John 21:1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
John 21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
John 21:3 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.
John 21:4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore;[the beach] yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
John 21:5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”
Joh 21:6 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.
John 21:7 That disciple whom Jesus loved [John] 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.
John 21:8 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.
John 21:9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.
John 21:10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
John 21:11 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.
John 21:12 Jesus said to them, “Come and Dine.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
John 21:13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
John 21:14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
The disciples had been through a very traumatic time. They had watched as Jesus was arrested and crucified. They had shivered in fear in behind locked doors awaiting their own arrest. They had not understood that Jesus had foretold all that would happen to Him and that He would rise again on the third day. Now even though they had seen the risen Lord they were still in a state of confusion and despair.
Peter decides that he will go back to what was familiar to him. He was a fisherman, as were many of the other disciples. Still not understanding what was to come, he decided to go BACK to his old comfort zone.
Isn’t this very much like us? When we are faced with uncertainty and are disheartened, we choose to go BACK to our old haunts, our old comfort zones. We seek out the familiar. We forget that our old life did not satisfy us or fulfil us. But it is the “known” in the midst of the “unknown”. We think I’ve been here before, I’ve done this before. Like an old pair of worn out slippers that are broken and the sole is coming off, we easily step back into our old familiar comfort zone.
With all that is happening right now in our world, many are feeling confused and uncertain. So the enemy comes along and says “just go back to what you know”. “Go back to the things you used to do to find comfort”. He is enticing many to go back to their old sinful lifestyles and not trust in the Lord. They forget that the old slippers had to be cast aside because they were no good anymore.
Like the disciples we have been forewarned that all these things would be coming on the world. [2Tim_3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.] We only have to look into the Bible to see that God has told us ahead of time that we would live in troubling times
Alas, many choose to go back to what they have known. Thinking, “well I don’t know what will happen next, so I will just go back to what I have always done”. Peter and the disciples did that. They jumped into the boat and off the fish they went.
Rather than trusting and depending upon the Almighty God to care for us, we start to depend upon ourselves. We do not see the big picture. Just like Peter and the other disciples, Jesus had told them before He was ever crucified that He would suffer and die and rise again. He told them that He would leave them, but that He would send the Holy Spirit.
He had told them that they were to be salt and light in this world. He told them that they were to be fishers of men. They were to be as a city on a hill that would be seen. They were to be light in the darkness. But as we do many times, they did not comprehend what He was telling them.
After Jesus had died and rose again, He was not constantly with them in the flesh and blood as they had become accustomed to. They did not see Him and hear Him throughout the days and nights as they had before. Perhaps they began to feel that He had forgotten or neglected them. Though that was never the case.
There are time in a Christian’s walk that we may not “feel” the Lord with us or we may not “hear” the Lord, so we may begin to think that He is not with us. But we walk by faith and not by sight. We stand sure upon His word. He has said “I will never leave you or forsake you”. Repeated both in the Old testament and the New Testament. [Deut 31:8 – Heb 13:5] So He wants us to know that He will never leave or forsake us. Therefore He is there with you even when you don’t see Him or hear Him. He is there because that is where He said He would be. It is in these times that we learn something about ourselves, about our faith. Do we truly have faith? Do we believe that the Word of God is true and will never pass away? We will learn that Jesus is always with us and that He always keeps His word.
When we go back to our old life, like the disciples, we will find ourselves returning home tired and empty. They had toiled all through the night but had nothing to show for their effort.
At that low moment Jesus appears on the beach. He asked them what they had caught. When they told Him they had caught nothing, He tells them to cast their net again on the right side of the boat and there they would find the fish they had been seeking all through the long dark night.
Jesus is standing on the shore of our lives. He is telling us what we must do to find the peace, hope and comfort that we are seeking. All we have to do is to follow His instructions to us:
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God – Mark 11:22
Pray without ceasing – 1 Thess 5;17
In all things give thanks – 1 Thess 5:18
Trust in the Lord with all your heart Prov 3:5
Come unto Me and I will give you rest Matt 11:28
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27b
Once the disciples followed Jesus’s instructions, their net was filled with fish. God had provided for them. When we follow Jesus’s instructions we find that God provides for us also. He has told us that he even takes care of the sparrows. He watches over them to see that they have all they need. He also tells us that we are far more valuable than the sparrows. He is watching over us for our good.
When they got closer to the beach, John realized that it was Jesus who was standing there. Jesus invites them to come and dine. Jesus had prepared a meal for them. Bread and fish were cooking on the fire. How good this must have looked to those tired, hungry fishermen.
Where are you today? Are you out in the boat, in your old comfort zones toiling all though the long dreary night? Have you become weary because of all that is happening in our world today?
We do not have to remain out there, toiling on our own. Look toward the beach. Look toward the place God wants you to be. When you look back to God, you will see that He is right there. He is very much aware of the toils you have been enduring. He wants you to come back to trusting and resting in Him.
Like the Disciples we will find everything we need and desire “on the beach”. Jesus is waiting for us to come back to our close relationship with Him. He has prepared what we need. There is food for our soul. There is rest for our soul in Him. When we choose to come back to a close relationship with Him and trust Him we will find the blessings we have been out toiling to find.
The old hymn says ”Jesus has the table spread, where the saints of God are fed. He invites His chosen people, come and dine. There they find their hearts desire, bread and fish upon the fire. Thus He satisfies the hungry every time.”
Yes we are living in troubling times. Yes things may not be just the way we want them to be. But this is not the time to turn and go back to the old life. This is not the time to take matters into our own hands. If we do we will find that we will be out toiling in the deep dark night. But if we choose to come back to the “beach” we will find Jesus is there. He will supply our every need. He will bless our life. He is eagerly waiting for us and has prepared a table for us that will satisfy our hungry souls.