John 21:1-14 —> Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
Whenever I assign a group project to my students, I always tell them “we have no time for freeloaders.” Everyone is expected to contribute and put forth their best effort in my class. I couldn’t help but feel this tension with Peter when reading this passage of scripture. We have been reading through the end of John’s gospel which details the weeks after Christ’s resurrection. In the passage today, Peter and some of the other disciples had been out fishing all night with nothing to show. Jesus called to them from the shore and told them to cast their nets to the other side. Upon doing so, their net filled with 153 fish. At this point, Peter realized that the man calling from the shore was Jesus, so he immediately jumped in the water and swam to him. This means that he left the others to bring this heavy net into shore. As I read the passage for this week, I had a hard time moving past this point. Surely all the others wanted to see Jesus too? Wouldn’t they be a little annoyed as impulsive Peter strikes again, unaware that his actions add a greater burden to his companions? I wondered if they felt the same frustrations that Martha felt in Luke 10.
Once Peter gets to shore, Jesus is waiting there with fish and bread, ready to serve his friends. While my first fixation was on Peter, my focus then shifted to Jesus. Jesus cared about their earthly needs. He knew that as fishermen, it was important for their livelihood for them to catch fish. He also knew that they needed to eat. So, in this appearance to the disciples, He meets both of these needs. Peter, on the other hand, saw Jesus meet that first need with the fish, and in turn, ditched the net full of fish for the opportunity to reunite with Jesus as quickly as he could. To Peter, the gift that Jesus had provided them with the fish paled in comparison to the opportunity for Peter to spend time with Him. It wasn’t that he was trying to leave the other disciples in the lurch, but at the moment he understood that Jesus was the most important thing. Similarly, Mary knew that dinner preparations were important, but also knew that sitting with Jesus was the most important thing. What freedom it gives us to pursue Christ’s presence as the most important thing when scripture affirms that He knows and cares about our earthly needs!
Matthew 6 says “Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life… for the pagans run after these things (food, drink, clothes) and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
And the more I thought about it, the more confidently I felt that Peter wasn’t really leaving them in a lurch. If the other disciples wanted to jump out of the boat in pursuit of Jesus, surely the same man who multiplied food and defeated death could see to it that their fish made it back to shore.
Anne
And lest you think we, as a family, have mastered our devotional time, questions surrounding our recent devotional time included…
“Will you pay me $100 to do the devotional?”
“If I get baptized can I wear goggles?”
Devotional and coloring sheet attached below
Very good! Love the kids questions at the end. ❤️