Peter was a fisherman.
He had done it all his life, even when he was a disciple of John the
Baptist. Then, one day, Jesus walked
by. “Follow me, and I will make you a
fisher of men.” And Peter followed
him. He left the nets behind and
followed Jesus for more than three years, throughout Galilee ,
to Jerusalem ,
to Gethsemane , and to the Sanhedrin. There, it all ended.
“I swear to you, I never knew this man.”
With those words, Peter denied the Lord he had sworn to
serve. And even when the most glorious
miracle of history occurred, even when Jesus was raised from the dead, even
when Jesus appeared to the disciples, Peter could not forget the fact that he
had failed.
And so, he told the other disciples, “I’m going
fishing,” in John 21:3. The way this verse is constructed gives the idea that he wasn't taking a day off to drown some worms. He wasn't getting away for some rest and relaxation. No, this was not recreation or a vacation. Peter was giving up. He was a fisherman before Jesus came to him beside Galilee. Now, he would be one again. He had failed - miserably and spectacularly - and he was through with this whole disciple thing.
Ever felt that way?
It happens to me often, usually on a Monday morning. When I fail, or when the pressures of life
pile up, or trials and opposition come, I have the impulse to throw it all in,
resign my job, and go fishing.
Metaphorically, at least. Actual
fishing is not a temptation to me.
I bet sometimes you feel like giving up. It may be because of your own failure, or
because of the hurtful actions of someone else.
You gave your best, and no one recognized it. You poured yourself into ministry, but
nothing came from it. The pressures of
life have snowballed to the point you just can’t take it anymore. Like Peter, and me, you want to go
fishing.
But Jesus won’t let that happen. He appeared to Peter by the Sea of Tiberius . He took Peter back to where it all
began. He renewed the miracle of his
provision. “Cast your net on the other
side of the boat.” Jesus did it all over
again. He took Peter right back to
beginning, and renewed his faith and the wonder of God’s power. That’s where healing begins with us. We must return to the presence of the Lord
and renew our minds and hearts in him. The
good news is that Jesus always begins the process of healing.
Jesus did not ignore Peter’s failure, or sweep it under the
rug. He made him face it. Three times Peter denied Jesus. Three times Jesus asked him, “Do you love
me?” Jesus renews us by making us deal
with the sin and failure that drew us away from him. When we repent, the blood of Christ covers
our sin and brings us renewal.
Then, Jesus gave his command to Peter. “Feed my sheep.” God renewed Peter by giving him an
assignment. Take care of God’s sheep. Jesus renewed Peter, then sent him out to
serve. The fallen soldier was back on
the front lines.
Jesus will never let you give up. As his child, he won’t let you go
fishing. He will come to you, inviting
you back into his presence. He will help
you find forgiveness for your failure, and will restore you to a life of
fruitful service.
No, my friend, it is not time to go fishing.
Father, I thank you that you never give up on me. I fail; you restore. I get discouraged; you renew. When I am ready to quit, you give me strength. Thank you God, for your renewing power.
No comments:
Post a Comment