21:6 And Jesus said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the
boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw
it in because of the multitude of fish.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved (John) said to Peter, “It is
the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer
garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea...
The English translation here is
interesting. The Greek literally says "He put on his outer garment (tunic)
for he was naked, and plunged into the sea."
Before you plunge to the wrong
conclusion here is the definition of the Greek word referring to his clothing
or lack thereof before he put his outer garment on.
Original Word: γυμνός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: gumnos
Phonetic Spelling: (goom-nos')
Short Definition: wearing only
the under-garment, bare
Definition: rarely: stark-naked;
generally: wearing only the under-garment; bare, open, manifest; mere.
When I was a kid, maybe 12ish, I
got up and was eating breakfast alone in the kitchen in my underwear. Suddenly
there was a knock on the door. The door that came into the kitchen from outside.
We lived in the country and people popping in at breakfast time was a rarity.
So there I sat in my underwear and the only way out of the kitchen was past the
door. The worst part was I had forgotten I was only in my underwear and said
"come in!" In came my cousins (5 children) and they had friends with
them and some were girls. I started talking to them and suddenly realized I was
in my underwear. I'm sure my face turned crimson and my cousins started to
giggle as I had to literally press through them to get out of the room into the
rest of the house so I could get to my room and get dressed. I wasn't naked but
I sure felt like it.
Think about it. You can't put on
an outer garment unless you have an inner or undergarment.
However the interesting question
to ask is “Why does John include this detail at all?” It certainly doesn't make
much sense. You take off clothes to go swimming usually, you don't add them.
The fact he jumped into the sea implies a spontaneous urgency yet before being
spontaneous he puts his tunic on. It doesn't fit. Besides Peter and Jesus lived
together and traveled together for over 3 years. I'm pretty sure Jesus has seen
him without his tunic on before.
What is going on here?
Have you ever done anything
physical that was really about your state of mind and had little or nothing to
do with your body?
It's well documented that most if
not all women want to shower as quickly as possible after being violated but is
the shower really about washing? Children will carry a blanket or stuffed animal
everywhere but is it really a physical thing? We pull the sheet over the head
of a person who dies but why? After a bad or scary experience or even facing a
challenge we have an expression "shake it off" and we often will
physically shake our body to get past the feeling of fear or anxiety or
nervousness. Does that really make any sense?
Adam and Eve covered their naked
bodies with leaves yet hid anyway so clearly the leaves didn't achieve the
"covering" they were seeking.
Are you seeing where this is
going?
Peter carries the most shame
among the eleven. He was the one with the most bravado. He was the one who
boldly declared I will stand by you even if the rest of them don't. I will die
for you!" Yet it was Peter who went so far as to deny with cursing that he
even knew Jesus.
The nakedness Adam and Eve felt
was not a nakedness of body, it was a nakedness of soul. It was the feeling of
being caught, of being completely exposed. Peter was in the same boat. ( smile
emoticon ). He wanted to cover his shame and guilt yet he wanted Jesus. It's an
amazing moment. Had shame held all the power Peter would have swam further out
to sea. We are about to see that the grace, forgiveness, mercy, and love of
Jesus trumps the shame and guilt of Peter. Perfect love casts out fear and even
though Peter needed the security blanket of his tunic before he plunged into
that water he still took the plunge.
It's so clear isn't it? Jesus
will keep coming until our need exceeds our fear and His love conquers our
shame. He loves us so much that He doesn't force Himself on us, He positions
Himself where we can come to Him if and when we are ready.
Love pursues, love waits, love
wins.
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