Jesus’ Sermon in the Sand
Jesus’ Sermon in the Sand
June 21, 2026
By: April Mills
Oh my friends. What a pleasure it is to be here today with all of you. This space holds sacred energy for me. And when I read the Gospel of John from Chapter 1 to chapter 21 in preparation for this sermon, my heart jumped for joy.
Confession time: The Spirit of God drives my faith. It was the Spirit that moved me here. And I fully believe it was the Spirit that shaped this sermon series to meet the needs of this church long before Lou, Heath, me or Mike ever put words to paper.
I imagine that it must have been that same wise Spirit that showed up for all of our early gospel writers. According to one commentary, some biblical scholars believe that the Gospel of John was written by a small group of faithful Messianic Jews for the benefit other Jews that were struggling through a rough transition. The original purpose of the Gospel held two parts. 1) to establish Jesus’ authority and divine heritage. And 2) to give hope to those experiencing painful separation from their beloved synagogues and faith community.
This fundamental truth is writ large in John Chapter 1 establishing Jesus’ divine heritage early on in verses 13 & 14. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 The Word became flesh and dwelt[h] among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son[i] from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Chapters 2-19 do the heavy lifting of describing Jesus’s life as a rabbi, his encounters with the lay leaders and scribes of the day, and also the critical details of his death and resurrection in a way that ancient Jews could understand and use to preserve their faith.
At the end of John’s Gospel in chapter 20, our author eliminates all doubt about Jesus stating in the plainest possible language that: “31 these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,[f] and that by believing you may have life in his name.” If you were a Jew living in this era worshiping the One God and following the teachings of Jesus, then this Gospel was written just for you. Boom. Mic drop. End of story.
Sorta. Somewhere later along the way this small group was inspired and thought there needed to be just one more chapter added to the Gospel of John. It’s as if there is an encore where Jesus comes back to have one last word.
In literary circles, this is called the epilogue. In big screen cinema, it is the stinger that rolls after the credits. As stingers go though, the last scene in John’s Gospel is simply beautiful.
The final chapter takes place late one evening after all of the disciples have seen the Risen Jesus mere days after his resurrection. No details reveal what night in particular the event occurred on. The text only says that a handful of the disciples were gathered together. Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathaneal, Zebedee’s 2 sons—James & John, as well as two others.
Almost as if it was an impulse, Simon Peter decides to go fishing. So he and his 6 companions row out together into the night. As the small crew set silently on the sea and the waves slapped gently at the side of the boat, each man takes turns casting the nets into the impenetrable fathoms hoping to pull up a catch. All night long, under a bright white moon, they cast and drew back their nets. The stillness of the cool air was broken by the whip sigh of wet netting spreading wide to break the waves with a slanted splash.
Simon Peter probably throws the net out the farthest. Maybe Thomas isn’t the most confident in where to throw, but he knows definitely how to release the cords with impeccable timing. Nathanael, a bit younger likely watches with a keen eye. And James and John? Well—they are pros at the cast and catch. The text doesn’t lay any of this out of course, but it does say that not a single fish was snared.
If you have ever been to sea on a cloudless night with the moon full overhead, the beach a mere 100 yards off shines like creamy white satin against the salt grasses rimming the edge of the water. It is the kind of sky that softens with the sunrise. One moment dark, the next golden.
Perhaps distracted by recent events, the disciples must have missed the passing form of our Savior walking along the beach leaving footprints in the sand. They likely did not notice the Lamb of God patiently gathering the drier bits of driftwood and building a low fire, good for cooking over. Did Jesus spit a few long branches with fish to roast, or were they left to cook over hot coals? And where did the bread come from? Was it a loaf he collected from a boy he passed along the way? One can only imagine.
Regardless, Jesus has prepared a beautiful beachside table for his final sermon on the sand. You might know it. It’s the sermon where Jesus asks Peter 3 times, “Do you love me?” Peter responds 3 times, “Yes.” After each response Jesus calls Simon Peter to “Feed my Sheep”.
That intimate moment clearly had profound effect on Peter, because in chapter 1 of Acts Peter has accepted his call and commissioning because he stepped up to shepherd the church into the next stage. What a call story! Breakfast and commissioning with Jesus!
This punchy, brief exchange sets the stage for my sermon this morning. But in order to fully appreciate the message God may have for some of us, we need to step back and see the whole picture, the backdrop to our scene as it were.
