Abundance – John 21: 6

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

What is going on here? Jesus, unrecognized by his disciples, calls out from the shore. He asks if they have any fish.” “No,” they holler back.

Putting this in context, if one sport fisherman says to another, “Caught anything yet,” the answer is usually a friendly yes or no. The kind of fishing that the disciples were doing was not sport. It was hard work. During the night when the fish were closer to the surface, they would cast a net out into the water. Then they would pull it back hoping to trap a few fish. It is dark and dangerous work. Pulling nets out of the water whether empty or full is hard work. Doing it all night long is very hard work.

They would usually catch something. Catching a few fish would not be enough to make a living but catching none was a complete waste of time. At least a few catches would keep them hoping for more.

When the voice of the man on the shore came over the water they were tired and worn out. Very likely they were discouraged, too. All that work and nothing to show for it. The man says, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat…” Who says that? Why the right side? What??

Why did the men obey the voice? Did Peter, as tired and discouraged as he was, sense a glimmer of deja vu? Did he feel the subconscious tug of an earlier memory? A time when a teacher had borrowed his boat to preach from and then commanded him to let down his nets? (Luke 5)

Whatever the reason, they did as the voice instructed. They cast a net on the right side of the boat. Instead of running from the shadow of the men and their net, the fish seemed to swim into the net. Not just any fish, but large fish. More fish than they could physically pull into the boat.

Application: As desolate and discouraging as the night of useless fishing was, the blessing of Jesus was exciting, rewarding and abundant. God’s blessings far exceed any suffering we might endure. His generosity overshadows any want we might have. Faith is continuing to believe during the night of our trials trusting in God’s generosity at the end of the day.

Food for Thought: What form does God’s generosity take in your life?

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Something’s Fishy – John 21: 5

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.

This point in John’s gospel is very different from the rest. At the beginning of his story, Jesus calls the disciples to follow him. He does not explain why he wants them to follow or what he expects them to do. He does not tell them that their lives will be changed forever in ways that they cannot even begin to understand. He simply calls them to himself.

They come to Jesus because of John’s testimony that Jesus is the Lamb of God, God’s “Chosen One.” (John 1: 29, 34, 36) They believe rightly that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One. In the Old Testament writings anointing someone or something with oil was associated with God choosing a place or a person. The first example of this is in Genesis 28: 16-17 when Jacob pours oil on a pillar of stone to mark the place he experienced the LORD in a dream. Later, in Genesis 31: 13, God refers to this act as an anointing. Throughout history, anointing with oil has been used to consecrate the holy things of the temple, consecrate priests, and later to or show who God had chosen to be king.

When the disciples come to Jesus they understood him to be the “Anointed One” that Daniel writes about in Daniel 9: 25-26. They were likely expecting Jesus to rise up in earthly power as they had been taught. At some point, Jesus would unveil himself to be the king that would restore Israel to its rightful place as God’s chosen nation. Of course, it turned out that God had other ideas.

The Jesus they encountered was humble, not flaunting his authority. He served the people of Israel, healing the sick and feeding the hungry. He taught them amazing things and performed incredible signs of his Godhood. They had seen him walk on water and calm the storm. If he could command the raindrops, it shouldn’t surprise us that he can command fish, too.

When Jesus asked, “…haven’t you any fish?” he already knew the answer to the question. He had seen to it that they would not have any fish that night. Is there any other explanation for them not catching a fish and then catching 153 fish in one cast of the net?

Application: Jesus is watching. Even the fish are under his control. His authority is absolute. His eyes are everywhere.

Food for Thought: Whether we are fishermen or doing any other kind of work we face the same challenge. When the work doesn’t go as planned, is it God’s fault? If God is responsible, is there a reason for what is happening? If there is a reason, how do we discern it?

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Neon Welcome – John 21: 4

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

Back in the post titled, “Reunion Movie,” we explored what the scene might have looked like when Mary failed to recognize Jesus. In this passage, we find that something similar has happened. This time it is the disciples who do not recognize Jesus. Why?

The answer to “Why?” is that we don’t really know. John doesn’t tell us why. He only says that they did not recognize him. Still, it is not hard to imagine why.

Recognition is based on being able to discern enough detail so that our minds can “connect the dots” between what we know what we are looking for and what our eyes are actually seeing. Distance diminishes the detail. Perhaps the morning sun was glaring off of the water.

