Gone Fishing

Gone Fishing

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. John 21:3 NKJV

Thirty years ago, when we lived in a small farming village, I was often astonished at the hours, the handful businesses kept. Our tiny bank was only open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The post office closed for lunch, and one general store was sometimes unexpectedly closed, leaving a sign in the door, “Gone fishing!” Today’s verse comes about one week after the miracles, the drama, the tears and the joys of Holy week. Just like us, the disciples wondered what to do with what came next. Maybe some of the other people who played a part in the Easter story also asked the same question. Have you ever wondered what the soldiers, who guarded his tomb, said to their wives when they went home? Did Joseph of Arimathea open his shop again on Monday morning? Did Nicodemus return to teaching in the synagogue? You might think that when the disciples of Jesus woke up, they would have talked about the earthquake and darkness after Jesus died, or the reports of the guards falling like dead men when the angel rolled back the stone. We can’t be sure of all their conversations, but John tells us that one evening Peter, much our like neighbors, said: “Let’s go fishing!” It is easy to laugh or criticize Peter, but Peter couldn’t read ahead in the Bible, he didn’t know what to do, so he went back to the ordinary things he understood. After a night our fishing, Jesus showed up on the shore, He didn’t scold the disciples for fishing. In fact, Jesus had been fishing that night too! The only difference was that Jesus actually caught fish and they didn’t! No, instead of lecturing, Jesus came to meet them for breakfast, and Jesus wants to meet with us in the same way today. Even when we aren’t involved in a religious activity, Jesus shows up. He wants to talk to us while we are mowing our lawn. doing the dishes or sitting in the break room at work. Jesus knows where we are, even when we are out fishing and He loves to come to us in the simplest activities of our day and listen to our conversations. After the Cross, the grave and the resurrection, Jesus came to them even when they went fishing, and He is sending us to others, not just when they come to the prayer meeting, or some other church activity. Instead, He asks us to carry His message to the grocery store, the gas station, and our neighborhoods, to all kinds of people, even when they have gone fishing!

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Gone Fishing

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. John 21:3-4

We used to live in a very small town. There was a store, a gas station, and a tiny post office. Moving there from the city was for us something of a culture shock. One of the most intriguing discoveries was to come to the store and find it closed during normal business hours. Usually there was a hand written sign with an explanation such as, “Open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 12-3 PM: or “gone fishing”.

In the same way the when disciples didn’t know where to begin with what Jesus had called them to do they decided that going fishing was as good an idea as any. You might think that Jesus would show up and give them a long lecture. But instead of treating the disciples the way any “normal boss” would do He chose instead to show up and cook them all breakfast! Can you imagine the conversation around the breakfast table that morning?

The good news for us is that even when we like the disciples decide to go out fishing, Jesus comes to us with grace. He doesn’t wait for us to get everything just right. So why not remember to share His message of love with the same grace which he gave us when He waited all night for us to come home.

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Gone Fishing

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus         John 21:3-4

 We used to live in a very small town. There was one store, a gas station, and a post office the size of a large bedroom. Moving there from the city was something of a culture shock and one of the most intriguing discoveries was to come to a small store in the area and find it closed during business p1020212hours. Usually there was a sign reading, “Open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 12-3PM: or “gone fishing”. In the city it was unheard of to close down when there was business to be done, but not in farm country.

In the same way the disciples chose to be laid back about the things that Jesus had called them to do. They didn’t know where to begin, so going fishing seemed like as good an idea as any. You might think that Jesus would show up and give them a long lecture. But instead of treating the disciples the way any “normal boss” would do He chose instead to show up and cook them all breakfast! Can you imagine the conversation around the breakfast table that morning?

The good news for us is that even when we act a lot like the disciples by “going fishing” Jesus comes where we are with grace. He doesn’t wait for us to get everything just right. So once we finish the breakfast He stayed up all night to cook, let’s remember to share His message of love with the same grace which he gave when He waited all night for us to come to shore.