Key Verse: Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the
fish you have just caught."
John 21:10
Why does God,
the all-knowing, all capable include us in His plans and provision? There are so many things that He could just
do on His own. If He didn't bother to
include us, His works would be so much more perfect and would be such a
blessing to the world. Yet, earthly
parents do the same thing when they ask their children to lend a hand, or keep
them company while they work. It's about
relationship. It's about
encouragement. It's about partnering
with us for our sake and the benefit of our fellow human beings on this earth.
Jesus
demonstrated this cooperative attitude when He used a boy’s lunch to create the
miracle with the five loaves and two fish that fed 5,000. He could have just,
provided, but He didn't. So it is again here, He certainly could have just
provided a meal for His disciples on the beach and let them keep the rest to
sell. After all, He was already
cooking. I'm sure that what He had
prepared would have been ample to feed them all. Instead, He invited them to contribute to the
meal and they did so, gladly.
I imagine that
it was a cool, crisp spring morning. The
boat was within shouting distance of shore.
The sun was just coming up. The
birds were in full voice as they usually are that time of day. It must have been a beautiful morning in more
ways than one, and it was spring!
Some critics
fault Peter for going on a fishing expedition rather than just sitting around
waiting for directions from Jesus. In
truth, Jesus hadn't told His disciples to just vegetate until they heard from
Him again. They didn't know that their
time was limited with Him on this earth.
They liked fishing. It was their
original profession, so Peter got the bug and decided to take a turn around the
lake. Others joined in.
Jesus does not
fault them for this so I won't either. I
will point out, however, that, as far as we know, this was the last time that
the fishermen would fish for fish. True
to His word, when Jesus first met Peter way back at the beginning of His
ministry, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." (Luke
5:11) That's what Peter did in the
end. He left the trade for good on this morning, for Jesus, and never looked
back.
Luke is also the
writer that tells us that Peter and Jesus had a private meeting on the day that
Jesus was raised from the dead. "It
is true! The Lord has risen and has
appeared to Simon!" (Luke
24:34) All had been forgiven by
Jesus of Simon's betrayal that dark night which must have seemed so long ago
now. Peter's not afraid to meet
Jesus! He is eager to be near Him
again. Peter has been forgiven much and
he knows it, but he also knows that Jesus loves him, now unconditionally, as Jesus
loves us and offers that same forgiveness when we have a sincere, heartfelt
conversation with Him and accept what He has to offer.
What an amazing
morning it must have been for the disciples, enjoying food and fellowship with
the risen Lord, just like old times. The
strife and stress was over for now.
There would be more to come for each man, individually as they did their
part to fulfill Jesus’ great commission.
This meal, this morning would stand in their memories as an oasis. It would be a time to reflect on the past and
relive old memories, but they would probably eventually see it as a time of new
beginnings for all of them.
As a follower of
Jesus, it is so important to make sure that we take the time to just bask in
His presence. We can reflect on where we
have walked with Him thus far but also see each morning as an oasis with Jesus
to prepare ourselves for what must come. "O Lord, be gracious to us; we
long for You. Be our strength every
morning, our salvation in time of distress.”
Isaiah
33:2.
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