I have always enjoyed reading and thinking about the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. It is fascinating to consider, and it offers us much instruction as well. I am sure most of us have thought of what it might have been like to have had an encounter with the risen Lord. We arrived too late in history for that experience, but we can learn from the experiences we read about in the scriptures.
Jesus Meets With His Followers
One of the most known post-resurrection encounters is the story in John 21. Simon Peter made the decision to go fishing, and several others joined him. They fished through the night and caught no fish when they saw a man standing on the shore. The man was Jesus, though they did not recognize Him. He asked if they caught any fish, implying He knew they did not. When they answered “No,” He told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat and they would find a catch. They did as He said and caught so many fish they were surprised their nets did not tear. Like fishermen would, they recorded a catch of 153 fish. Then, for good measure, they detailed they were large fish.
At this point, they realized it was Jesus on the shore. This was not the first time they experienced such a fishing trip with Jesus. They hurried to the shore and discovered Jesus had a fire going and had cooked breakfast for them. They sat down to fish and bread, prepared for them by the resurrected Lord.
After they finished breakfast, Jesus asked Peter three separate times, “Do you love me?” There are nuances to the way Jesus asked that question those three times that help us understand Jesus was not simply asking Peter about his level of affection for Jesus, but rather about where Jesus fit into Peter’s list of life priorities. It is really a question of how much Peter loved Jesus, and how that compared with his love for other things. After Peter answered Jesus each time, Jesus replied to Peter by telling him some form of “Feed my sheep.”
God’s Provision and Your Priority
This story is instructive in several different ways, but I want to point out two in particular. First, it is worth noting that Jesus was helping Peter answer the most important question any follower of Jesus has to answer: where is Jesus going to rank in our list of life priorities. Do we have an affection for Jesus, or is He the priority of our life? Do we have an affinity for Jesus, or does He take preeminence in our life? This is still the question for all of us who would follow Christ. Is He a priority, or is He THE priority, which gives definition and significance to all other aspects of our lives?
It is also worth noting that Jesus both provided them with a great catch of fish, and had breakfast waiting on them when they got to shore. Before Jesus ever asked anything of Peter, he provided abundantly for Peter. He demonstrated His willingness and ability to provide for Peter’s needs before Jesus ever asked about Peter’s priorities and before He said, “Feed my sheep.” Like Peter, we are called to make Jesus our priority in life, and to serve Him and do His will. Also, like Peter, Jesus provides for us everything we need as we follow His call.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.