It's unfortunate that many consider John 21 to be anti-climactic. That's the chapter in which we have the record of the resurrected Christ on the shore of the Sea of Galilee ready to serve the last recoreded breakfast to His students. It is in connection with this breakfast that we and the future fishers of men will learn very down to earth truths for the Grace Dispensation which will begin at Pentecost.
The disciples are a football field away as they've fished all night and are embarrassed to find, that in spite of the fact that they're professionals, their catch for all that work totals a goose egg. Peter had earlier led this expedition onto the familiar Sea of Galilee because he's one of those types that just can't sit still; he just HAS to be doing something, anything. And what he knew best or at least thought he knew best was to successfully engage in the piscatorial arts.
As the narrative goes, the exhausted fishermen see a Stranger on the shore and hear Him, perhaps a potential customer, shouting to ask a question which expects a negative answer. As the dawn breaks, the Stranger on the shoreline asks, "Boys (a Greek term of affection), you don't have any fish do you?"
This Stranger knows everything about their all-night frustration. They answer, "No." This must have been a exercise in Humiliation 101 for these experienced men to admit their shortcomings. It's then that the Stranger tells them, "Throw your nets on the right side of the boat." Right side, left side, what difference would that make? What's odd about all this is, here's this Person they have yet to recognize telling them what to do and promising them that if they'll do it, they'll catch the fish.
Little do they know that the command is coming from the resurrected Christ who will perform His last recorded miracle that dawning day by demonstrating His "ruling over the fish of the sea." (Does that phrase sound familiar? It should; see Genesis 1:28.)
They do, and what they catch stretched their nets to the breaking point, yet not breaking from the weight of all the large, 153 catch of fish, a large school by anyone's definition. At this point, the important thing is that before these men recognize the Stranger, they did what He said and enjoyed success.
That's the principle the Stranger taught them that morning. "Just obey My word, and in God's sight, you'll be successful." We might paraphrase the text this way: "Just take My Word seriously, and in God's sight, you'll be successful."
Isn't that the need of the hour for us as followers of Christ? We live in a day when many churches are not discipleship centers, but entertainment centers. The need is to take the Bible seriously, Christ's commands seriously. The need is to take the cross seriously. As we are gradually finding out, the taking up of one's cross everyday is becoming a very hard thing to do in a culture that's thrown the truth to the ground.
“[I]t grieves me when I see worship services characterized more by props, performances, and pep rally atmospheres than by any sense of divine sacredness; and hallowedness giving way to shallowness.
"This is not about worship styles. The issue is not traditional versus contemporary versus blended worship. It’s not about organ versus a worship band. That discussion misses the point completely. This is about the heart and focus and intent of worship.
"The message of the church—the message the world needs to hear from us—is not, ‘Come and have a good time,’ ‘Come and be entertained,’ or ‘Come and find your best life now.’ The message of the church is the message of the cross.” (Betsy St. Aman)
It's getting darker out there. The Christian who's fed cotton candy every Sunday is woefully unprepared to engage it.
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