John 21:4-6 “But
when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the
disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to
them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He
said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will
find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in
because of the multitude of fish.
Pastor Kyle states that
sometimes God wants us to hear things that may annoy us in order to gain a new
truth. These seasoned fishermen had gotten skunked and did not want to hear
someone ask: “How did the fishing go?” pointing out their failure. Then this
random spectator on the shore as the audacity to suggest that these
professionals do their job differently. Fish can swim, so casting their nets ten
feet away, on the other side of the boat, seems ridiculous, but God has a
reason for them to do this. It was because that little shift of the net made
all the difference. In that moment, of a miraculous catch, the disciples knew
that the shoreline stranger was the Lord Jesus.
John 21:7-13 Therefore that
disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter
heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had
removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the
little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits),
dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they
saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to
them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon
Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and
fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus
said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the
disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the
Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise
the fish.
It was a moment of changing
human emptiness into Divine fruitfulness. So, what was it that Jesus chose to
bless in this Bible passage? Pastor Kyle suggests that one of the things was
the disciples willingness to be redirected. God loves to bless the easily
redirected. Even if the truth seems a little trite, our response and ability to
be redirected by the Lord through them ultimately reveals a lot about us and
our character. Trite truths make God’s truth profoundly true again. Perhaps the
most simple truth about God that we all need perpetual reminding of is of His
love for us. Without God’s love, we are lost, wouldn’t we? Without God’s love,
we’d never be forgiven of our sins. Ephesians 2:4-5 “God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love
with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”
John 21:14-17 This is now the
third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the
dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah,
do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love
You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah,
do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He
said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah,
do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third
time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all
things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
Peter may have felt that his
decisions and actions denying Christ perhaps caused the Lord’s love to no
longer apply to him. But Jesus made the simple truth of His love for Peter true
all over again. Jesus asked three times of Peter loved Him in order to show
Peter how much He still loved him and that He was going to restore him in
Kingdom ministry. There is nothing more powerful than the restoring love of
God. God’s love is our supernatural power. In Matthew 18:16, Peter’s confession,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”
was a faithful revelation truth and emblematic of the kind of person and leader
that he was. And the church has always been built on Peter’s confession of
faith. Here is the point, God’s love was big enough to restore Peter, and Jesus’
love was big enough to cover Peter’s mistakes. Peter knew God’s love, but once
he realized that Jesus still loved him despite what he had done, God’s love
became true for Peter all over again. It resonated in a deeper way, more than
it probably ever had before that moment.
Here is what Pastor Kyle
wants to tell you. God is our supernatural power. If you feel powerless; because
you have God’s love in your heart, you are powerful! If you feel worthless
because of your past; because of God’s love, you are a worthy son or daughter
of the Most High Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth! If you feel empty
inside; because of God’s love, your life is full of purpose! If you feel unsure
about the future; God’s says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
May you find hope in the good plans of God today. May that which has become
trite in your spiritual life now become true for you again in a way that your
soul has never experienced before.
See, life without God is
fruitless and empty, but life with God is fruitful and abundantly full, even in
a pandemic. God’s love enables us to give and forgive. It enables us to move
forward in paralyzing situations and circumstances beyond control. Pastor Kyle
encourages you today to lean into the love of the Lord all over again.
In Christ, Brian
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