This is Plan B for the disciples.
They had seen what happened to Jesus and knew it was over. So, they go back fishing. For sure, this doesn't feel like a quiet day on the lake to get away from it all. This story is often seen as a return. These followers of Jesus didn't know what to do next.
And as many people know, when you don't know what to do next, you often return to what's familiar. That day, then, their fishing wasn't a hobby or a retreat weekend.
Still, Jesus shows up there.
The Lord meets them while they are in the wrong direction and fills their nets. What a blessing grace is!
By morning, their emptiness turns into an overflow. Some of them may have remembered a catch like that before. In both cases, their abundance was not connected to what they understood about what was happening but to their willingness to listen.
As they’re witnessing this miracle, one of the followers recognizes what is happening. "It is the Lord," he said. Then two things happen. Peter doesn't hesitate to jump into the water to get to Jesus. The other disciples stay in the boat, hauling in the fish.
And, in that moment, both responses are right. Peter shows us how to run toward Jesus. The others show us how to receive what Jesus provides.
As far as I can tell, no one throws the fish back. They could have. They could have said, "This isn't who we are anymore." After all, this was a return to an old life for them. But they didn't get rid of the catch.
Because even though they went fishing out of confusion, the blessing still came from Christ. And you don't waste what grace gives you.
Sometimes, God meets you in places you never planned to stay. Other times, blessings show up in seasons you weren't ready to experience. But since Jesus is in it all, it is never meaningless.
Nothing is wasted in the hands of God.
So, run to Jesus with everything you have. But also keep the catch he's placed in your hands.
Stay blessed...john
Comments