Theme of the Week: Peter’s Spiritual Growth… and Ours
Bible Verse: “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21:3
Scripture Reading: John 21:1-14
There are few things more relaxing (for me) than an afternoon on the water with my rod and reel. Lake, stream, river, pond, ocean, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll fish until it’s past time to head in. It’s a time for me to think, sort, process, weigh pros and cons, and come to some conclusions. Honestly, fishing is, sometimes, some of the most productive time I can spend.
Unfortunately, a relaxing night on the water, catching a few fish was not what Peter and company were up to. Remember what Peter, Andrew, James, and John did for a living before Jesus called them to follow him? They were fishermen. It’s entirely possible, perhaps even likely, that in the days following the resurrection, when Peter declares that he is going out to fish, he is saying that he is going back to his old way of life. He is going back to what he did before.
At the end of today’s passage, we find out that the morning after, when Jesus meets the disciples on the shore, it is only the third time he has appeared to the disciples. The first time was the day of the resurrection (John 20:1 cf v.19). The second time was a week later to prove to Thomas that he had risen (20:26). Then, we read in today’s passage that it is “afterward” that Jesus appeared a third time to the disciples. We don’t know how long “afterward” this appearance was, sometime between 8 and 50 days after the resurrection. John isn’t concerned with that timeline and the other gospels don’t record these events that John does.
Peter, and the other disciples, after what was probably an incredible high following the resurrection appearance, were left to wait and wonder what came next. Today’s declaration of going fishing reads like a resignation. Even more so given the excitement that Peter displays at the realization that it is Jesus on the shore. Peter clearly did not expect to see Jesus; perhaps he hadn’t seen him in some time, and that was the reason that he was going back to fishing.
When Peter declared Jesus Messiah, that brought with it a great deal of expectation, and none of the recent events of crucifixion and resurrection were a part of it. Hope was rekindled when Jesus walked out of the grave, but now time was passing and nothing was happening. Jesus would show up and leave. It did not seem that the things they understood Messiah to do were happening.
Disappointment is hard. Perhaps we should not blame Peter for his resignation. The weight of his unmet expectations would have been tremendous, and he was not alone. There were five of them in the boat that night.
Peter helps us ask a great many questions. Not least of which comes from this story. How do we deal with disappointment with God? Fortunately, this isn’t the end of Peter’s story with Jesus. We’ll look at that tomorrow. Today, let’s sit with Peter and ask ourselves how we deal with our unmet expectations.
Prayer: God, sometimes I don’t even realize that I had expectations until they are broken. I don’t always have a good reason for the expectations I have, and I know I don’t always react well when I’m disappointed. Help me to come to you and rest in you when my hopes are let down.
Reflection: What expectations do you have of God and how He will work in your life? How do you respond when God doesn’t work the way you hoped or expected He would?
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