John
21:1-14
We Get It, Right? – I mean, I get it.
When I fail at something, I go to what I know. In such a time, many of do
something we know how to do. For some people, that means hitting the gym to
sink some baskets. Others will jump into the kitchen—they know how to put it
all together for a delicious dish. What is your go-to when you need a win? In
today’s reading, the disciples have failed—at least they think so. Their go-to?
They go fishing…but even there they fail. Sigh…
Little
Boxes – We westerners tend
to compartmentalize our lives. We have work email, personal email, junk email
addresses…some have personal and work cell phones. We divvy up our lives into
what we think are manageable chunks. We have that religious/spiritual box that
we tend to on Sundays and then put that aside on Monday as we return to the dog-eat-dog
world of work. We think of faith and God having to do with a small but
important corner of our lives—that “spiritual” section. Then, we presume that
God is only interested in that “God Box.” Today’s reading tells us something
very different.
The
disciples have fished all night…and they’ve caught nothing. Jesus shows up and
calls out, “Throw your net on the other side…!” (Don’t we just love it when someone
tells us how to do what we know how to do?!?) Jesus sees their need to just do
something well, to get something right, and he helps them do what they need to
do. Jesus helps them do a work that is completely unrelated (in our minds) to
Kingdom work. Jesus helps them do the everyday work of just catching fish.
Teaching
through the Ordinary –Jesus
is a teacher who will not let a teaching moment be missed. So as Jesus helps
his disciples to get a “win” at something, he teaches them …and us.
There’s
something about that catch—153 fish. That’s kind of weirdly specific, right? During
the 1st Century, the common belief was that there were only 153 types of fish
in their world. 153 represents every kind of fish. This is also a lot of fish…probably
over 500 lbs. The nets used around the Sea of Tiberias/Galilee were often linen
cast nets. For any-sized cast net, 500lbs would be a LOT of fish, yet “even
with so many the net was not torn.” Jesus is giving the disciples and the early
church an understanding that God’s grace and God’s Church are for everyone, for
every kind of person we can imagine.
Pulling It All Together – While Jesus
uses this moment to teach, to show the disciples and early church something
about the breadth and depth and strength of God’s love and grace, the real
message is simple: God is concerned about every part of our lives—even those
parts that we have NOT added to the spiritual/religious compartment. We can
listen for the voice of God calling to us: “Cast the net on the other side…,” “Speak
to this person words of encouragement,” “Just keep your mouth closed for a change,”
or any other thing we may need to hear. But we have to listen…and we have to
respond—even if the voice is telling us how to do what we are so certain we
already know how to do.
So
ends our journey through the Gospel of John. John reminds us that the One who
was with God and who is God, in whom we put our faith, trust, belief, who longs
for us to have life, is the One who cares about every part of our lives. May we
find life as we listen for that voice calling across the way.
Sunday, April 26, 2026
New Beginnings – Us!
Watch/Listen: HERE
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