Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” The others said “Yeah we’ll come with you.” When push comes to shove we tend to resort to what we know best; the tried and true. After the trials and stresses of the events from the arrest in the garden to the crucifixion, it was all too much. Then Jesus appears again stepping miraculously through the wall. Following that, the guys decide they will go fishing. Let’s return to what we know. Well that was true for Peter, James and John. They were fishermen by trade, and probably Nathanael too. But the others just went along for the ride.
Having fished all night yet again, they encounter the Lord standing on the beach. Isn’t it interesting that the Lord tells professional fishermen to put their nets on the other side of the boat? Pardon! Did I hear that right, Lord? You want me to put the net over that side. Just 2 metres away? Do you know anything about fishing, Lord? The lake this side is connected with the lake that side; down below it’s the same lake bed. A strange thing to do but if that is what you want we will do it.
This story is reminiscent of the fishing story in Luke 5:1-11 but with some important differences. Can you spot the differences? Take time to look for them and think about the details. We will investigate the details tomorrow. Yes it is time for me to put you to work again. While you are at it, do some thinking / research on the number 153. That will give you more time if I give you that assignment now rather than wait a few days. My Greek professor told us as a class – “Dig here class! This is worthy of your attention.” I took him at his word and accepted the challenge. Why don’t you do the same? We have two options with this verse don’t we? Either it is just the number of the fish caught on the day, end of story. Or it is a significant number and has meaning or symbolism behind it. Have a look at the number 153 see what you can make of it. My Greek prof used to say, “Pay attention to the details of Scripture. God put them in His Word for a purpose; nothing is wasted. Study them.” I pass the same challenge on to you.
More in the next Gem and the next and the next and the next. It’s significant!
Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
Regina Brett
A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. (Well partly true, depends how much you like your work and how much you like fishing).
Ian Vail
“Success is going from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill