The Apostles Catch 153 Fish
04/08/10 06:01 Filed in: Adversity
In the fog and confusion that surrounds any personal setback, there are unseen forces ready to come to our aid. If we keep and open mind and pray intently, the Lord will steer us in the direction we should go.
"After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself on this wise.” (John 21: 1-14)
Surprisingly, there is no record of the risen Saviour appearing at the Jewish temple, a synagogue, or a seat of power such as the Sanhedrin, the home of the high priest or the palace of Pontius Pilate – all places that He might have been expected to appear trailing clouds of glory. No. He doesn’t seek out the high and mighty. He doesn’t return in search of power and glory. He isn’t interested in pomp and ceremony. He does what He has always done. He appears along the wayside, the shoreline and in the lives of ordinary people. The risen Christ meets His followers where they are at and comforts them.
It’s worth noting that in each of the three appearances, the apostles weren’t looking for Jesus. He was looking for them. They may have been ready to call it quits and return to their lives as fishermen, but Jesus wasn’t about to give up on them. That’s great news for all of us.
There are times in all of our lives when things don’t turn out as we expected; times when we’re ready to throw in the towel. We might even be tempted to blame God for all of our troubles and, in our anger, turn away from Him. But, as today’s Gospel shows, He is never far from our side and always ready to help us succeed.
The apostles had tried all night without catching any fish. It must have seemed improbable to them that they would catch anything just by tossing their nets to the right, instead of the left. Yet they were willing to listen when Jesus called to them from out of the early morning fog. They cast aside their doubts and succeeded. They caught 153 fish.
In the fog and confusion that surrounds any personal setback, there are unseen forces ready to come to our aid. If we keep and open mind and pray intently, the Lord will steer us in the direction we should go.
Surprisingly, there is no record of the risen Saviour appearing at the Jewish temple, a synagogue, or a seat of power such as the Sanhedrin, the home of the high priest or the palace of Pontius Pilate – all places that He might have been expected to appear trailing clouds of glory. No. He doesn’t seek out the high and mighty. He doesn’t return in search of power and glory. He isn’t interested in pomp and ceremony. He does what He has always done. He appears along the wayside, the shoreline and in the lives of ordinary people. The risen Christ meets His followers where they are at and comforts them.
It’s worth noting that in each of the three appearances, the apostles weren’t looking for Jesus. He was looking for them. They may have been ready to call it quits and return to their lives as fishermen, but Jesus wasn’t about to give up on them. That’s great news for all of us.
There are times in all of our lives when things don’t turn out as we expected; times when we’re ready to throw in the towel. We might even be tempted to blame God for all of our troubles and, in our anger, turn away from Him. But, as today’s Gospel shows, He is never far from our side and always ready to help us succeed.
The apostles had tried all night without catching any fish. It must have seemed improbable to them that they would catch anything just by tossing their nets to the right, instead of the left. Yet they were willing to listen when Jesus called to them from out of the early morning fog. They cast aside their doubts and succeeded. They caught 153 fish.
In the fog and confusion that surrounds any personal setback, there are unseen forces ready to come to our aid. If we keep and open mind and pray intently, the Lord will steer us in the direction we should go.
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