A retelling of John 21.
The sun was coming up and we were tired. We had fished all night, the seven of us, and had come up empty handed. Hard to make a living when you have no catch. Looking back toward the shore I could see a figure standing looking in our direction. I couldn't tell who it was. Then the person shouted to us wanting to know if we had any food. Nope, we shouted back. Nothing to show for a whole night of fishing.
Throw Out Your Nets
Then the man said something kind of odd. He told us to throw our nets on the other side of the boat. What?? Nobody who knew anything about fishing would suggest something like that, but what did we have to lose. We decided to humor him, so we threw out the net, laughingly, until we felt a very hard tug on our net. It was fish and a lot of them!
It's Jesus!
It was John who realized it first. The man was our Lord! It was Jesus! Appearing to us again as he had before. Not until we caught the fish did we realize just who it was that was directing us where to place the net. As soon as John said something, Peter excitedly jumped into the water and swam ashore. The boat was too slow for him.
Nets Overflowing
The rest of us followed in the boat, dragging the net filled to the brim with fish. There, Jesus was standing by a fire He had made with freshly cooked fish and bread. Jesus, always the servant. Jesus, always doing more for others than for Himself. Breakfast smelled so good in the clean morning air. Jesus instructed us to bring Him some of the fish we had caught. Peter raced into the water and hauled that heavy net in by himself. Peter counted 153 fish. What a haul!
Come And Have Breakfast
Jesus then invited us to breakfast, sharing the fish and bread He had prepared. "Come and have breakfast, friends." How I had missed these moments with our teacher, Jesus. Three times now Jesus had showed Himself to us since His death and resurrection. But now he wanted to talk to Peter. He wanted to ask Peter some questions.
Do You Love Me?
Three times he asked Peter if he loved Him. Three times Peter said yes, but by the third time you could see that Peter's heart was aching at having to continue to reassure Jesus that, yes, he really loved Him. Each time Jesus's reply was similar and yet different. The first time Jesus replied, "Feed my lambs." The second time Jesus replied, "Tend my sheep." and the last time Jesus replied, "Feed my sheep."
Asking Peter this question three times must have brought back to Peter the three times he had denied even knowing Christ. Peter, sadly, denied Jesus even after he had said that he loved Him more than any of the rest of us. How terrible Peter must have felt.
Follow Me
Peter understood that Jesus meant that the sheep were His people. Peter's job was to care for them, teach them and grow them up in the knowledge of Christ. Then Jesus went on to let Peter know that he would be faithful to Jesus from then on. Faithful to a death like Jesus's own, on a cross. Then Jesus spoke His last words to Peter, "Follow me." Now that Peter knew exactly what his fate would be, Jesus encouraged him. Jesus's first words to Peter had been "Follow me" and now they were His last to him.
For John, Jesus would have a different fate, but for Peter, the road had been laid before Him. Peter took up his cross and never looked back. He was His master's faithful servant from that day forward.
I will never forget that beautiful morning when we were met with a delicious breakfast served to us by the Son of the King, the Holy One of Israel who served us with His very life. I adore you O Lord and I praise you. For by Your Cross and Resurrection You have set us free.
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