Fish Whisperer

John 21:1-14

The disciples head back home and attempt to reenter their former way of life. Jesus continues to reveal himself to them.

Jesus is wisely preparing them for this new phase of life, one appearance and one step at a time.

Peter sets the example for our behavior. Upon a hint of where Jesus is, he does whatever it takes to chase after him.

Swim to Jesus

There and Back Again

Logan was three years old and Auntie Kelly was going to take over night time routine! Night-time routine in my house has always involved a LOT of reading books, and around this time we had started a tradition that after all the picture books, we would read a chapter book as “eyes closed.” That continues to this day.

Kelly volunteered to read to Logan and Anna and I were so excited because, while a wonderful tradition, it does take a LONG time and a lot of energy. Up Kelly and Logan went and we were off for the night.

Our eyes closed was the Hobbit. And Kelly started reading him the Hobbit. We weren’t there. We were talking and cleaning up dinner and starting a little tv.

And we completely forgot Kelly was there.

I thought I had said, read a chapter or so. What Kelly heard was “read until Logan falls asleep.” And there was three-year-old Logan, bright-eyed and loving every minute of the story. For HOURS!

We are watching tv and we hear a voice come from upstairs and we both jump because “who the heck is in our house?” “Umm… guys, how long am I supposed to read for?”

That’s probably enough read for tonight, thank you! Great work. I think Kelly still holds the award for longest night time routine of all time. And now today, she reads the entire Hobbit book to her kids every night.

But am I actually amazed at the endurance and faithfulness of it. She was following the last instructions as she heard them, faithfully doing what she knew to do… probably hoping that maybe someone would come and tell her otherwise if time was up. That’s what a good brother and sister would do. We forgot.

Kelly was faithfully doing what we asked her to do until she heard otherwise… or until her voice gave out.

The Disciples are Headed back home

For a week after the Resurrection of Jesus, the disciples are in Jerusalem, hanging around through the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus appears to them twice during this time.

But then what? What do they do? They have been commissioned… in a sense. They have been promised the Holy Spirit… but Pentecost hasn’t really happened yet. They have some vague hints from Jesus but maybe no absolutely clear direction… he had said something about “going before them into Galilee after his resurrection…” but no real clear command that we hear.

So the disciples are kind of waiting around for Jesus… and maybe they don’t know what to do next?

So they go home. And when they are home, what else can they do but go back to life as they know it?

Back to Life

John 21:1-14

1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

It may be that the disciples are TERRIBLE fishermen. Not once in Scripture do they catch a single fish without Jesus’ help.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

They don’t know who it is yet. It is a random guy yelling from shore. Try the right side.

And do you know why Jesus told them to fish on the “right” side of the boat? Because there were fish on that side!

And so they follow random shore-guy’s advice and all of a sudden the trawling net is just full, so full they can’t bring it up into the boat, they have to drag it towards shore. And all of a sudden, to “the disciples Jesus loved”, who we identify as the author, John, this seems all too familiar. Someone miraculously helping us fish? That’s totally a Jesus move!

7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus doesn’t rebuke them for returning to “normal” life. In fact, he ministers to them in the midst of their “normal” life. Even as he is preparing them for something extra-ordinary.

Luke tells us that Jesus taught and ministers to his disciples for 40 days after his Resurrection… and I always pictured that like an intensive seminar period. But these kind of snapshots imply that it wasn’t like that at all. Jesus is appearing and disappearing. Ministering to them through words, service, acts of love… and then he disappears again.

He is wisely and carefully preparing them for radical ministry. He is giving them a transition period. They get to see him… but in a new way. Almost weaning them off his physical presence, as he said to Mary on the day of resurrection “Don’t cling to me for I have not yet ascended to my Father.”

The way they are going to relate to and interact with Jesus is going to be radically different and Jesus is preparing them for that. Soon it will be primarily through the miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the study and illumination of the Scriptures that they will seek after Jesus.

But Jesus gives them training wheels for a month and more.

He is preparing them for an entirely new way of encountering Him. He is preparing them to encounter Jesus now the way we encounter him, through the indwelling of his Spirit and through the ministry of his people: the Body of Christ.

Jesus is preparing them for the next step.

And he has another special purpose on this particular appearance, a ministry of forgiveness to Peter.

We will dive into that next week… but there is an absolutely beautiful moment in this story that we kind of skimmed over. The response of Peter to Jesus.

The Attitude of Peter

Like all the disciples: Peter is waiting on Jesus. He is waiting for direction. He is waiting for commands, for vision, for the Holy Spirit. He is waiting on Jesus and, while he waits, he is doing what he knows how to do.

