21:3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and
immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when
the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not
know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any
food?”
I had planned to move further
into the story today but when I went back to the beginning of the chapter to
review and keep the full context it mind new things leapt off the page. I can't
believe how much I missed and it makes me wonder how much more I have missed
all the way through. That's why His Word is such an adventure. The deeper you
go and the more you explore it the more He reveals.
Check this out:
The disciples went fishing at
night, in the darkness. It gave them nothing. The darkness has nothing to
offer. Then morning broke and Jesus was there. He is the Light of the world.
Immediately He asks them if they have any food. He already knows they don't but
they need to express it. They need to acknowledge their emptiness so that they
ate prepared to listen, open to listen, when He shows them the right way. He is
the right way. He is the food of life.
Thinking they have lost their
chance to be with the Bread of life, they have returned to their old life,
seeking the food that doesn't satisfy. Groping around in the dark they are
trying to replace what they have lost.
The point is Jesus doesn't leave
them in their darkness or emptiness. He comes bringing morning and light with
Him. He immediately exposes their need and then gives them the guidance on how
to fill it.
Notice that point. There are so
many endless and often circular discussions in Christianity about what we are
supposed to do. Some say we must follow the laws of God if we are truly
Christians. Others say Jesus has fulfilled the law and we don't need to do anything.
Both arguments are self-focused which is why we continue to go around and
around and never get to an answer that truly satisfies.
Jesus could have had all the fish
jump onto the beach and lay down. He could have but He didn't. He could have
created a bunch of fish from nothing like He fed the 5000. In other words He
could have filled their need entirely by Himself but He did not. He challenged
them to cast their nets on the right side. Why? Because their need wasn't fish
or food, it was renewed trust. By inviting them into the process He was
inviting them to trust Him. He was giving them an opportunity to see Him work
for their benefit. This is the work God wants from us. To actively believe.
Sometimes active belief means standing still and trusting God will take care of
us. Sometimes actively trusting means giving something of great value to us
away and knowing He will make it all work out. Sometimes actively trusting
means investing in someone else. There is no textbook answer as to what our
trust journey with God will look like because it is ever changing. The only
time it looks the same is when God brings us back to an identical point because
we didn't fully grasp the lesson that was to be learned there the first time.
This morning on water with empty
nets becoming so full they couldn't bring them in without help was a repeat
moment. Jesus was rebooting their fractured faith.
We'll journey deeper tomorrow.
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