Application: Jesus doesn’t always show up in our lives with a neon sign that says, “I’m here!” Instead, he often comes quietly and unexpectedly. Be ready!

Food for Thought: What helps us to be more ready to recognize Jesus when he comes?

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Back to the Beginning – John 21: 1-3

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John (son of Zebedee), John (the author of this gospel) and one other disciple are hanging out together by the Sea of Galilee. If you remember, this means that they had traveled north of Jerusalem about eighty miles. Days or weeks might have passed since they saw Jesus on the first Easter.

In a sense, they have returned to the beginning. Peter had been fishing when he was first called to be a disciple. (Matthew 4: 18-20) Now he is standing on the shore staring at the sea. Perhaps it all felt like a dream. Three years of wandering with Jesus. Three years of amazement. Three years of walking with God. And now, Jesus was gone. Yes, he had been resurrected from the dead, but he was not to be found. What were they to do? Not knowing what else to do they climbed in a boat and went fishing.

Application: What were you doing when Jesus first found you? Have you gone back to doing what you were, or are you living for Christ?

Food for Thought: What else could they have done at the time they went fishing? Is there something else they should have been doing?

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The Reason Why – John 20: 30-31

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

As I write these words, I am typing on a modern laptop computer. If I make a mistake the computer corrects it for me effortlessly. Years ago, while I was in college, I owned a portable electric typewriter. It was great for typing but it didn’t know beans about spelling and neither did I. The combination meant that typing was a real chore.

Back in the days before electric typewriters, mechanical typewriters were preferred. You could make duplicate copies as you typed by inserting carbon paper between two pieces of paper. They also had a funny way of getting stuck if you didn’t pace your timing on the keys just right. If you tried typing too fast the “keys” would jam up like a freeway traffic jamb. Then everything would stop. For the next few minutes, you would have to carefully try and back out each key from the jam.

Before typewriters, there were ballpoint pens. Before ballpoint pens, there were ink pens that had a rubber bladder inside and a tiny lever on the side of the pen. You dipped the pen in ink and moved the lever to fill the bladder with ink. Then you snapped the lever back into the side of the pen and you could write several sentences before you had to refill the ink again.

Back in John’s day he probably wrote on parchment or papyrus. His writing tool would have been a reed pen or something similar. You dip it in ink and write one or two letters. Then you dip the pen in ink again and write another letter or two. It was slow and laborious work. The work was complicated by the danger of spilling ink or smudging what had been written. Writing required both having something to say and the skill to record the words in writing.

The work involved in putting together John’s gospel is phenomenal. John’s gospel contains over eighteen thousand words. (English, KJV) The Greek word count should be similar. That is a lot of writing. John made the effort to record these words so that you and I might believe.

Application: John’s work in recording the story of Jesus Christ’s life on earth is priceless. Today, most people in America are within arm’s length reach of a Bible. Shouldn’t we spend a few minutes each day honoring God by reading His Word?

Food for Thought: If John had added more words to his gospel account, how would that have affected his message?

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Signs (III) – John 20: 30

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

Isn’t this an intriguing passage? John bluntly tells us that his gospel is but a brief peek into the world of following Jesus. How much more did the disciples see? Fortunately, we have other accounts of Jesus’ life in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They offer more details about the things that Jesus said and did.

Imagine what life was like tagging along with God’s Son. The crowds wanting to be healed. The words that he spoke. The anger, frustration, and hate in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. Then imagine walking with Jesus every day. Watching him work. Listening to him teach. Seeing him heal all who came to him. What was that like?

It is important to let Jesus be Jesus. The danger in the written word is that we might worship the word instead of our God. The risk is that we limit our God to what we have read instead of letting him into our lives today.

Application: Allow time and place for God to enter into your life. Invite Him into your world and listen to Him all day, every day. Let go of what Jesus did two thousand years ago and embrace what he is doing today.

Food for Thought: What kind of signs does Jesus perform today?

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Inside of Me – John 20: 29

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Who has seen Jesus? All the people who saw Jesus in the flesh have passed on. For the last two thousand years, all that people have had to go on is the story told to them by those who saw Jesus in person.

Or is it?

Is there something else that gives us reason to believe?

