answered him: “Of course, man, you know that I love you”. He told him: “Feed my lambs”. She told him again, for the second time: “Simone, son of John, what is?”. She answered him: “Of course, man, you know that I love you”. He told him: “Graze my sheep”. He said to him the third time: “Simone, son of John, you love Me?”. Peter was saddened that he asked him for the third time: "You love Me?», he said: “man, you know everything; you know that I love you” Jesus answered him: “Feed my sheep. In truth, truly I tell you: when you were younger you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and take you where you don't want”. This he said to indicate by what death he would glorify God. E, said this, he added: “Follow me”» (GV 21,1-19).

The first thing that catches your eye approaching the chapter 21 of the fourth Gospel are the many clues that recall the first three Gospels, as if the Johannine tradition wanted to interact with the other, majority, contained in the Synoptic Gospels. May, indeed, in the fourth Gospel, it is said that the apostles were fishermen or the profession of fishing is insisted on there, which instead is greatly underlined by the synoptic gospels. An activity that these Gospels concentrate in Galilee, while John prefers the preaching and activity of Jesus in Judea. And now this scene is placed near the lake, where according to the synoptics the disciples fished, but called of «Tiberias» as in San Giovanni (GV 6, 1): a clear reference to the place where Jesus had fed the people with loaves and fish. We also note the identification of James and John as "sons of Zebedee", of clear synoptic derivation. Conversely, the passage does not forget the "beloved disciple" behind whom tradition has always seen the apostle John, the one who bowed his head on Jesus' chest at the last supper, who preceded Peter to the tomb and now here in recognition of the Risen One. And finally Pietro who appears as the main protagonist, except for the Risen One, but not with the nickname of Cephas as he is called in the Johannine Gospel and in the Pauline letters (cf.. GV 1,42; 1Color 1,12;3,22), but of Simone, according to the use that we find very frequently in the synoptics (Mt 4,18; MC 1,16; LC 4,38).

All these peculiarities allow us to affirm without a shadow of a doubt that this addition to the Gospel is seeking a dialogue that results in a request from tradition dating back to the beloved disciple, alias Giovanni, to have the same rank, to be placed at the same level as the synoptic one, which traditionally can be traced back to the preaching of the other apostles which Simon Peter summarizes here with his mere presence. In passing I remember that an ancient piece of news dating back to Papias of Gerapolis (+130 d.C.) links Peter to the Gospel of St. Mark, as the First Letter of that apostle also points out: «The community that was chosen like you and dwells in Babylon greets you [Rome, ndr.]; and also Marco, my son" (1 PT 5,13). The other tradition, instead, is here represented by the presence of Thomas who connects the readers to the previous chapter where he was the protagonist with his beautiful profession of faith, by the disciple Nathanael who appears at the beginning of the Fourth Gospel and here it is specified that he was from Cana where Jesus performed the first of the signs and by James and John themselves, however called "sons of Zebedee" as in the synoptics and remembered there as fishermen and partners of Simon.

We are in the early days of the life of the Church and the otherness is already taking shape, that is, the diversity of points of view on the Christian mystery, who wish to harmonize and not exclude each other. The synoptics are recalled with their insistence on sequela, the «You follow me» of GV 21,22, without neglecting to remain, which marks the profound life of the Son of God and of the disciple in the Johannine Gospel: «If I want him to stay until I come, what does it matter to you?» (GV 21,23). A lesson that comes to the contemporary Church from the ancient one and which is particularly good for it, especially today which needs to rediscover communion and brotherhood within itself and not division. There are four Gospels, different from each other and although they narrate the same object, they depend on the originality of the authors who dialogue with each other and refer to each other, sometimes they depend, so much to train, according to a fortunate expression of Irenaeus of Lyon, «The fourfold gospel».

