Devotion for Friday 29 April 2011 Anno Domini

Devotion for Friday 29 April 2011 Anno Domini
1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. (John 21:1-14)

The modern observance of Easter is very different from that of the real Easter 2000 years ago. There were neither pagan trappings nor allusion to bunny rabbits and eggs. It was a time of serious contemplation, danger, and joy as well. The Apostles were uncertain of their duties following the crucifixion. At a time of uncertainty, Peter decided to return to an activity with which he felt comfortable. “Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee.” They have returned to the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias) to conduct their fishing. The Jordan River flows from the snowy heights of Mt Hermon to the north, enters the Sea of Galilee on the north side and emerges from Galilee on the south winding its way through fertile bands of green. The bed through which the river flows would be barren except for the river. It winds its way down, and down, to the Dead Sea where it dies in a wilderness of desert salts. The Jordan is a relatively short river – about one hundred miles in length, yet every where it flows, it brings life. The Sea of Galilee is a stir with life and rich in fishes. It is a rich sea because it gives up on the south all that flows into it from the north. But the Dead Sea has no outlet. It gives NOTHING up and it is dead! The course of the River Jordan is much like the life of Christ – short in duration, giving life everywhere it goes, and dying in the wilderness of our sins.

The disciples fished all night to no avail. Joy so often comes at the morning hour! When dawn began to break, the disciples were near to shore. They beheld a stranger standing on the shoreline who cried out to them, “Children, have ye any meat?” They answered “no.” “And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.” This must have seemed somewhat ridiculous that a stranger, not even engaged in the trade of fishing, should give suggestions on where and how to fish, but they obeyed. We are unable to do the works of the Lord with the arm of flesh – we must do so under His power and His authority. A long night of labor may yield nothing, but five minutes following Christ leads to overwhelming success! “They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.” This reminds us of another episode of fishing at Christ’s command which yielded an overwhelming abundance. (Luke 5). John, the beloved disciple said to Peter: “It is the Lord.” Strong affection is more likely to recognize its bounty than simple acquaintance. Peter, ever the impulsive one, was naked; yet, he girded himself up with a fisher’s coat and plunged into the sea without delay. It would have made more sense to remove extra clothing before swimming. He had much to amend, he may have felt, after his denial of Christ three times in one night. The others followed in a boat, dragging the huge net of fishes.

“As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.” These men had labored all night and were obviously famished. What a kindness of Christ to consider their physical hunger as well as that spiritual hunger which had lingered sin that night in the Garden. He has a fish and perhaps a loaf of bread. With Christ, that would always be enough since He was able to feed more than 5,000 with only two fishes and five loaves, but He desires that we bring our reward with us, too. We are fishers of men, and we must not return to the Lord empty handed. “Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.” There were 153 fishes in the net, and this time, the net was not broken as before. There is much speculation about the number of fish representing every nation then extant at the time. This I do not know and therefore cannot say with authority. But the work of Redemption by Christ had been finished at Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. So the net held THIS time!

Jesus gave the same invitation He gives to believers today: “Come and dine.” All knew this ‘stranger’ to be the Lord. We still must recognize Him by our side in our struggles, on the shore of our night labors, always working His will in our lives and ALWAYS with us! “Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.” A wholesome bite of bread must come from a larger wholesome loaf. Christ is our Bread of Life. He is the Word and the Truth. But bread is even more appetizing when we have our fishes to go with it. We carry the Bread to the seas of life, and we catch fish for the Lord and bring them to His presence – whether by the Galilean Sea, or the shores of the Mississippi. He will then give us to eat of our reward. And we must remember: our reward is not gold and silver, but fish from the seas of life. So, friend, you have labored long and prospered nothing. The stranger on the shore, which is NOT a stranger, beckons to cast your labors in another direction. Our labors have been marked by greed and infidelity. Will you hear the voice from the Shore?