John 21

John 21

Note that the idea of picking one chapter out of the several that I'm covering each night is going to lead to some pretty weird sequences, especially when there are weekends and/or times away.  For that, I'm sorry.  But only in a limited sense.  In another sense, I love the fact that I get to pick whichever chapter really speaks to me!
Anyways. . .

Chapter 21 of John has always appealed to me.  I once read a dramatization of Jesus and His disciples, and when it came to this point, the disciples were all having a bit of a deep conversation.  Peter is deep in self-recrimination, and says "I'm going fishing" (with the implication that it's all he would ever be good for).

The other disciples join him (even the non-fishermen) because they can't think of anything better to do! 

Verse 4 tells us that Jesus started calling out to them.  I like Michael Card's song about this incident - "The Stranger on the Shore".  Now, we have a few incidents in the Gospels where Jesus came into contact with disciples after his death and resurrection, and in many of those cases he was somehow different enough that they didn't recognise him immediately.  Such was the case here. 

How did Jesus show Himself in a way that they'd immediately spot?  Very neat, and very simple. 

He repeated a miracle he'd done previously!  In Luke 5: 1-11, Jesus gave his disciples a miraculous haul of fish by getting them to shoot the nets to the opposite side.  Here he does the same!

I love the image here.  The disciples get told by a total stranger to shoot the net to starboard.  Most of them are just stunned at the presumption of the stranger, but John has a funny look in his eyes. 

"What are you gawking at?!" asks one of the others.

"Just do it," says John in a small voice.

Peter frowns.  "John?" he asks. 

"Peter, do you remember being told to do that once before?" John asks in turn.

A pause.

"Do it!" snaps Peter at the others.  "Shoot the net to starboard!"

The ropes and nets creak, and immediately the haul of fish is so great that they can't get it into the boat.

"It's the LORD!" shouts John, joyfully.  Peter dives into the water and swims to shore, unable to contain himself even enough to wait for the boat to get there!

It's a fun story, but why is it here?  Just a nice anecdote of Jesus?

Well, I think probably the main point is what comes later - Jesus reinstating Peter three times (after three denials).  But before we head off elsewhere, it's possibly worth while to consider this moment a little further.

Whilst the dramatization I was reading stated that Peter was heading back to his old career, the text here doesn't say as much. I think that is implied, though.  As such, going fishing wasn't what Jesus really wanted him to do. 

Yet when they bring the boat in, does Jesus rebuke him?  No, not even a gentle rebuke.  Far from it, in fact - "Bring some of the fish you have just caught!" says Jesus.  He's barbecuing fish on the shore!  And he adds the additional fish into the meal.

Now, you might see this next bit as drawing a long bow.  And you know, it might be.  But I think there's a little significance here too.

See, we humans, even if we're Spirit-indwelt, tend to make a dodgy decision here and there.  We're sent to wait on the shore, but we go fishing instead.  Note that this choice, in the disciples' case, wasn't wrong or sinful; but it wasn't what they were asked to do.

We have that capacity.  God doesn't give us a prescriptive list of instructions to follow; He gives us wisdom, and with that wisdom we are empowered to make our own choices.  And sometimes the choices we make, though morally acceptable, aren't quite what God has in mind.  And at times like that we can all wonder "Have I messed this up?  Have I lost the opportunity to be used by God?"

To which my answer is a straight "no".  And why do I say that?  Well, look here at the incident we've just covered.  Jesus wasn't particularly planning on them going fishing, but since they had, He was quite happy to blend their activity into His own! "Plonk a few fish on the fire!"

When our latest hairbrained schemes have gone haywire (again!), it can be very tempting to say to ourselves "Well, that's it.  Forget about God, He's not going to be able to use me from here."

But you may be surprised.  Not only will God take you back (we know that from parables like the lost sheep, the prodigal son and the lost coin), He will go one better - He will take those errors and turn them around.  He'll blend them into the story of your life in such an amazing way that years later you could even turn around and say to yourself that you're glad you made that mistake!

I can certainly say that myself.  I believe that my current career as a teacher is an excellent example of God turning my own unwise choices into something incredible.  And I'd be surprised if this was unusual among Christians.  I'll bet that if you've been living this crazy Christian life for any length of time, you have similar stories to tell!