In the Gospel story some topics dear to Saint John return such as the fact that the group of disciples does not recognize the Risen Lord or His presence remains in the night, so much so that fishing, in this case a symbol of apostolic activity and the attraction of people in the Church, it is fruitless or even nothing: «Then they went out and got into the boat; but that night they took nothing" (GV 21,3). But in the light of day an as yet unidentified Jesus invites them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. Here we see the reference to the prophecy of Ezekiel who saw water coming out from the right side of the temple which gradually increased, so much so that it became a huge torrent: «That water went down under the right side of the temple, from the southern part of the altar... On its banks there will be fishermen: from Engàddi to En-Eglàim there will be an expanse of nets. The fish, according to their species, they will be as abundant as the fish of the Great Sea" (This 47, 1-10).

The same prophecy that John sees it come true under the cross: Jesus dead, hit by the spear, it becomes the eschatological temple from which the water of the Spirit flows onto the nascent Church, represented there by the Mother of Jesus and the beloved disciple. Who, instead, it is the now Easter church that casts the net to attract people to Christ in the Church. Very briefly and quickly we need to mention the difference in our passage between the term stroke, fish, used by Giovanni for that catch, symbol of the new believers being pulled into the boat and the term opsarion, of fish, which is instead the fish of the meal, to which Jesus invites the disciples who have come ashore. I also remember the spring of Eglàim which was mentioned in Ezekiel's prophecy mentioned above. It is located near the salty waters of the Dead Sea, which are healed by those that the prophet sees coming out of the temple and growing. Now the numerical value of Eglàim according to the calculation of Gematria — the system used in Judaism to assign numerical values ​​to letters and, Consequently, to words and sentences — it's really about 153, as many as the big fish that Peter and the others catch, that is, at this point we can say it, they save. And the net was not broken says Saint John using the verb schizo, sliver, hence the term schism, the same verb he used for Jesus' useless tunic under the cross, which for the Greek fathers was immediately an image of the unity of the Church.

And finally the apostle Peter. He learns what it means to truly follow Jesus. In the Synoptic Gospels Peter, After being scolded and accused of being like Satan, receives a second call, similar to that of Abraham in Genesis 22, After that of Gen 12: “If someone wants to come behind me deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Because who will want to save their life, will lose it; but whoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, will save her » (MC 8,34-35). Thus in the Gospel of John Peter receives an invitation to follow, after what had happened on the night of the passion. Thanks to the essential testimony - «It is the Lord!» — of the beloved disciple and therefore also of the evangelical tradition that refers to him, Pietro, right away, he throws himself from the boat to meet him and the Gospel tells us of yet another conversion of this extraordinary Apostle, through a very significant play on verbs. In Greek the verb fillet expresses the love of friendship, tender but not all-encompassing, while the verb agapáo designates unreserved love, total and unconditional. Jesus asks Peter the first time: «Simone, you love Me (agapâs me)», that is, according to this total and unconditional love (GV 21,15)? Before the experience of betrayal the impulsive Apostle would certainly have said: "I love you (agapô I know) unconditionally". Now that he has known the bitter sadness of infidelity and his own weakness, he says humbly: "Man, I love you (filo)», or "I love you with my poor human love". Christ insists: «Simone, you love me with this total love?». And Peter repeats the response of his humble human love: «Kyrie, filo», "Man, I love you as much as I know". But the third time Jesus only says to Simon: «Fileîs me?», «you love me?». Simon understands that his poor love is enough for Jesus, the only one he is capable of, and yet he is saddened that the Lord had to tell him this. So he answers him: "Man, you know everything, you know that I love you (filo)». One might say that Jesus conformed to Peter, instead of Peter to Jesus.

It is precisely this divine adjustment to give hope to the disciple Peter, but also to us when we have known the suffering of infidelity. From here comes the trust that will make Peter capable of following him to the end: «This he said to indicate with what death he would glorify God. And having said this he added: «Follow me» (GV 21,19). From that day Peter "followed" the Master as a true disciple with the precise awareness of his own fragility; but this awareness did not discourage him. In fact, he knew he could count on the presence of the Risen One next to him. From the naive enthusiasm of initial membership, passing through the painful experience of denial and the tears of conversion, Peter came to entrust himself to that Jesus who adapted to his poor capacity for love. And it is precisely love that defines and will distinguish his task and service in the Church from then on.

From the Hermitage, 4 May 2025

 

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