John 21: 1 – 12 (NLT)
“Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.”
What an interesting scene. Jesus had told the disciples earlier that He would meet them in Galilee. It looks like they were waiting for Jesus and getting a little restless. Peter, who seems to be the impulsive one in the group decides to go fishing. Seven of the twelve disciples had been fishermen, so there is good chance that most of the disciples mentioned here were fishermen, so going fishing would seem like a good way to pass the time. A career in fishing likely meant these men were hard workers and physically fit. To spend your life on the water with sudden storms popping up (remember the story of the storm and Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14: 21 – 33), you would have to be brave and willing to take risks. So, if any group of men would likely be successful, these disciples would be. But … they caught nothing.
I think they are a lot like me/you. I know I was brought up to work hard and do my best. I was encouraged to do my best at school. Right after supper, my brother and sisters and I had to get our books out and do our homework. My parents were “big into music” so practicing the piano was also a must every day for each of us. We were encouraged to do volunteer work at our church and in our community. We watched our parents carefully plan any job they had to do, so we learned to be prepared too. I think most of us are taught that success comes with hard work and planning. I still believe those are good qualities, and ones I stressed to my kids, but I’ve also learned over my life that it doesn’t necessarily mean success.
Have you ever put a lot of effort into something, and it didn’t really turn out all that well? As a teacher, I sure know that feeling. Sometimes I would think I had a really good lesson, and then it was a flop. Or I’ve put a lot of care into a new recipe for company, and I’ve ended up going on a quick trip to the grocery store to find something to take its place. Or when I was looking for a job when my kids were teenagers and I knew my husband was facing a potentially life-threatening disease, I did my best to look great and thought I had a wonderful resume, but no one seemed to want to hire me. Things like that are really frustrating.
What I have learned over my life though, is I need to put my trust in Jesus. He knows what is best for me, and although I may be discouraged or restless with the present circumstances, He has things under His control. Think about this verse from John 15.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (Verse 5)
Read that again. “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Isn’t that what Peter and the disciples learned that day? They caught nothing, but when Jesus told them to put the net on the other side of the boat, the net filled with fishes.
I think they learned a lot that day. They had heard Jesus many times before, but like all human beings, we don’t always learn things immediately. They found out they could try, but success came when they obeyed Jesus. They discovered that God is the one who brings about results. Jesus had a fire going on the beach and had fish and bread ready to serve them. They really didn’t need the fish they caught in order to have breakfast. God provides us with the things we need in our lives.
These are exciting lessons for us. God will lead us. He will serve us. He will produce results beyond what we could ever imagine. Do you trust Him to do that?
Our song for today is Jireh by Elevation Worship.