“After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.”

Transformed by the Call of Christ

Jesus is alive. Crucified, buried, and raised back to life, we have record of Him visiting the women of His ministry, Mary Magdalene on her own, two of His followers as they traveled out of Jerusalem to the small town of Emmaus, Peter on his own, and the core group of His disciples twice, the second time including His famous interaction with Thomas. As we pick up in today’s passage, we find seven of the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. This is the Roman name for the Sea of Galilee, which lets us know that we are no longer in or around Jerusalem, but have returned to the northern region where Jesus spent the majority of His ministry. This geographical change may seem a bit off, but looking to the other gospels, Matthew and Mark both record the angel at Jesus’ tomb, and in Matthew’s case, Jesus Himself, telling the group of women to relay to the disciples that they are to go to Galilee and meet Jesus there. While we don’t know how much time has passed since the last time Jesus visited them and spoke to Thomas and where we find them today, we know that this still falls within the forty days between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension, and we see the disciples obedient to His instructions. The first two times Jesus came to them they were locked away, and Jesus, unhindered by walls and doors, was there with them in their midst declaring, “Peace be with you.” The manner in which Jesus meets the disciples in today’s passage is entirely different, but the interaction also serves to illustrate something new from His first two appearances. Before, in the midst of their fear and uncertainty, Jesus came to them in their place of seclusion and declared peace, and purpose, and direction. But what we see today is a transformation, what it means to be called to the peace and mission of God, and who we are, compared to who we were as we’re made new in Him.

1. Forgetting the Call

“After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.”

I think of it as “amnesia of the flesh.” We pray, we read Scripture, we go to church and worship and rejoice with other believers, and by the working of the Spirit, we see. Our hearts and minds are devoted to God, our joy is rooted in Him, we understand, by His revelation, our purpose and calling, our separation from the world, the great joy and responsibility to share and to live out the Truth of the gospel. In that place, things couldn’t be clearer, the path couldn’t be straighter, we see with eyes to see, hear with ears to hear, and we know Peace. But because of the sin nature of our flesh, we don’t stay in this centered, harmonious place. We are tempted, and the world in its wickedness, wants us to be tempted. Jesus says in Matthew 7:13–14,

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

The path of the Christian is not an easy one, but neither is it exactly hard – in many respects, it’s both, just as it is amazingly simple and also infinitely complex. There’s a reason that Jesus can say in Matthew 11:28–30,

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

and say in Matthew 16:24–26,

“… If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

These ideas of rest found under the burden of a yoke, of life found in the suffering of a cross defy our understanding and reasoning in our flesh. Proverbs 3:5–8 tells us,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

Paul attested to the war we fight against ourselves, to the limitations and hindrances of the flesh when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:9–12,

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

We can’t become complacent, we can’t lean on our own understanding, but must look continually at the example of Christ, and by His Spirit and example, move forward. Now why do I bring all this up in regard to a passage where we see the disciples spending the night out fishing? First, it helps to get in your mind that this was not a case of some friends heading down to the lake with rod in hand to see if they could catch a few fish. Of those listed, we know that at least Peter and the sons of Zebedee (James and John), were professional fishermen before they were called to be disciples, and what we see is fishing done in a professional capacity. Fishing over the course of the night was common practice of the time, as it allowed you to take your fresh catch and sell it as soon as morning came. This wasn’t an event of recreation, it was work. Now, there are two different ways to look at this, and I actually fall in the middle. I’ve heard this billed as Peter officially walking away from his position as a disciple, giving up the calling of Jesus, and returning to his old life as a fisherman. I can’t buy into this, the logic of the text just doesn’t give it credence. Peter has seen Jesus face to face after the resurrection, he’s traveled north with his fellow disciples under Jesus’ instruction, and as we’ll see as we read on, he’s extremely excited to see Jesus again – none of this is the behavior of a man who has given up being a disciple or abandoned the calling of Christ. On the other end of the spectrum, this could be viewed as nothing more than a night out fishing, completely harmless, and irrelevant to the spiritual condition of the disciples. But contextually, this seems too mild. Again, this isn’t just a recreational activity, but neither does this seem to be the disciples placing their allegiance with Rome, giving up ministry, and resuming their old lives. What it is, is a poor use of time. Sometimes I’ll find a word that I’m not overly familiar with, and in learning the definition it will almost stick in my head. One of those words that I encountered some time ago in the Old Testament was “precept.” A precept is a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action, or an order issued by legally constituted authority to a subordinate official. Psalm 119 is loaded with this word, a few excerpts being, Psalm 119:4–6,

“You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.”

