John 21

You did it!  You read all of the way through John in January.  Great job!  Jesus has just appeared to the disciples for the first time since His crucifixion (Ch20).  This would be the second time Jesus appears to them and it is a really interesting meeting.  Peter had decided to go fishing (v3).  He took some of the disciples with him and they went out at night.  It was one of THOSE days.  If you have ever been fishing and just sat there without the slightest tug on your fishing line.  Only they were using fishing nets, so that they could catch a bunch of fish.  Peter has probably gone back to fishing to provide for his family and is taking the others with him.  When they get out to sea, they hear a voice "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." The disciples did what they were told and the net almost exploded with fish!

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, made the connection.  He remembered when Jesus had told them to do the very same thing and the result was the same (Luke 5:4).  Jesus had also told them that He would make them fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17).  The result of their fishing expedition?  A catch so big they had trouble bringing in the net!  The disciples were a part of this Gospel movement Jesus had begun.  They would tell the good news of Jesus' life, miracles, death, burial and resurrection to the world and it would be turned upside down!  The amount of lives they would impact would be greater than the amount of fish caught that day but it was a picture of the magnitude of the Church.

After John has this realization, Peter jumps out of the boat and swims to shore!  He is excited to see his friend and Savior!  He can't wait to see Jesus face to face.  This is probably not the first time Peter has seen Him but he can't wait to spend more time with Him.  I love what Jesus says next. "Let's have breakfast." (v12)  I LOVE breakfast!  Okay, maybe not fish for breakfast but I'm sure it was good.  I mean Jesus was able to turn water into wine, multiply the fishes and love, I'm sure He could make a mean Mahi Mahi!

During the breakfast, Jesus asks Peter a question "Simon, do you love me?" I bet that Peter looked down at the fire that was cooking breakfast when Jesus asked this question.  I'm confident that he didn't make eye contact with Jesus when He asked him this question.  Remember, Peter denied Christ three times.  Peter responds, "Yes Lord; You know that I love you." Jesus then responds, "Tend to my lambs".  Jesus then asks Peter the same question, TWO MORE TIMES!  Peter is not the most patient person on the planet, so he responds on the third time "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." You can sense Peter's frustration.  "Look, I know I messed up but You KNOW I love you despite myself!"  These three questions, mirror the three denials that Peter gave at the time of Christ's capture.  Peter's three denials of Christ were far overshadowed by His commitment to the Gospel and the Christ's church that was about to explode!  He would lead the movement fearlessly and would pay the ultimate price for His devotion.  Jesus alludes to this in the following verses by saying "when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old...someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go."  Peter would die for His faith.

I love Peter's story because it reminds us, that no matter how badly we fail, regardless of the circumstances behind our sin, there is always hope.  There is always room for God to use us as broken people.  Let's be honest, it is all that God has to choose from...broken people.  Just know that God is the God of the comeback.  Jesus was tortured and crucified as a criminal.  He then came back from the dead victorious.  COMEBACK!  The church is then persecuted and oppressed.  Disciples are killed and imprisoned.  The church then explodes in growth.  COMEBACK!  God is the God of second chances and the God of hope.  Remember that today.

COOL FACTS:
History tells us that Peter was crucified upside down, per his request, because he felt unworthy to die the way Jesus did.  What a devoted follower of Jesus.  Even after a huge failure like his denial, he was able to have hope in Christ and help build the church and be an active player in changing history!  What a comeback!