“Simon Peter saith unto them, ‘I go a fishing.’ They say unto him, ‘We also go with thee.’ They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.” John 21:3
Scripture tells us that the Lord Jesus “shewed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias.” (Jn.21:1) This was after the resurrection, the third time that the Lord specifically revealed Himself to the disciples. For some reason, just prior to Christ manifesting Himself, we find some of the disciples, led by Peter, who seem either impatient as to what they should do, or who are just seeking something to occupy themselves while they are waiting for the Lord. In any event, they all decide to go fishing, spending the night doing so. The problem was that, with all the effort and time spent in doing this, they caught nothing. When morning came, they being very tired for lack of food and sleep, Jesus is seen standing on the shore, though they do not initially recognize Him. With one command, or instruction from Jesus, which the disciples obey, they trap in their nets a multitude of large fish. At that point, it is John the apostle who recognizes the Lord in the distance. After coming to the shore, seeing Jesus, and eating with Him, we find the Lord working with the disciples to refocus their hearts on that which is of greatest importance, the centrality of love and devotion to God. In this matter, Jesus deals specifically with Peter, addresssing Peter’s failure, frailty, and faithlessness, but at the same time, encouraging him to trust him, and go forward. It is imperative that Peter’s grasp of the most essential thing is again brought to the forefront of all consideration. Peter’s usefulness, and also, his fruitfulness, will depend upon his love for Christ. With regard to all the disciples, facing all the other considerations around them, the central thing in the heart and mind of Christ is love of God in their hearts. Not only is love the motive to live, paramount to all else, but the power of love is essential, if there would be the accomplishment of God’s will with regard to the reaching the lost, and bringing about the kingdom.
So then, what is Christ’s methodolgy in dealing with the disciples at a time when so much is occuring, not only with the tumult and confusion surrounding the Lord’s death and resurrection, but the fresh, and very real, revelations of His person to the disciples? With so much to consider, and in some cases, to contend with, how will the Lord deal with the disciples to bring them into the blessed calm of great assurance, the refocusing of their attention, and the embracing of the blessing going forward?
The first thing the Lord does is create circumstances, or introduce Himself into those circumstances in such a way, that the disciples become convinced that it is truly Him who is working, and revealing Himself. We see this in the revealing of Himself to the disciples on the road to Emmaeus. Then we see the Lord visiting the disciples, appearing to them even though the doors to the room were closed. Thirdly, we see Him standing on a beach, unrecognizable at first, but then using circumstances, this time a full net of fish, to stir them up to realize that it is Him. It seems throughout Scripture that the first thing He does is to get the attention of the one to whom He would speak, and then to make sure they understand that it is Him.
Secondly, we see the Lord addressing specifically the individual disciple or group of disciples, with very carefully chosen and crafted words. They are spoken with such simplicity, that their meaning cannot be misunderstood. To Peter He would specifically ask: “Do you love me?” It is very possible that the other disciples heard these words also, and responded to those that followed: “You, follow Me.” Christ restores focus by the fresh revelation of Himself, and His specific, applicable word.
Dear Father, Revive our vision of Thyself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.