4/12 Through the Bible in Devotions

John 21

“And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.” (v. 6)

This “drought of fishes” nearly sunk the boat! They almost tore the nets trying to bring the fish in, and after fishing all day, and catching nothing. The blessings of God are overflowing. What’s more, whenever Jesus is present, there is an abundance of blessings till our “cup runneth over”. Whether it is a cup, or a boat, the blessings of God are always overflowing. The bigger the vessel, the greater the blessing, that’s the way it is with God. How big is your vessel? Are you expecting a great blessing from the Lord, or a small one? Better yet, How big is your God? Again Jesus comes to seek after the wayfarers. Peter had seemed to forsake the ministry and go back into his secular trade, and others with him. Jesus had to encourage them and bring them back to Him and His service. What greater way to do so than to appear to them and commune with them after His resurrection? Jesus invited them to “come and dine”.

This account is a beautiful example of the Lord’s love for us. He wishes to dine with us. He has prepared a feast, and we are invited, and all we have to do is accept. Communion with the Lord is a blessing in itself, but it often follows a great blessing when we read of it in scripture. He had just given fisherman exactly what they sought after—fish. These men made a living at fishing, and they knew their job well, but they caught nothing that day until Jesus came, then they caught more than they ever had, and knew immediately that the Lord was in it. It seems that they didn’t know for sure who He was until they caught so many fish and John said unto Peter “It is the Lord” (v. 17), but when they knew Him, they ran to Him immediately. They were surprised that he was alive! What a time of rejoicing for them. What a time of reunion with the Lord. It was as if they had been re-born and at first, and, I am sure that some thought they were dreaming. It was almost too good to be true.

It seems almost too good to be true that Jesus sought me out too, although it is the very truth in itself. He invites me to come and dine with Him, me, a pauper, and Him a King. It seems that anyone is good enough for Jesus. These men had forsaken Him, but He never did forsake them. He postponed Heaven to spend some time with those whom He dearly loved, and brought them back to Him by this one, single act. We know the rest of the story, how they went on to evangelize the world, but I wonder what would have happened if Jesus had not appeared to them on the sea that day, and invited them to dinner? We may never know.