Day 223: John 21:1–7a

“I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing (v. 3).

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples were all gathered in a fishing boat. My husband would tell you that seven men in your average boat is at least five too many, but Peter and the others had obviously returned to the commercial vessel where Peter had earned his living for years. He seems to have ascribed to this philosophy: when you don’t know what to do, do what you used to do.

Even though the disciples must have been ecstatic to have Christ in their midst, I believe He purposely let those days become an identity challenge for them. Notice Jesus didn’t hang around with them every minute He was back. He had appeared to the disciples only twice before this encounter (John 21:14).

The fact that Jesus didn’t bind Himself to them during His brief post-resurrection tenure must have been confusing to them. I’m not sure they knew how they fit into Christ’s plans from this side of the grave. Surely the thought occurred to them, “What need does anyone powerful enough to walk out of a tomb have for the likes of us?” They didn’t understand that Christ’s primary purpose during those forty days was for people to understand that He was God. Therefore, Jesus had more on His agenda than appearing only to the apostles. First Corinthians 15:5–7 lets us know Jesus appeared to over five hundred disciples.

But Psalm 46:10 tells us what to do when we’re not sure where we fit in God’s action plan. The psalm says, “Cease striving and know that I am God” (nasb).

Yep. Be still and know it ourselves. Don’t default into our past. Don’t jump the gun for our future. Just behold and know. Instructions will come when the time is right. In the meantime, just be—even though being is so much harder than doing, isn’t it?

Thankfully, Jesus knew where to find His disciples anyway, and He interrupted their doing with His own being. John seemed to have a better grasp of what Christ had come to be than any of the others at this point. He is only attributed four words in this scene: “It is the Lord.” Oh, that you and I would come to recognize what is the Lord and what is not.