John 21:1-14 – Breakfast By The Sea
The past few weeks the disciples have been through more emotions than most people experience in a lifetime. The growing dread leading up to the time in Jerusalem as Jesus repeatedly speaks of His death, the extreme weariness that overtakes them in the Garden of Gethsemane when they should have been praying, the shock that one of their number has betrayed the Lord, the anger at the soldiers coming to take Christ away, the fear for their life causing them to abandon Christ, the grief we can’t begin to imagine at watching and hearing of the crucifixion, the numbness that must have hit them for three days after Christ’s death when it seems that all they have believed in is a lie, the confusion of the empty tomb and Mary’s message, the guilt of their own sinful behaviour, and the overwhelming joy of seeing Christ alive again. They need time to think, to clear their heads, and they do this by falling back on their old job. Out on the boat all night, away from other people, they have plenty of time to think as they perform the tasks they’ve known how to do all their lives. Surely they think about the events of the last three years, and then after being up all night without catching anything, history begins to repeat itself. As the sky lightens, a solitary figure on the shore tells them where to cast their nets, and for John, everything clicks together. Peter must know he has a lot to answer for, but when John tells him who the man on the shore is, Peter doesn’t hesitate. More than anything else he wants to be with Christ. And as the sun rises on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and His disciples sit down for breakfast one last time on earth. Nothing else that can ever happen to these disciples can take away the joy that breakfast by the sea must have given them for it is a foretaste of heaven. One day we’ll experience it too.
Questions
- Why do the disciples go fishing?
- How does Peter feel about Christ?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that one day we will be with the Lord.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.