Breakfast at the Beach
John 21:1-14







Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias. Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John, were there, together with two other disciples. Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing!" The others said, "We will go with you." They went out in their boat. But they didn't catch a thing that night.

! Jesus had died, but rose from the dead. The disciples knew there were something more to wait for, but waiting didn't come easy. The more restless he got, the more Peter needed to turn back to familiar things, comforting routines. Peter decided to go fishing.

? What do you do when you get restless? When God (and no one else) are telling you what you have to do next? I know, it doesn't seem to happen often, but in the midst of unease what familiar comforts do you turn to?












Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. Jesus shouted, "Friends, have you caught anything?" "No!" they answered. So he told them, "Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish." They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.

! The disciples had just about given up. They went fishing because they were restless. They hadn't caught a thing. Instead of improving their moods, the fishing expedition made them more frustrated than before.

? Have you had days like that, when you couldn't decide what to do, and then when you finally did something it wasn't satisfying either? I have! What about sleepless nights when you toss and turn and can't sleep and so you get up and you can't find anything on TV or the book is no good or the computer won't work? Have you ever driven around town (or just your own kitchen) looking for something to eat but you couldn't decide what, and then when you finally ate it was tasteless or worse yet you felt sick? Me, too.

! Maybe the problem is waiting on Jesus' timing and direction. We get so restless we try to figure something on our own, but it doesn't satisfy, because we didn't wait for Jesus' cue!





















Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon heard that it was the Lord, he put on the clothes that he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. The boat was only about a hundred yards from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.

! Peter's like a little kid running to jump in his big brother's arms, because he is so excited to see him. Her forgets to wait and help the others. He won't even wait to get to shore. He just jumps in and moves as quickly as he can to Jesus.

? Are you that excited to get to Jesus or to God? Do you jump out of bed on Sunday morning, because you are so eager to get to church? Do you rush to the time you can sit down and read your Bible? Do you have as much enthusiasm as Peter for a moment to be with your Lord in prayer? While we might think he should have waited long enough to help, I sure Jesus appreciated Peter's enthusiastic welcoming embrace.

















When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. Jesus told his disciples, "Bring some of the fish you just caught." Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were one hundred fifty-three large fish, but still the net did not rip. Jesus said, "Come and eat!" But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord. Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish. 14This was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.

! Jesus knew exactly what they would catch. He had teh fire ready to cook the fish. He had bread ready to go with the fish. And when it was time to eat, Jesus took bread and blessed it and broke in a way that had to have been oh so familiar by now and oh so comforting on that morning in Galilee.

? What familiar ways does Jesus know to comfort you?













Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1