In the Gospel of John, Simon Peter’s story is illustrated in 6 vignettes. Here they are in a brief list: 1) Jesus and Peter meet, according to our authors, while John the Baptist was testifying of the Messiah (John 1:42). 2) Peter learned at the foot of his Rabbi. Eventually he believed in Jesus as the Son of God and knew that the Messiah was the way to eternal life (John 6: 68). 3) Peter continued learning and growing as a disciple and was no doubt present when the Savior commanded each of us to love one another (John 13:6 & 13:34). 4) When tensions rose within the local community and the Pharisees try to apprehend Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off a slave’s ear to stop the high priests from arresting Jesus (John18:10). 5) Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny being a disciple to Jesus 3 times. Peter, to his deep regret, did deny Christ (John 18:15; 18:17; 18:25). 6) After the Lamb of God was crucified, Simon Peter was among those present to witness he had overcome the grave in John 20.
There. There is our backdrop friends. Now let’s zoom in.
From the Gospel of John 21 beginning at Verse 15:
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these [fish you have netted]?” Simon Peter looked up, from the dust at his feet, deeply moved in the asking because of his shame for denying Jesus just days ago. Perhaps Peter felt much like King David who composed Psalm 139. Inwardly he may have thought, “I cannot deny it Lord.11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night”— 12 even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you. But outwardly all Peter would say was, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
The utterance of Jesus’ next words were as inevitable as Simon Peter’s deeply held love for his Master. “Feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
My friends, a calling is just that. It is undeniable. In your bones you know your purpose. Whatever kind of calling it might be, you are undeniably motivated to respond to the love of God in an outward way.
Perhaps in that moment, the sound of the waves lapping the beach on the incoming tide may have disappeared for everyone around that little cook fire that morning. Neither Thomas, nor Nathaneal, nor James and John, not even the two other disciples present dared break the tension between Jesus and Peter. For us as readers the disciples almost disappear. But the fact is they are witnesses to this intimate exchange. It is as if they represent those closed loved ones who’ve been witnesses to our personal growth a follower of Christ.
Jesus did not stop after the first asking though. A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter knew the reasons that Jesus asked a second time. Perhaps like King David, he may have thought, “1 Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away. 3 You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. 13 For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Those words were never spoken. The disciple’s only reply to the second question was the truth. “Yes, Lord,” he said to Jesus, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus did not wait to issue his calling a second time. “Peter, Shepherd my sheep,” he said.
Perhaps tears sprang suddenly in Peter’s eyes. The text is clear that he is deeply ashamed for having denied Jesus not once, not twice, but three times before.
Dearly beloved siblings in Christ, maybe like Peter your calling has been hard to accept. Whether you have resisted for reasons related to insecurity and doubt, or reasons associated with fear or frustration. Whatever the reason, a true calling does not go silent in the face of God’s persistent presence in your life.
Perhaps Jesus reached out, then. Maybe the Christ placed his nail scarred hand on his disciple’s strong right shoulder and asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter’s heart, contrite and broken must have been so humbled. We are told he held a deep grief. But we also know the love of Jesus knows no bounds. Perhaps too like King David, Peter knew in his bones the majesty of his Resurrected King and thought, 5 You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. 6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. 14 I will praise you all of my days because your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” But that Psalm was never to fall from Peter’s lips. Instead, Peter said all he needed to say. “Lord, since you know everything; you know that I love you.”
“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. And after commanding his faithful disciple one final time, Jesus added the most important and least talked about phrase of all, “Follow me.”
“Follow me.”
Did Peter experience a real-life flash back just then? Did his mind reel through all the times and places where he followed his rabbi and guide? Perhaps he closed his eyes and wandered through those memories at the same time hearing the words of his guide and teacher Jesus.
“Follow me out on the water, Peter. Fear no sea or storm. Trust in me.”
“Follow me Peter. Lay down your sword for me and take up my cause instead.”
“Follow me Peter. Fish no more. Tend my sheep instead. Be the rock that my house will be built upon.”
When Peter opened his eyes, the tears were no more. His calloused hands were still slightly oily from the fish and bread he had for breakfast. But he was full. Not only full from the food, but filled with a purpose. Not his own, but the will of his Lord. And he was at peace, fulfilled in the knowledge that he was destined to be the rock that we all stand on today.
Callings come in all sizes my friends. Some are public. Some are private. But all of them require you surrender your will, accept yourself for all your shortcomings, study, pray and above all else follow the Guiding Spirit in order to manifest exactly what your friends and neighbors need most right now.
It is my testimony when you begin humbly, consistently seeking God’s guidance over your own intentions, that your joy will multiply. It as King David wrote in Psalm 139: 17 God, how precious your thoughts are to me; how vast their sum is! 18 If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with you.