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

While on a pilgrimage to Galilee some years ago, I stayed in a hotel by the water, and looking from the balcony one evening was reminded of the different names for the lake - the Sea of Galilee, the Lake (or Sea) of Tiberias, and the Kinneret Sea - being just a few. It's composed of fresh water, and is the lowest such lake of its size on earth, at around 13 miles long and up to 8 miles wide.

Because of its shape and size the winds funnel down from the mountains creating vicious storms, though on that evening all was calm. However, I was also reminded of Jesus and his disciples on the lake, when a fishing boat with a red sail came out of nearby Capernaum to start its night's work. 2,000 years ago fishing would have 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.

This resurrection incident shows us the risen Jesus engaged in normal everyday things, lighting a fire, cooking food and sharing and eating bread and fish. 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 a variety 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 ultimately.

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