“Beachside barbeques”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, April 25, 2025
John 21: 1-14 (Forward, p. 86) CEV p. 1130
How I love this picturesque, homey scene: Jesus, there by the side of the Sea of Galilee, acting the part of the family chef, barbequing for His loved ones. And certainly, there would have been a sense of déjà vu for Peter, a harkening back to yet another time when Jesus ‘pulled off’ a miraculous draught of fish (see Luke 5:1-11). But here, in this present instance, there are some significant differences. In the earlier story, the boats began to sink under the weight of the enormous catch of fish and the nets began to tear apart (see verses 6-7). However, in today’s story, nothing of that happened. Furthermore, we are told that this newest catch yielded some 153 large fish—obviously, someone counted—which, according to some pundits, is the number of the nations of the world, which they take to mean that Jesus and His gospel are for everyone on earth, and that the boat and the net (which they take to be the Church) are for everyone.
Be that what it may, it still offers a lovely glimpse of Jesus, our friend. He met them where they were, tired, downcast, disenchanted by their night’s hard work and resultingly feeble ‘take’. And, interestingly, He didn’t take them to task or disapprove in any way for going back to their old ways and pursuits. He merely accepted them where they were and went on from there, which is exactly what He does with each of us. We need to remember that Jesus is not there to scold or berate, but to help us move forward with Him. We need to know that Jesus stands with us no matter what choices we make or what we are going through. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast’” (verse 12a).
“It is another day in the worst week of their lives; some of the disciples don’t know what else to do but return to their pre-Jesus vocation as fishermen. They have lost hope, and a night of no fish confirms their plight. Then, in
the early morning, a voice cries out from the shore, ‘Haven’t you any fish?’ When they respond negatively, the same voice suggests they try the other side of the boat. When they do, their nets are filled. And Peter says, ‘It is the Lord.’
“’Come and have breakfast,’ Jesus says.
“Renewed hope requires nourishment. When our ‘nets’ are empty and hopelessness has settled in for what seems like forever, we cannot do much without being fed. When the disciples feel adrift, Jesus breaks bread with them, a reminder that hope is never lost. Each time we break bread and share in the Body of Christ, we, too, remember the hope of the resurrected Jesus.
“As American theologian Walter Wink once said, ‘Hope imagines the future and then acts as if that future is irresistible.’”
Moving Forward: “Like the dead earth of winter that is sprouting, look for places where life and hope are renewed.”