Can you imagine having
walked with and sat with and eaten with Jesus and the next day he is crucified
on the cross?
We long desperately for his
presence even without ever having known him in the flesh.
How much more would you want
to be with him if you had already been with him before and then he was gone?
Even though the disciples knew the reason for his death was
worth it, they must have really missed his presence in the day to day, his
teachings, and his companionship.
John 21
Breakfast by the Sea
1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the
disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana
in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee,
and two others of His disciples were together. 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[a] 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?”
They answered Him, “No.”
6 And He said to them, “Cast the
net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they
cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of
fish.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to
Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he
put on his outer
garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they
were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with
fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a
fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them,“Bring some
of the fish which you have just caught.”
11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full
of large fish, one
hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not
broken. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat
breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are
You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to
them, and likewise the fish.
14 This is now the
third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the
dead.
They didn’t know what to do
with themselves. They were at a loss for what to do, so they went to work. Life
continues!
Let’s look at this passage
why it was the perfect moment for Jesus to make an appearance.
1. Jesus shows up when we
are unified.
What is interesting here is
that Peter states, “I am going fishing” and the rest of them agree to go with
him. They were not going to just sit around wondering what to do.
They weren’t going fishing
for sport or for fun, they were going to work.
It is good for Christians to
work together on things that are outside the church! Get together, do things
together, work hard together, enjoy life together. God blesses that!
Unity and fellowship set the
stage for Jesus to make an entrance.
Jesus showed up to do a miracle after they had been
working together, in fellowship, and unified.
2. Jesus shows up when we
humble ourselves.
Think about what the
disciples had gone through.
They have been commissioned
by Jesus Christ himself to go preach to the world, but it’s as though someone
hit the pause button.
They aren’t quite prepared
yet (this was before Pentecost, so they may not have had the outward
manifestation of the Holy Spirit).
God has given them this big
ole whopper of a dream and calling and they have nothing to do but to go
fishing!
But…These precious men of
God were providing for their families, working hard together, waiting on God to
finish writing their story. What an act of humility!
The lower we bow, the more
we resemble Christ.
Humility is a Christ-like
quality so it pleases God!
Psalm 138:6 Though the Lord
is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
3. Jesus shows up in the
ordinary day.
Do not think for a moment
that you are any less in God’s eyes because you do common work.
Do not buy into the lie that
God cannot use ordinary people in their average days!
God will speak to you, and Jesus will show up in the
common circumstance because you are near and dear to his heart!
Jesus’ own earthly father was a mere carpenter!
You may have to wait on a
dream or calling to come to fruition but God is going to bless you for not
becoming idle in the wait time!
Through the ordinary days,
He wants to build your character, your faith, and your strength in Him.
Jesus shows up right in the
middle of their ordinary day to be with them, teach them, and provide for them!
In the normal day, He is close to us always and much nearer
than we think!
4. Jesus shows up when we
are tired and disappointed.
Imagine having fished all night and caught nothing.
They worked so hard!
Do you ever wear yourself
out for something and it goes absolutely nowhere? Do you ever get to the VERY
END of your last resource and wonder what you did wrong?
It wasn’t that they did anything wrong here- God
wasn’t punishing them!
Even the righteous can work diligently
and not prosper from time to time, experiencing disappointments...
In your most tiring,
disappointed moments, God may just be making a way for a miracle in the
morning.
5. Jesus shows up when we
admit our need for him.
He spoke to them as if they
were his own children, out of deep love for them to meet their needs.
As parents, we meet our kids
needs with joy because we love them so much. How much greater is His love for
us?
He asked them if they had
any meat? It’s not like he didn’t know the answer! But instead, He wanted them
to come to Him with their need.
When we have absolutely
nothing, he always has an abundance.