Gone Fishing

I Corinthians 1:1-9; John 21:1-14

So it has been a while since Easter.  For us, today, it has been 3 weeks since the big celebration.  We still have a few lilies hanging around and a couple of crosses sitting on the windowsills.  Unfortunately, many of the guests and visitors that joined us on Easter morning aren’t here.  Actually, things are pretty quiet and we are all back to our own routines.  To be honest most everything was back to normal by the Monday morning after Easter Sunday for most people.

Have you ever been in a situation that seemed to throw everything normal into chaos?   Maybe a child or a spouse is unexpectedly hospitalized?  Or on a happier note a child is getting married or maybe it is just vacation time?  Whatever the situation, good or bad, when the normal schedule is disrupted, there is an uneasiness until finally it is over and you can start feeling normal again.

In our scripture text we see the disciples ready to get back to normal.  They have been gathered together hiding out and waiting.  In Luke, we read that Jesus told them to wait for the power to come upon them and so they are waiting.  Peter, who I am pretty sure would diagnose with ADD by today’s standards, can’t just sit and wait anymore.  As seven of the disciples are still hanging together, Peter exclaims, “I’m going fishing.”  The other 6 decide to join him.  They were fishermen before Jesus called them to follow and so they get back to what they know.

Before Jesus called them they were making a pretty good living at fishing.  They knew the best time to go out and would bring in a decent haul regularly.   This night they head out like they always had, because of course nighttime was the best time to fish, but not that night.  They hadn’t caught a thing.  Can’t you just hear the conversations on the boat?  “Where did all the fish go?”  “I know this is the place we always fished and we would catch hundreds right here!”  “Do our nets have holes?”  “This is just not working like it always has!”  “What a waste of time tonight.”

They had always fished here and they had always used these nets and they had always brought in a good catch BUT not tonight.

Then out of the blue a man from the shore asks them if they have caught any fish.  Not even thinking who it might be asking them, they answer “No.”  He then tells them to let down their net on the right side and they will catch some fish.

I have to stop there because this caught my attention.  If they have been out all night fishing why had they not tried both sides of the boat?  In researching this I found:

Unlike modern craft that utilize centerline runners, the steering apparatus in first century vessels was placed on the right side of ships because most seamen were right-handed. So it would make sense that first century fishermen would seldom have fished the right side of the boat because they might tangle the nets and consequently lose their catch. (http://trivialdevotion.blogspot.com/search?q=fishing+right+side)

So if the disciples followed the instructions of the man from shore they could have had a mess to deal with but they must have thought it was worth it, so they go ahead and do what they’ve never done, and as they pull in their net they find they have the catch of a life time!

It is at this moment the disciple Jesus loved, (scholars believe this is John the author of this Gospel) says to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  As soon as Peter hears this he grabs his clothes and jumps into the water and heads to shore.  The other disciples manage to bring in the boat and haul the full net of large fish.

Jesus is there on the shore with a charcoal fire going with fish already cooking but he invites them to add some of theirs and to sit with him and enjoy a breakfast of fish and loaves…yea I know it sounds familiar doesn’t it!

So I’ve stopped the reading there and we will look at the rest of this seaside encounter next week but I think this portion tells us a lot about the disciples and us.

1. The disciples lose patience with Jesus return and they go back to doing what they had been doing before he called them.

We too are disciples called by Jesus to follow him but we feel like we aren’t fully equipped, we don’t know exactly what to do, we don’t feel empowered to begin the work, so we simply do what we’ve always done.

2. The disciples are fishing like they always had, not considering a new way.

We are called to follow Jesus into the world and cast our nets out with the message of the Gospel.  But like the disciples how many times have we been discouraged because no matter how hard we try to invite more people to church or to tell others about Jesus, we seem to come up empty.  Inviting people to church has always worked before.  Many of you have told me how different functions had brought so many people to church in the past and yet the same functions aren’t working any more.

3. Jesus directs them to a new way that works better than they ever thought possible.

A new way?  Something almost completely opposite of what we have always done?  How could we?  We might create a real mess if we try something new.   What if though, Jesus is directing us to cast our net on the opposite of the boat?  Are there other ways to be in ministry?  Don’t get me wrong, I love traditions, but I also love sharing the message of salvation and bringing new people to know Jesus Christ.  Is it possible to keep the traditions and add new ideas as well?

New things take time and a lot of effort!  Are we really up for that?

For the disciples trying something new surely paid off for them.  They brought in a whole net full of fish because they listened to Jesus.  Remember, they didn’t know it was Jesus until after they started to pull in their catch.  We may not know what the new ministry is for us but if we listen, if we watch, could there be someone offering a new idea?

If we are willing to try something new and different, even if it seems like it might be ridiculous, we may find we are following the directions of Jesus.

4. Jesus had already caught some fish but needed some of theirs to make the meal complete.

Jesus has started a wonderful work here at Rotterdam UMC!  Look at all of you faithful people who have given of yourselves to this ministry!  But he needs more and he is asking us to bring in more to make the ministry complete.  He invites us to join him for the meal.  Just like us, the disciples must have recognized the connection of this meal with the miracle he performed as he fed 5,000 with just 5 loaves and 2 fish.  I wonder if Jesus reminded them and us because he wants us to know that whatever it is we have to offer, he will work with BUT we have to be willing to step out in faith.

I guess we can be satisfied with where we are and what we are doing….it is good ministry but I wonder is it enough?