John 21:1 “Later, by the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus again revealed Himself to the disciples. He made Himself known in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night. 4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not recognize that it was Jesus. 5 So He called out to them, “Children, do you have any fish?”
“No,” they answered. 6 He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish.”
The disciples were stressed out! It had been a rough week! Even though Jesus had already appeared to the disciples, they still really wondered if He had actually risen from the dead or if they had deceived themselves. And it was at that point that Peter suggested a fishing trip.
Three of the men in that boat were professional fishermen: Peter, James, and John. If Andrew was along, that would make 4 fishermen. Why were the disciples in Galilee? Jesus had promised that he would meet them in Galilee. Perhaps they had been there a few days, waiting for Jesus and he had failed to turn up. Perhaps they had anticipated a more dramatic reunion. At any rate, nothing was happening, and the boat and nets were there, so they went out on the water and spent all night casting their nets, but they caught nothing.
By this point, Peter might have been muttering under his breath, wondering why nothing seemed to work. All he wanted was to just enjoy the night air, catch a few fish, relax, listen to the sound of the water and feel the gentle rocking motion of the boat on the waves. Peter was conveniently forgetting the storm squalls that could churn the lake into a froth and sink the boat. But all their efforts literally netted them nothing.
Were the disciples in the wrong place? No. Jesus had ordered them to go to Galilee and they had gone to Galilee. Were the disciples poor fishermen? No. Peter and James and John were professional fishermen before they went to follow Jesus. Had the disciples missed God’s timing? No. God was about to give the disciples an experience none of them would forget, an experience to last a lifetime, an experience to remember when they were being tortured and killed later on. Because Jesus was about to cook breakfast for the disciples.
There are many times when we can identify with Simon Peter. We have shown up where and when we were supposed to. We have carried out our stated duties. We have fulfilled all the conditions of performance …..and nothing is happening! We are not seeing any results, despite our best efforts, despite all our expertise. Have we gotten the whole thing wrong?
No! Our problem is the same as Peter’s: we need Jesus to show up in our situations. Once Jesus appeared, everything changed, including the disciples. Perhaps today you feel angry and frustrated. All your best efforts in a situation have proved fruitless. Don’t give up! Wait for Jesus. If you are in the right place at the right time, He will show up. And your life will never be the same again.
PRAYER:Lord Jesus, please come! We need your mighty power! We need your inspiration! We need your grace. We need your courage. Help us to completely fulfill your plans for our lives. In your mighty and precious Name, King Jesus, Amen.
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