I Go A Fishing

The Sea of Galilea, early morning

Jared had read the book of John one night and had a sweet insight upon reading the last 21st chapter, a sweet reward at the end of his reading, which he shared with us. We were then sharing the story with our children and trying to have them get a mental picture in their minds of what it might have been like. As we did, we felt we got a glimpse into a sweet scene from the bible we had missed before. Thanks Daddy!

This is after Christ had resurrected and had visited with his disciples and others, as the resurrected Lord on a few other occasions. The disciples are talking with one another and seem to be down hearted. Try to imagine, they have just spent the last 3 years with the Lord, learning from him everyday and now he is gone from them, returned to the father.
Maybe then, not knowing exactly what to do without the Lord with them, possibly in a moment of weakness, Simon Peter then says to the other disciples, "I go a fishing..." and the other disciples immediately say, "We also go with thee..." (vs. 3)

They then get into a boat and begin to fish, which must have been some time late into the night, or early morning, having returned to their previous profession of fishing for whatever reason. They seem to have been like sheep who had lost their shepherd. They end up fishing all night and "that night they caught nothing." (vs 3)

"But when the morning was now come" (vs 4), and this was the sweet tender mercy Jared was given after having read the entire book of John, a tender mercy for sure... picture this in your mind... it is in the earliest light of the morning, the air was probably cool and crisp, the water crisp and cold, maybe just right before the sun broke over the horizon.

The disciples see a figure on the shore, it is Christ, but the disciples don't recognize him at first (vs 4), He calls out to them, "Children, have ye any meat?" (vs 5) The disciples still don't recognize him, and they tell him they have caught nothing. Christ is so merciful, here are his very disciples, having returned to their profession, and he asks them, have ye any meat?

He then tells them to, "cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes." (vs 6)
John the beloved then "saith unto Peter, It is the Lord", and the scriptures tell us when this child-like pure man Peter heard it was the Lord "he cast himself into the Sea" swimming to shore... the other disciples follow in a little ship dragging the net with fishes.

Now, picture this scene in your mind... "As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread." The Savior is waiting for them... a warm fire is crackling with fish and bread cooking, the sun is rising, the air is crisp and cool in the morning, and the Savior tells the disciples to bring some of the fish they had caught, which they do, and the net was so full, but was not broken (setting us up for the lesson he is about to teach Simon Peter, he having lead the disciples to go a fishing).
Now think of the love and warmth they must have felt. Here is the savior, the morning is beautiful, the sea is most likely gently splashing against the shore, the air is crisp, clean, and fresh from the sea, a warm fire is crackling... and the Savior of the world, the son of God, is waiting there, by the fire, he being the warmth of both the Sun and the fire, to which they sit down, dine with him, and he then, in a loving, tender rebuke turns to Simon Peter and asks him the well know questions, 3 times in a row, varying slightly... "Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" To which Peter responds, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." to which the Savior reminds him, what is more important than his business of fishing... "lovest me more than these" and says, "Feed my lambs.... Feed my sheep..."
Peter, having learned his lesson that he is to leave "these" things and go serve his fellow men, being a fisher of men, the net never being broken again, Chirst having mended the net forever more... Peter turns to the Lord and asks about the disciple whom Jesus loved, leaning on his bosom... from which we learn of John the Revelator... whose reward of the Love the Lord had for him was to stay and write the things of this world until Christ should come again for his second coming.
Jared and I were so impressed by the scene that was opened to our minds and heart. We could feel the crackling warmth, the cool crisp morning air, the soft sounds of the water against the shore, and the love that must have abounded with the Savior in their midst, cooking them an early morning meal, as if he were tending to his beloved children... What a blessing that has been to us... and the kids... who ask us to tell the story of Peter when he didn't know what to do, and when he says, "well... I go a fishing..."