Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”John 21:4-7 NIV
John knew, from the events happening before him, that Jesus awaited them on shore, and had His hand in providing for them.
Something about Jesus appearance must have been different, as later, once on shore, it is written: “None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord.” (John 21:12) All too often, we forget that the events happening around us provide the evidence we need that the Lord is with us too. He simply, at times, may not appear in the form we have come to expect.
No doubt the disciples were tired and discouraged after a long night of fishing without one catch. Yet a “stranger” appears on the shore and convinces them to cast their net out on the “right” side of the boat. The result:
So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. John 21:11 NIV
Could Jesus message have reached John differently than it did the others? There is no mention of what the others thought or said, but John heard what he’d heard so many times before – “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Could Jesus have been saying- throw your net on the “correct” side of the boat? That is, the place He told them to fish so many times before – on shore for men?
How do we know “It is the Lord,” as John did?
The Lord does not try to make it difficult for us to see His hand in our lives. But there are times when we just get too tired or discouraged, as were the disciples there on the boat. We can then fail to see when the events going on around us provide evidence that He is there. We simply need to be seeking Him always, and be looking for Him in every situation. For it is written;
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV
Whether He appears as an angel in the fire, or water from a rock, ravens to feed us in our hour of need, a stranger along the road to Emmaus or even a gardener at the tomb – He will always appear to us if we seek Him.
When we cast our “nets” out of the boats of our lives – the way Jesus told us to – we can expect a great catch!
When the catch is “bountiful,” and we’ve done what He expects of us, we should have no doubt that “It is the Lord.”
Special thanks for this submission by guest blogger – Barnabas