Have you ever spoken words that later you deeply regretted? Words that drove a giant, iron wedge between you and another person? Through the month of April, I have written about Jesus of Nazareth, and in particular, focused upon His bodily resurrection following a brutal and shocking crucifixion that occurred through the collusion of Jewish religious leaders and the Roman government. While this event is “center stage” stuff, indeed the most important event in all of human history, it is not a story devoid of small, intimate moments.
In John 21:1-17, we see seven of Jesus’ disciples out fishing all night long. It had been disappointing, with zero fish caught, which is saying something since three of the disciples were professional fishermen! As the sun began to rise, some guy called out from the shore, “Children, did you catch anything?” You can practically hear them yell out “NO!” with a grimace on their faces. This guy then had the gall to tell them to throw their net on the other side of the boat, as if ten feet to the right would change the entire night’s dismal results. But something made them obey this stranger, and it didn’t take long before the casting of the net became an incredible surge of weight, filled with flopping fish! 153 of them, to be exact! John then realized, “It is the Lord!” and Peter threw himself into the sea and began swimming for shore. Before long, everyone was eating a breakfast of fried fish, and as Peter got close to finishing his meal, I’m sure he was a jumble of emotions.
Just a few days earlier, after telling Jesus that he would never leave his Lord, Peter broke his promise three times in one night, denying he knew Jesus to the point of even swearing oaths to prove it (Matthew 26:69-75). The weight of that denial had practically crushed Peter on the night of Jesus’ trial, and I’m sure it weighed heavy on him as he watched Jesus smile while eating His breakfast. Then Jesus wiped His mouth with His sleeve (there were no women present), and pulled Peter aside for a quiet conversation. Three times Peter had denied knowing Jesus, and three times Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Jesus allows Peter the opportunity to pry that giant, iron wedge out from between them, and to begin to restore their relationship. “Yes, yes, and yes” was Peter’s answer to each question, and as a result, receives Jesus’ commission to carry the gospel and care for His people.
It’s incredibly significant to me that Jesus did this. When Jesus raised from the dead, He had defeated sin and death, once for all. He could have simply held a mega church conference and then returned to the Father, but instead He quietly sought out Peter to become friends again.
Is Jesus your friend? He’s just waiting for that conversation you keep putting off…
