Disciples

Jesus Knows How to Fish

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The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.  John 21: 8-9 NIV

I could have made the title a bit longer and added, Jesus knows how to fish and I don’t. Funny thing because my son who I taught to fish can cast farther and catch more but the disciples’ night fishing was about like mine would have been: a still one big fat zero!  Can’t you almost picture them throwing out their nets and pulling them in all night wondering why they are empty? Yet at the same time, Jesus was catching fish! By the time the disciples got back to shore with nothing, Jesus had already started a fire and started cooking the fish He had caught.

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But the good news for us as well as Peter James and John is that Jesus is still waiting for us. He is waiting for us to give up and bring our boat back to shore. He is waiting for us to be ready to listen to Him. He is waiting for us to recognize His voice. Fishing without praying is just feeding the fish. Fishing longer won’t help. Often just giving up is the first step back to Jesus. He is standing on the shore. He has been working all through our night and He’ll have everything ready when we arrive!

Emmaus Road

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So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. Luke 24:28-29 ESV

It is interesting that these two disciples had walked all day with Jesus. They had listened to all He had to say. They had talked with Him and told Him all their problems. But all down that long hot and dusty road, they never realized who they were spending their day with.

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All down the path they had walked focused on their hopelessness, confusion and fear. At any moment Jesus could have stopped them in their tracks shouting, “Hey guys, it’s me! I came back from the dead! Everything is going to be great!” but He didn’t. Instead Jesus first asked them about their problems then patiently explained from scripture God’s plans. Then He fell silent and acted as if He would just go on without them.

Then those disciples made a choice that changed their destination from a village to a vision. They chose to offer a small kindness to the stranger who had shared His day with them. Jesus accepted their invitation and when they sat down together to eat, He blessed the bread and showed them who He was. Will we invite some of the least likely strangers to sit with us tonight? When we make room for them at our table Jesus will still break the bread and give us a glimpse of His face just as He has been doing for 2000 years!

Catch Anything? Part 2

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Part Two – The Other Side of the Boat

Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.  John 21:6 ESV

When I was a teenager om Summer nights some of us would dive into the river from a bridge on a dare.  Now we had to be careful which side of the bridge to dive from because one side had deep water  and the other did not. It was a terrifying 20 feet to the water but the thrill of surviving the plunge and swimming to the shore was worth it!

As the disciples discovered; just five minutes of fishing with Jesus was better than an entire night without Him! He knew where and when to throw the nets. When we invite Him along on our fishing trip we need to be prepared to cast our nets at unexpected times and places. The momentary fear we will feel when we take the plunge of obedience to share His message will be drowned out by our shouts of joy. Our long night of failure will be ended by a morning of  nets bursting with fish and our hearts filled with praise for Him!

fish net on gray surface

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