At the end of the Gospel of John in Chapter 20, it seems that John is wrapping up his narrative. But then he goes on in chapter 21 to tell another story. It seems that the disciples were somewhat at loose ends. They had seen the Lord and knew that he had risen but for some reason they hadn't yet truly understood the significance and caught the vision for the future. So they did what many of us do, they returned to the familiar. They went fishing. Jesus came to the lake shore and hailed them, asking if they had caught anything. At first they didn't recognize him. Then John, the disciple that Jesus loved, recognized his Lord. Yet, it was Peter, brash bold Peter, who jumped into the water and went to Jesus. Perhaps it was because he had betrayed Jesus and he was eager to be reconciled. Perhaps it was just his nature to act impulsively. Whatever the reason, he found Jesus waiting with a meal prepared. Jesus already had fish prepared but then he told them to bring their fish. You see, Jesus doesn't need our offering of service or money but he takes what we bring and he adds it to what he has to accomplish his purposes. Just as he told the men where to cast the net, he shows us where to find our mission. If they had not been obedient and followed his direction there would have been no catch. The world is teeming with people who are desperately seeking hope in a dark and chaotic world. They are out there and we have the net, the Gospel, with which to bring them to Christ. We only have to be obedient to Christ's call and direction and we will have a miraculous catch. We need both John's recognition of Christ and Peter's enthusiastic action to bring them to the Lord. Let's go fishin'!
