1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21:1–14)
This passage records the appearance of our resurrected Jesus Christ to His disciples on the shore of Tiberias.
Peter and other disciples were fishing. The strange thing is, why did Peter go fishing? Over three years ago, the Lord Jesus had called him to be His disciple, telling him to " fish for people" instead? (Luke 5:10) Did he forget?
Peter and the a few other disciples resumed their old trade because they were at a loss and scared. At that time, Jesus was crucified, and the disciples hid from the Jewish leaders in fear of being implicated (John 20:19). Although Jesus was resurrected and had appeared before His disciples (John 20:19-31), He had physically left them. He no longer lived with them. The disciples felt perplexed and did not know how to carry on. When a person is in a state of panic and confusion, it is natural for him/her to return to his/her familiar ground. Peter and the other disciples were former fishermen and were familiar with what it took to fish. While practising their old trade, they regained a sense of security. Perhaps they were self-examining, asking themselves if they were fishermen of fish or of people? In the process of losing Jesus, they were also lost.
Aren't we like Peter and the other disciples? In the face of setbacks, the most one thing we want to do is to return to a better place, because we do not want to face this difficult challenge. Fear makes us forget that we have been reborn. Failure makes us habitually want to hide from our calling. We backdown because we are tired of having to deal with so much adversities. How can we summon up our energy and move on in times of trouble?
Jesus appeared to the disciples just as they were about to return to their old profession as fishermen. When the disciples spent a whole night fishing without any catch, the Lord asked them to throw the net over the right side of the boat. The result was that they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish (John 21:6). Isn't this a familiar scene? In the early days of Jesus' ministry, He called Peter (Luke 5:1-10) from the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret. At that time, Peter had just returned to shore empty handed after a whole night of fishing, so Jesus asked Peter to take the boat out a little further and into deeper water to cast the nets. As a result, such a large number of fish was caught that their nets began to break. The Lord Christ then called Peter to be the fisherman of people. Why did Jesus re-enact this scene? In the midst of perceived failure, the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to awaken the disciples to their calling.
In fulfilling God's call, we will encounter failures and challenges, and we want to back down and give up. Before you turn away, will you think about what God has called you to do? Will you also look back at how the Lord has walked with you all along. When the resurrected Christ directed the disciples where to fish the second time, Peter recognized the Lord Jesus. He rekindled his love and faith in the Lord and he fell at Jesus’ knees. Similarly, when we look at our past, we can again see God’s power and grace, how He has walked with us, leading us through the darkest valley. These past experiences will rekindle our faith and love in the Lord, and recharge us to take up the cross and move on.
During this pandemic, it is easy for us to hide at home and live in fear. We may lose our sharpness because of boredom. We may be discouraged as we face obstacles. But let us not forget our initial calling: to be our Lord’s royal priests! As our Lord is resurrected, through Him we can live in adversity with strength and hope. We can continue to be the light and the salt for the Lord, and spread the gospel. May others see but at least glimmer of our resurrection of the Lord in us. Amen.