Psalm 119:15–16

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”

Psalm 119:27–29

“Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!”

Going back to “amnesia of the flesh,” this is the tool (tools, really), that we’re given so that we might not forget who and what we are in Christ – that the Word of God be always before us, a sign upon our hand, a frontlet before our eyes. The overnight fishing expedition isn’t an act of apostasy, it’s not rebellion or rejection, it’s just… strange. Jesus is alive, the disciples have seen Him, they’ve gone back to Galilee at His instruction to meet with Him again, and in the interim downtime they – pick up a side hustle? Fall back into an old and familiar pattern that they were called out of? Peter himself would later write the words that may pertain best to this, a passage I referenced last week, 2 Peter 1:3–9,

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”

The fishing trip isn’t inherently sinful – but it is sort of listless. It’s not the activity of men who are focusing on the miracle that God has just wrought in their lives, and in the world. It’s missing the joy, the excitement, the purpose of the task they’ve been given, sent by Jesus as He was sent by the Father. It’s almost as if, in the absence of His presence, they’ve drifted from knowing who they are in their calling – and this is exactly what happens to us when we grow complacent in our relationship with Christ. Now this isn’t a prohibition on fishing – I’m not saying that we as Christians can’t play sports, video games, watch tv, learn an instrument, or just have hobbies in general. God can be glorified in many ways through many things, and whether we’re worshiping in the first pew, or bogged down in the middle of our workday, we are Christians at all times, over and above everything else. But if God is not at the center, if He is not granted the Lion’s share of our time and attention, then we have a problem. If we’re not attentive to our faith, if we aren’t supplementing it with these attributes that God has blessed us with, then we will slip, to the point where we act as those who have forgotten who they are.

2. Remembering the Call

“Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.”

And so, after a night of hard work, fishing without a single fish to show for it, the sun is rising, and some hundred yards away on the shore stands Jesus. They don’t know that it’s Him, and while this could have somewhat mystical implications, as when other’s have met and not recognized Him post resurrection, it could also be a simple matter of practicality. The sun hasn’t fully risen, and they’re close enough to the shore to see someone there, but far enough that to make out detail would be almost impossible. When Jesus appeared to them before, He affirmed His identity through the marks on His body that attested to His crucifixion, and the miracle of His resurrection. Now Jesus reveals His identity by repeating the first miracle He performed before Peter, James, and John, recorded in Luke 5:1–6,

“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.”

“The lake of Gennesaret” is yet another name for the Sea of Galilee. Standing on the shore of the same body of water where they first met, Jesus calls to them, telling them as He once did, to let down their nets despite their repeated failures. Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:31–34,

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Just as the birds of the air are tended to, and the flowers of the field grow in their beauty, so we, who bearing the image of God are of far greater value than they, will be provided for. This doesn’t mean that it’s wrong for us to work, to honor our responsibilities to our families, to the church, and to our communities, but again, if God is not at the center, held in the highest place of our hearts and minds, then we have a very serious problem. And so in revealing Himself to the disciples, Jesus illustrates the provision He brings, and reminds them of when they were first called, and what they were called to.

“That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.”

John seems to connect these dots first, remembering the first miracle he witnessed, and realizing that the man who calls to them from the shore is Jesus. While John may realize what’s going on first, it’s Peter who has the most extreme response. It’s as if a light comes on for Peter, at the moment he hears John say that it’s Jesus who stands there speaking to them, he, in a display of beautiful impulsivity, totally abandons his present activity (and his boat), and throws himself into the water – but first, he makes himself presentable. There’s something hilarious, and also extremely endearing about this moment. Peter is so excited, in such desperation to get to Jesus that rowing back to shore is too slow, he’s got to swim. But he’s also not willing to present himself before his Lord and Master, stripped down to his undergarments for work. So in essence, he gets dressed up to dive into the water. That’s the thing, “amnesia of the flesh” may be a factor, but there’s also the fact that we as His sheep, know the voice of our Shepherd. His voice is what calls us back to Him, to Truth, to Love, to Life, to Light, calls us to our purpose. The farther we have strayed, the more we forget, the less effective we are in our mission, but His voice corrects and draws us, and this impulsive swim of Peter’s reminds us all of the desperate hope and joy we may know at the voice of our Lord.