And then… Peter hears Jesus.

Peter hears that it is Jesus. And he prepares himself.

And he dives into the water.

Swim to Jesus.

It isn’t practical. The boat will get there in a minute: he doesn’t care. He forgets that they probably need his help bringing in the “too heavy” net. In verse 10 Jesus kind of sends him back to help bring in 153 large fish.

Peter isn’t thinking about practicality. Peter also isn’t thinking of his past. We will see in the next verse that Peter has some simmering issues rising from his rejection of Jesus in the events leading to the crucifixion. There is likely guilt and shame and self-recrimination and embarrassment… but Peter ignores all of that.

Peter hears Jesus… and Peter swims to Jesus.

Swim to Jesus.

It is an act of passion. A longing to encounter Jesus, and to get closer to Jesus.

I imagine the contrast Peter is dealing with. Here I am, back at fishing. And how it pales to everything I have doing for the last three years with Jesus. I am meant to be a fisher of men, not a fisher of fish, that is what Jesus called me to be. And Jesus is alive, but I can’t quite figure out what that means for me. And it seems like he sent me back here, back home, but I’m not sure what to do here.

I’m just waiting for Jesus. I’m just waiting for Jesus. I’m going through my ordinary life, but I am just waiting for Jesus to call me into the extraordinary.

Then he hears. He doesn’t recognize the call himself, it takes his fellow disciple John to recognize the subtle call of Jesus. But Peter knows and immediately trusts John’s identification.

And he swims to Jesus.

He swims to Jesus.

How do I look? Do I look good? Let me put my robe back on? Good?

Okay… and he dives in. He probably can’t really swim, so he is just thrashing his way to shore. This is the Peter who panicked in the midst of walking on the water. Don’t care. He “threw himself in to the sea”.

Picture a five-year old determinedly thrashing their way towards the shore fully clothed. He doesn’t care: he is going to swim to Jesus, get to Jesus, NOW.

Waiting on Jesus

I want that passion. I want the intensity. That reckless commitment and desire to follow no matter where it leads or how ridiculous it looks or how impractical others might think it. There’s Jesus: I am in!

I’m going to swim to Jesus!

For many months, we have been sharing Next Step Testimonies with one another. What is God teaching you, where is He calling you? How are you taking that step?

And I have been asking and encouraging more of you to share… but I understand that is an intimidating thing for many reasons. Some don’t like sharing in front of people and I won’t force you. Some people aren’t wanting that level of vulnerability, and that’s okay too!

In some of my talks, some of you don’t know what your “next step” is… and that can be hard to discover. You are in Galilee and waiting on Jesus to show up. And in the meantime… you are doing what you know. You are a fisherman, so you fish. You are a teacher, so you teach. You are doing the best you can with the skills and gifts you have in the place you find yourself.

And that is awesome. In fact, until Jesus calls you to some “next thing” that is obedience and you can know that he has things to teach you in the midst of that… and he is working in and through you right where you are.

But I do want to challenge you. Do you have an ear out for Jesus?

Or, I love this, Peter didn’t recognize Jesus’ voice himself. He had an ear out for a trusted friend who recognized the voice and call of Jesus for him. But what Peter had was the absolute passion and commitment to SWIM to Jesus.

And are you ready to dive in and swim to Jesus?

To do anything, go anywhere he calls you to go? Just show me the next thing, God, and I will go.

And in the meantime, while I am waiting, I am going to do what I know the best I know how to do it obeying the last thing I heard from you!

Are you ready to swim to Jesus?

Next Step Swimming

Man, I wrestle with these texts and I trust that God speaks to me through them for all of our sakes.

Can I tell you, this week, I keep picturing our church as Peter in the boat. We are faithfully doing what we know how to do… and that is a good thing. And I do believe God is doing all sorts of amazing things in the people of the church, through this church, last week was such an amazing example.

And yet I have this picture of us as Peter, in the boat, doing what we know how to do. But waiting for the voice of Jesus to call us to the Next Thing. The Next Step.

I don’t know what that is yet. And that is SO FRUSTRATING! But Peter didn’t know what it was either and he didn’t know when Jesus was going to show up to tell him. He was faithful to do what he knew how to do, and the moment John said “it is the Lord” he SWAM to Jesus.

And even as that is the commitment of everyone of us, when we call Jesus Lord. That is the commitment of us as His church. That when we get that call to the NEXT thing. It isn’t going to matter how it makes us look, and it isn’t going to matter how difficult it is, and it isn’t going to matter that we can’t swim.

We are chasing after Jesus!