Breakfast with Jesus
(From the Gospel of John, chapter 21, verses1-14)
It had been several days since Jesus had suddenly appeared to his friends after his resurrection, and then just as suddenly disappeared. Jesus' coming back to life had been such an amazing surprise to his friends that they were still having a hard time believing that it was true. They wanted to believe - they really did! - but not having him right there with them made it hard to keep believing that Jesus was alive.
The men hung around, waiting for Jesus to come back. Finally Peter said, "The days are dragging by so slowly! I can't stand just sitting around! I'm not used to being indoors all the time. I'm a fisherman! I want to be outside!" He stood up. "I'm going fishing," he announced. "Fishing will at least make me feel useful."
Thomas, Nathanael, and John said, "We'll go with you. Fishing will do us all good."
The men gathered what they needed and went down to where Peter's boat was moored on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They cast off and went out into the deepest part.
The four men threw their nets into the water and waited patiently, but they caught nothing. They moved the boat to a new location and tried again. Still nothing. All night long they fished in silence, but not a single fish came near them.
Finally, the sun began to come up, casting long shadows on the shoreline.
Peter broke the silence. "This is awful," he said to his friends. "Nothing seems to be going right these days. I miss Jesus so much."
No sooner had he said this then someone called from the shore. "Children, you have no fish, have you?" It was a man's voice. They looked but they couldn't make out who it was. Peter yelled back to him, discouragement heavy in his voice, "No."
"Put your net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some fish," the man on the beach shouted back to them. The fishermen looked at each other. "What does he know?" asked Thomas, waving his hand toward the figure on the shore. Nathanael shrugged his shoulders. "Let's give it one more try," he suggested. "Yeah, what have we got to lose?" added John.
So they threw the net over the right side of the boat. Within a few seconds, the water began to move. Little waves lapped against the side of the boat. Fish! They had caught some fish! And not just some fish, but lots of fish - so many, in fact, that they couldn't haul the net into the boat.
John looked again at the man standing on the beach. The sun was a little higher now and the light was better. He gasped. "It's the Lord!" he shouted. Peter looked. It was Jesus! Giving a loud whoop, Peter jumped into the water and swam to shore, leaving the others to bring in the boat and the net full of fish.
On the beach, Jesus was cooking fish over a fire. Nearby was a loaf of bread. He looked at Peter and smiled. "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Peter went and helped the others haul the net ashore. They brought some fish to Jesus.
"Come and have some breakfast," Jesus told them, patting the ground on either side of him. "You must be starving." As the men sat down, Jesus handed them some bread to eat. When the fish was cooked, he gave them some of that, too. Breakfast had never tasted so good! They had Jesus with them again! They were bursting with joy!
Questions to think about:
I wonder if you have ever had a hard time believing that something was true.
I wonder if you have ever gone fishing and not caught anything.
I wonder if you have ever felt discouraged.
I wonder what it was like to eat breakfast with Jesus that morning.
I wonder what it is like to spend time with Jesus now.