Thoughts for the Day

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Looking at the huge expanse of water in front of me, I was thinking of its different names - the "Sea of Chinnereth" (Numbers 34.11) or the "Sea of Chinneroth" (Joshua 12.3); the "lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 5:1); the "Sea of Tiberias" (John 21:1); and the "Sea of Galilee" (Matt 15:29; Mark 1:16; 7:31; John 6:1). being just a few. It's a freshwater body of water, one of the lowest on earth, and is about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. But I was also reminded on that particular day of the disciples on the lake, as a fishing boat with a red sail came out of nearby Capernaum.

In biblical times fishing involved a number of men, and was hard, physical labour, using nets - either a seine net close to shore or a trammel net between two boats further out. It was often carried out at night using lamps, and it could be a fruitless task.

Today's piece of scripture is one of the resurrection incidents. The scene has shifted from Jerusalem to Galilee which is a good three day's journey away. We see Peter and the disciples fishing - presumably needing to earn their keep and bring in some food! It also shows us the risen Jesus engaged in perfectly normal human activities, lighting a fire, cooking fish, and sharing and eating the meal with the disciples. We are also reminded of Jesus' words that the disciples will become "fishers of men". In John's gospel every incident has a meaning, and the number of fish perhaps indicates that the disciples working together have caught all the varieties of fish in the lake. In the same way, when they take the good news to to the world, they will need to work together. Sometimes it will be unrewarding, and they cannot be fussed about whom they catch, for God will separate the good from the bad in the end.

Lord Jesus,
may we, like the disciples
learn to become fishers of people,
and find out how to share the gospel
with others with whom we come into contact,
through the simple everyday things of life.
Amen.