Pastor Rich can offer up dozens if not hundreds of reasons why we can and should believe in Jesus. I admire his command of history and scripture. My understanding of such things pales in comparison. Even so, I believe. Why?

Application: My own experience is simple. Jesus lives inside of me. I can’t ”see” him in the same way that the disciples did but I can ”see” him in me. Jesus gives those who believe in him his Holy Spirit. Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit are one. In my personal experience, I live with Jesus every day.

Food for Thought: How are we who have not seen Jesus blessed when we believe?

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Belief – John 20: 26-28

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Three times in John’s gospel John the Baptist declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God, God’s Chosen One. The clarity of John’s understanding of who Jesus is seems quickly lost. Then, near the end of chapter one, Jesus calls Nathanael to be a disciple. Nathanael’s response to his calling is to exclaim, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

Sometime later after feeding the five thousand, Jesus begins talking about people eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He questions the disciples; will you leave me, too? Peter speaks for them all when he says, “We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6: 69)

The next revelation about Jesus is from the man born blind. Jesus heals him but the man does not know it until he washes in the Pool of Siloam. Before he sees Jesus he sees the Pharisees. Under questioning, he realizes the full significance of what has happened. As a result, his testimony changes. First, he says Jesus is a man, then he calls him a prophet. When he finally meets Jesus in person, he calls him “Lord.”

Finally, during the conversation after the last supper, the disciples say that they, “…believe that you came from God.” (John 16: 30b)

Was there ever a question that Jesus was the Son of God? Well, yes. Over and over again the disciples rediscover who Jesus is. When Jesus appears to Thomas, he too discovers for himself that Jesus is, “My Lord and my God.”

Application: Discovering Jesus is not a one-time thing. We are temporal beings. We learn over and over who Jesus is and how real he is. The challenge we face, like Thomas, is being open to Jesus when he appears out of nowhere and steps into our locked rooms.

Food for Thought: How do we “stop doubting and believe?”

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Poor Thomas – John 20: 24-25

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Since I was a child I have known Thomas as “Doubting Thomas.” This always seemed like an easy way to pass off Thomas’ failing as his alone. But is it? Is he the only one that doubts? Didn’t Peter and John both doubt the message that Mary gave them? How is this any different?

The only real difference is that it is Thomas’ fellow disciples who tell him about Jesus. And not just one disciple, but all of them. Yet Thomas is defiant. Why?

Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus appeared to the rest. Is it possible he felt left out? Was he angry at Jesus for not appearing to him, too? How would you feel if you were in his place? Sounding somewhat like a stubborn three-year-old Thomas lists his demands. Not only does he want to see Jesus, but he wants to see the nail marks and the wound in the side. More than that he wants to prove it is Jesus by putting his hand and finger into the places where Jesus was wounded. He is not asking for much! Then he states that unless his demands are met, he will not believe.

Application: Satan tempts us to test God all the time. If God were real, how could he let ______ (Fill in the blank with my favorite aunt, my mom, my dad, my child, my friend, my cat, etc…) die? If God is a loving God he would ______ (Fill in the blank with: not allow people to go to hell, love homosexuals, wouldn’t have had people in the Old Testament killed, etc.). Or, the all-time favorite: If God were a loving God he would ______ (Fill in the blank with: make sure I was never hungry, get me that raise I deserve, provide us with a new car, make sure my stock picks do well, etc.). Our challenge in life is recognizing this tendency in ourselves. When we put conditions on our belief as Thomas did we only hurt ourselves.

Food for Thought: Does Thomas wanting to put his hand into Jesus’ side sound a little weird?

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Forgive – John 20: 23

If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

As John describes the day of Jesus’ resurrection, we see Mary discover the empty tomb, then Peter and John race out to the tomb to see for themselves. After they leave, Jesus appears to Mary and gives her a message for the disciples. In response to this news, the disciples gather together but behind locked doors. They are afraid.

Jesus appears in this locked room full of fearful people. The first thing he says is, “Peace be with you!” The thing they lacked the most is what he offers them right away. Peace, the antidote to fear. Then he shows them the evidence that it really is him.

Then he says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” After this he breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

What next? In short order, he has given them peace, proof, a mission, and his Holy Spirit. Isn’t that enough? Apparently not. For then he adds his last words to them that evening, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

What does he mean? Is there a secret meaning here? Why does he say this?

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