John 21:1-19
Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. Jesus and Peter When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” |
Getting back to normal?
Sometimes in life when we can’t see a way forward, we try to find a way back.
Three incredible years by Jesus’ side were over. Possibly the most heart wrenching days of Peter’s life had passed, after his denial, and the utterly tragic death of Jesus. Grief stricken, ashamed, and completely drained, Peter makes a futile attempt to return to some kind of normality.
Back to Galilee, back to fishing, back to business – perhaps if he can catch some fish in the night, he can sell them fresh in the morning. The words of Jesus from the shore – “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” – are a distant and painful memory, as Peter throws his net overboard.
The sight of Jesus at the break of a new day, the sound of His voice, must have seemed an illusion. Eventually the deafening silence over breakfast is broken, as hope and grace break through. Peter realises there is no ‘back to normal’, and that his failure will be dismissed far sooner than his call to follow Jesus. Jesus’ call from the shore still stands ‘Feed my sheep…tend my lambs…follow me’.
If you are struggling with your battle for ‘back to normal’, consider that Jesus doesn’t want us to find our way back, in His grace He wants us to find our way forward, following Him.
Annemarie D