Eastertide

April 30, 2022

Scripture Reading: John 21:1-19

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. —John 21:1-14

How do we make faith real to ourselves and to others? I am already growing weary of hearing politicians stating they are Christians as a reason we should vote for them. The chorus I learned as a child, They’ll know we are Christians by our Love, flashes through my memory every time I hear those ads. Actions do speak louder than words.

The disciples in this story had returned to their previous occupations. They seem to be portraying a response to the last few years of their lives that it had been a great ride, but it now was over.  In the scripture above Christ once again presented himself to the disciples as he continued to initiate their role in furthering his vision of a world ruled by love.

Eating fish and bread with the resurrected Lord would be a life-changing experience. The gospels writers could have told the story of Jesus without recounting these very real episodes of interaction. They shared them with us because the fine details add to authenticity but also take each of us to the seashore or the boat or eating fish. Perhaps the lesson in this scripture is that we grow and share our faith best by sharing ourselves in loving action.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be readily identified as your followers by our love. Amen.

*They’ll Know We Are Christians written by Peter Scholtes

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.