The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 21:3-6,
"'I'm going out to fish,' Simon Peter told them [a half dozen of the other disciples of Jesus], and they said, 'We'll go with you.' So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, 'Friends, haven't you any fish?' 'No,' they answered. He said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.' When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish."
John tells us this is the account of the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples following the events of the empty tomb when Jesus appeared to Mary. The first two were in a locked room where the disciples were gathered together. This one took place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The account of it demonstrates that Jesus was still teaching and developing his disciples for their upcoming work in the gospel even after he had been raised from the dead. It is an amazing account and it teaches us all that apart from Jesus Christ and following his lead, life is empty and unproductive. With Jesus, things are fruitful. Pastors will teach that the lesson here is that if the apostles were to be accomplished in their ministry of the gospel ("'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.'" Matthew 4:19), they needed to listen and take direction from the Lord. We, likewise, need to do the same.
This account is certainly that and from my perspective, even more. It speaks to life itself, life for each one of us. The empty net, and then the full net at following Jesus' direction is a metaphor for life's outcomes if we follow the Lord. Fulfillment and satisfaction in life are found when we follow him, when we listen to him, when we take our cues from him.
It reminds me of Jesus' teaching of the vine. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:5-8.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"'I'm going out to fish,' Simon Peter told them [a half dozen of the other disciples of Jesus], and they said, 'We'll go with you.' So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, 'Friends, haven't you any fish?' 'No,' they answered. He said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.' When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish."
John tells us this is the account of the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples following the events of the empty tomb when Jesus appeared to Mary. The first two were in a locked room where the disciples were gathered together. This one took place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The account of it demonstrates that Jesus was still teaching and developing his disciples for their upcoming work in the gospel even after he had been raised from the dead. It is an amazing account and it teaches us all that apart from Jesus Christ and following his lead, life is empty and unproductive. With Jesus, things are fruitful. Pastors will teach that the lesson here is that if the apostles were to be accomplished in their ministry of the gospel ("'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.'" Matthew 4:19), they needed to listen and take direction from the Lord. We, likewise, need to do the same.
This account is certainly that and from my perspective, even more. It speaks to life itself, life for each one of us. The empty net, and then the full net at following Jesus' direction is a metaphor for life's outcomes if we follow the Lord. Fulfillment and satisfaction in life are found when we follow him, when we listen to him, when we take our cues from him.
It reminds me of Jesus' teaching of the vine. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:5-8.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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