We’re going to read from John 21:1-14. I encourage you to use your Bible and follow along with me as I read the passages if you can; otherwise, just follow the slides.
So, let’s see what God has for us today. I’ve entitled this episode, *Breakfast at the Beach with Jesus – A Timely Encouragement. While preparing this study, I could have gone in many different directions. That’s the awesome thing about God’s Word. It’s so dynamic and alive that depending on where you are spiritually and emotionally, the Word finds that perfect spot in your heart and mind to settle in and talk with you. We’ll start by reading John 21:1-3;
So we see here the disciples go fishing. “Later” points us back to the previous chapter of John. In John 20, we have the resurrection of Jesus and Jesus appearing to the disciples in a locked room on the evening of His [resurrection]. They were in a locked room because they feared the Jewish leaders. The first thing Jesus says to them is, “Peace to you.” He knew they were afraid, so He brought them peace and strength by breathing the Holy Spirit into them. Jesus was encouraging them. Eight days later, in chapter 20, we read that Jesus appeared to them again, and they’re still in the same place; this time, Thomas was with them; he wasn’t with them in the first meeting. Jesus shows Thomas it is truly Him. I think Jesus used Thomas to strengthen not only his faith but the faith of all the disciples. At this point, it’s been almost two weeks since Jesus was arrested, and yet the disciples are still locked in a room. They’re heartbroken by the death of Jesus and crushed by the disappointment that His kingdom wasn’t established. Even though they’ve seen Him resurrected, they’re confused about what it means. Now, at the beginning of chapter 21, we see them by the Sea of Galilee. They haven’t seen Jesus for several weeks. So Peter decides he’s going fishing. Let’s read on and see what happens next, John 21:4-6;
AT THAT TIME, fishing on a lake with nets required two boats. They’d spread the net between the boats and encircle the fish. But they had one boat with seven men. The boat is probably about 26 feet long and maybe 7 feet wide. It’s a little smaller than a pontoon day cruiser today. To catch fish with a net with one boat meant someone had to be in the water to bring the net around and encircle the fish. They probably took turns in the [water]. Needless to say, they were tired and dejected. The sun is just rising, and they notice someone on the beach, but because of the dim morning light and the distance from the shore, they can’t make out who it is. Jesus knows how fragile they are right now, so He gives them a little lift for their efforts all night, directing them to a school of fish that just happened to be close to the boat, Right?
Continuing with John 21:7-8. THE disciple whom Jesus loved never identifies himself, but he’s also the one writing the story. Church historians believe it’s the apostle John. Also, to clarify, Peter wasn’t naked. As I said, fishing with one boat meant someone was in the water. Peter was probably the last person in the water, and he had stripped down to his underwear. He wrapped his outer robe around him and jumped into the water to swim to shore because he didn’t want to greet Jesus in his unmentionables. Nevertheless, Peter and all the disciples got some enthusiasm back. Just the slightest encouragement from Jesus can make a bad day right again for all of us.
To conclude John’s story, let’s read John 21:9-14. AS THEY SAY, the third time’s a charm. When the other six disciples get to shore, they’re so energized they jump from the boat and race over to Jesus and Peter. When they get there, they see there’s already fish on the fire. Jesus wants this to be an interactive teaching moment, so He encourages them to bring over some of the fish they caught. They had completely forgotten about the fish in their net. They were in awe that Jesus was there with them. So Peter went to the boat himself and pulled the net ashore. For Peter to pull a net with 153 large fish means he wasn’t a small guy. Peter had some size and strength. When Jesus invited them all to have breakfast with him, they were speechless. Somehow, they knew it was Jesus, but also, somehow, they knew He was different. And Jesus fed them.
OK, so what stands out to you about this story? From what we gather from chapter 20 of John, we know after the death of Jesus, the disciples were confused and afraid. They were hiding from the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers. They were so afraid they locked themselves in a room. They heard reports that people had seen Jesus; even Mary Magdalene told the disciples she saw Jesus risen from the dead. But the disciples still didn’t understand that Jesus was supposed to be resurrected. So they hid as they tried to figure out what was happening.
So, Jesus appears to them as they’re huddled in their locked room. What does he say to them? Does he berate them for hiding? Does he judge them for not believing what he told them? No, He brings them peace and reassures and comforts them. He strengthens them with the Holy Spirit and encourages them to go out and tell others about him.
Do the disciples do what Jesus asks them to do? No, they let Thomas question whether they saw what they thought they saw. So eight days later, Jesus goes to the same locked room, only this time Thomas is there. Jesus proves himself to Thomas, and after encouraging the disciples again, He urges them to tell His story to others.
This time, do the disciples do what Jesus asked them to do? No, they go fishing. They decide to go back to what they knew. Yes, their lives were changed forever by their experience with Jesus, but the reality of His death and the opposition to His resurrection and message were overwhelming. They believed in Jesus, but they didn’t have faith in themselves to carry out his instructions.
So Jesus appears a third time (twice in the locked room and now on the beach) to make them breakfast. Yes, Jesus provided the miracle of the fish, but the disciples had to provide the effort and the sweat to get the fish to shore. If they didn’t go out on the lake and fish all night, the miracle could never happen. Sometimes, we have to experience how bad things can get so we can appreciate when things are good. Jesus was showing them if they trusted him enough to do the work, then He could trust them enough to bring in the catch.
Do you want to have a close, vibrant relationship with God and Jesus Christ? Doing the work puts you where God needs you to be so He can bless you. Doing the work means believing in God. The disciples had to believe Jesus to overcome their fear, confusion, and their lack of direction. Oftentimes, like the disciples, we don’t move forward in our relationship with Christ because we’re afraid of what others will think of us. We’re confused by the opposition we have surrounding us. And we’re unsure about what God wants us to do. The work is to believe in God and not worry about what others think of you. Don’t let the opposition of others stop you from listening to Christ. Don’t lock yourself in a room. Move forward with Christ for His message of salvation to the world. By doing the work of believing, you’ll put yourself, like the disciples did, in a place where you will see the blessings of God. Without the work of faith, you won’t see God’s miracle blessings. Listen to what the Apostle James said about this in James 2:18. DOING THE WORK of faith puts you in a place to see God’s blessings.