3. Transformed by the Calling

“When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.”

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is among man no one righteous, not one – until we are called by Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Everyone is in their own unique condition when they receive salvation, but whether you were an angry, keyboard atheist, a lukewarm, going through the motions church attendee – whether you were an adulterer, an addict, a liar, a cheater, a thief, or just someone who in mind, body, and spirit rejected the Truth of God, we all came from the same place, in that we were sinners, and we were doomed for eternal separation. Once saved by Christ, washed in the blood of the Lamb, indwelled by the Spirit, adopted by the Father, we do not live as we once lived, because we are not who we once were. Regardless of where you are in your process of sanctification, whether brand new and still on the milk of the gospel, or seasoned and delving into the meat of the Word, you are not who you were before – you have been transformed, and made new. Jesus revealed Himself this third time through repeating the miracle He worked when He first called Peter, Andrew, James, and John, but there are distinct differences between how the disciples fared the first time, versus the second. Luke 5:6–11says,

“And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”

First, note the differences in the boats and the nets. In Luke’s gospel the nets are not up to the task, and begin breaking under the load, and once the fish are in the boat, the weight is too much, and they begin to sink. But John tells us that now, despite the size of the catch, and even an expectation that the nets might break, they miraculously held. The single boat, rather than sinking, was sufficient to haul the catch back to shore. When I read this, I see a symbol of the transformation of the disciples themselves. When first called, they were not up to the task before them. The calling to take up their cross, the future mission that awaited them in the great commission, to share the gospel to the world, all of this was beyond them before the death and resurrection of Jesus. But they are not the men that they once were, and because of the work that Christ has already finished, and the work that the Spirit will do within them, they, miraculously, are up to the task. They are equipped and prepared, despite appearances, to do more than what they should be able to. Jesus told them, and now we begin to see – they are no longer ordinary fishermen, they’re raised to a purpose beyond that task. He has made them fishers of the souls of men. Next, we can observe a stark difference between Peter, who upon first witnessing Jesus, falls before Him and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” It’s not that the Peter we see now is “good enough” to stand before Jesus by his own merit, but that the relationship is entirely different, and when Jesus instructs them to bring some of the fish they’ve caught, Peter is obedient, and hauls in the net. There’s something else here that happens with Peter that foreshadows his coming restoration. John makes special mention of the fact that Jesus had prepared a “charcoal fire” on which to prepare the food. This terminology rang a bell, but it took me a moment to realize where I’d seen John use this exact wording before. Before the crucifixion, as Jesus goes through the process of interrogations and sham trials before the ruling Jews, Peter waits loitering in the courtyard of the high priest. It is after his first denial of Jesus that John 18:18 says,

“Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.”

So the last time we saw Peter around a charcoal fire, he was standing alongside the servants and guards of those who were seeking to kill his Master. This was Peter’s lowest point, lost in fear and uncertainty, unmoored from his identity in Christ, shoulder to shoulder with enemies, and denying the One that he said he would die for. And now, we see him again, this time not inserting himself where he doesn’t belong, but invited to a fireside that was laid for he and his brothers, to join in a meal with their Master. While Jesus isn’t finished with Peter, which we’ll see more of next week, this shows us that he’s certainly not the man he was when Jesus first called him, he’s not even the same man he was weeks prior. The fires may look the same, but the hands that laid them, and those who gather around them are night and day, Peter included.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.”

Jesus, in His glorified form does not seem to appear the same as before his death and resurrection. But as God tells Samuel when He sends him to anoint David as king, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart,” so we see God revealed through means beyond physical. As Jesus is transformed in His glorification, so we are changed, made new, redeemed, and transformed by the work of His Spirit within us. We are called, and once we are called, we are not the same.

Pastor Chris’ sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEKMSgedQbM