It took time for the reality of Jesus’ resurrection to sink in. The reality was simply overwhelming, so Jesus took His time, and manifested Himself to be alive over several encounters. One of the encounters took place “on the beach…at the Sea of Tiberias (aka, Sea of Galilee)” (vs.1, 4-5) where Jesus stood, calling out to fishing disciples, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They didn’t, and he counseled them to “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch” (vs. 6). They did, and sure enough they found their nets filled with large fish, “a hundred and fifty-three” to be exact” (vs. 11). When they got to shore they discovered that Jesus had started a fire and was frying up some fish of His own. He invited them to add to the frying breakfast “some of the fish which they [had] caught” (vs. 10).
I find it intriguing that Jesus just showed up and had breakfast with these disciples. No fanfare, no trumpets blaring, no pomp and circumstance – just breakfast. It was as if it were any other ordinary morning. And, isn’t it true that this is where we need to see Jesus, in the everyday and ordinary? We look for Him in the spectacular, and we find him on the beach making breakfast. Others are wowed that Jesus worked a miracle of one hundred and fifty-three fish. I’m wowed that He makes a campfire, puts some fish on it, and then invites these somewhat bewildered friends to add a few of their own fish and to join Him for breakfast.
Do you see Jesus in the everyday and ordinary? That’s where He is, you know. John Henry Jowett has a marvelous devotional about this. Written back in 1914, he writes,
Our Lord delights to glorify the commonplace. He loves to fill the common water-pots with His mysterious wine. He chooses the earthen vessels into which to put His treasure. He calls obscure fishermen to be the ambassadors of His grace. He proclaims His great Gospel through provincial dialects, and He fills uncultured mouths with mighty arguments. He turns common meals into sacraments, and while He breaks ordinary bread He relates it to the blessing of heaven.
And “this same Jesus” is among us today, with the same choices and delights. He will make a humdrum duty shine like the wayside bush that burned with fire and was not consumed. He will make our daily business the channels of His grace. He will take our disappointments and He will fill them with treasures of unspeakable consolation. He will use our poor, broken, stammering speech to convey the wonders of His grace to the weary sinful souls of men.
My Daily Meditation, October, 14
I am an ordinary and everyday person, and my heart is filled with great joy to know that Jesus comes to me right where I am. The Jesus I have come to know takes you and me very seriously, and invites us to sit down with Him and have breakfast. Who would have thought it?
No comments:
Post a Comment