Peter was ready to go back to his old life. The one he had before Jesus interrupted him on these shores, and out there on the sea. His grandfather had been a fisherman, his dad, and he was too. That's just who he was meant to be. His heritage, his identity, his destiny.
"I am going fishing," he said to the others. "Who's with me?"
"I'm in," Thomas said, needing to clear his head. He was still trying to figure out if he'd actually seen Jesus before they left Jerusalem. It had seemed so real, but--
"Me
too," Nathanael sighed, not understanding why they were back here
again--why Jesus had told them to return home to Galilee instead of
remaining where all the excitement was. Sure they were scared, but at
least the news was buzzing of Jesus being alive.
John was reluctant to follow the others. They had waited all day for Jesus to meet them here on the hillside like He said, but Jesus hadn't come and he was hungry. They had nothing left to eat.
"Come on, little brother," James said. "You heard the boss."
He went to get in the boat with the others who had all agreed with Peter, as usual. One of these days he was going to get up the gumption to not follow that know-it-all, but tonight he felt powerless, hopeless, and abandoned.
It
had been a crazy two weeks. First Jesus had ridden through the streets
of Jerusalem on a donkey with everyone calling Him the Blessed One sent
from God, only to call for His death after the Passover feast. He'd
never been so scared in his life or devastated, but Jesus was alive? He
had risen from the dead like He said, and he had seen with his own
eyes--twice? Could it really be?
Peter
was beyond confusion. Beyond understanding God at all. Was He going to
rescue them or not? First Jesus was dead, and now He was back? What the
heck? He was done trying to figure that dude out. So he was back to
fishing. Something predictable and worthwhile and...'Where are all the
fish? We should be bringing in our first catch by now, but the net is
still empty.'
By dawn everyone was ready to head home and get some breakfast. Nathanael knew it would be good to see the wife and kids. He wasn't sure what to tell them. Surely they'd heard the terrible news by now, but would they believe the good news? He sighed at the thought of having to tell another tall-tale, but what else could he do? He'd come this far with getting everyone to believe his latest Jacob's-ladder sighting; And only time would tell what the Messiah's resurrection meant. Jesus had told them it would happen, but He hadn't said what came next.
They were getting close to shore when he saw someone sitting beside a fire on the beach. Standing to His feet the man called out, "Do you have any fish?"
"No!"
“Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
He heard John gasp. "It's Jesus!"
"No, it's not," Peter argued. "You're imagining things."
"No, I'm not! It's Him! Do what He said!"
Nathanael had never heard young John be so adamant with Peter. He could get riled up with his brother sometimes, but he had a respectful fear of others with strong personalities, until now. He didn't even take it from Thomas when he tried to agree with Peter.
"You finally saw Him for yourself! Do you still not believe?"
"I'm not rowing all the way back out there," Peter said in his matter-of-fact way, but John held his ground.
"He didn't say we have to go back. Just let the net down here! If it's Him, we'll know soon enough."
So
they cast the net into the shallow water, and sure enough the fish
practically jumped into the boat. When they tried to haul the net in,
they couldn't without fear of breaking it.
"It is the Lord!" John said again, and they all knew he was right.
Even Peter didn't argue and jumped into the water, heading for the shore. Nathanael wanted to do the same but just smiled and helped the others with dragging the full net to the beach. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to get used to Jesus proving Himself over and over, but for the moment he had no doubt, and he knew there was no rush. Jesus would be waiting when he got there.
***
It's
easy to think that once Jesus rose from the dead and they saw Him with
their own eyes, His disciples never doubted Jesus' words again, but I'm
sure they did--many, many times. It's just human nature to doubt, like
Adam and Eve did in the Garden, like Abraham did in Canaan, like Moses
did in the wilderness, like David...On and on we see God's people
doubting His words, His presence, His promises, and we see ourselves in
their stories.
But even though we doubt, our God is still faithful. He patiently guides us, helps us, teaches us--day after day, week after week, and year after year.
We celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of Jesus--God coming to be with us and become one of us; to become a sacrifice for our sins and provide salvation for all people.
And I think celebrating the New Year can be a time for us to remember that Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven to sit in the place of authority at the Father's right hand, and then sent His Spirit to be with us and bring new life to our often doubtful and troubled hearts. It's 2023 but He still has not abandoned us, just as He promised: I am with you always. (Matthew 28:20)
I
hope you step into the New Year with confidence. I hope you don't feel
abandoned or powerless. I hope you are counting on Jesus to see you
through the coming days, weeks, and months; whatever they hold. I hope
you are expecting Jesus to fill up your net with abundant blessings and
miraculous moments.
I
pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you
with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home
in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s
love and keep you strong...May you experience the love of Christ,
though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made
complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
(Eph. 3:16-19)
I wish you a joy-filled, hopeful New Year, full of grace and truth. 💜
