Jesus Makes Breakfast

As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.  John 21:9 King James Version

What a marvelous picture John paints for us in this last chapter.  Jesus is still appearing mysteriously to His followers and working His wonders.  Whenever and however our Lord moves we can be sure that something miraculous is happening.  Inside of the soul of the believer, to experience even a tiny moment of this expression of Divine Presence, is a sensation like filling that soul to bursting point.  Surely our flimsy and inadequate hearts cannot possibly contain that flood of infinitude which is our God.

This little account of these men fishing brings me this sensation of wonder after our Lord.

Here these men, much like ourselves, had attempted throughout the long hours of darkness to catch what they needed to sustain them.  Surely in the still of the night their thoughts were all drawn to Jesus.  They had plenty of time to ponder all the amazing proceedings and teachings they had witnessed.  Quite certain we can be, that if there was conversation that night on the boat, that it was directed on what had happened, what it meant, and what they should do now.

However as the night sky slowly gave way to the colors of dawn, they began to make out the form of the nearby shoreline.  The Disciples had worked through the night and caught nothing.  Then suddenly they see a man.  The man shouts over the water to them to ask if they had anything to drink.  We can imagine that their own stomachs began to rumble at the thought of food.

So when the stranger offers them the idea of throwing the nets on the other side of the boat, the common response of the fisherman is to try any helpful suggestion in the hopes of improving his chances.  Then, as usual in the presence of Jesus, something amazing happens.  They had worked long and hard with no success, then in one throw of the net, it is full.  So full in fact is this net, that we cannot pull it in.

It appears that Peter was busy working with the nets still and was not paying much attention to the sights or the persons passing by.  But when He hears someone say that it is our Lord, He drops everything.  Quickly he makes himself presentable by throwing on his better clothes then throws himself in the water in his haste to be beside His Savior.

The others carry the burden of dragging the catch to shore and Peter does return to help them.  Then when they finally set foot ashore, they notice that Christ had breakfast nearly ready for them.

It blows my mind to consider our Lord apparently going about doing normal human actions like if He wasn´t actually a King.  Not only is He a King, but He is the King of all Kings.  But here He is stooped over the coals preparing breakfast for us normal folk.  Here is a being who has just conquered for all time, the right to rule the entire universe, and He seems so calm and goes about performing lowly acts of service for others.

Great pleasure it brings to picture this wonderful scene of that lakeshore with a group of men huddled around a fire eating a much deserved breakfast.  The day was breaking in brilliant colors over the water and the hills and the smell of good food filling the air. For sure the spirits were high in that blessed group of men and all had smiles on their faces.  But perhaps the most pleasing thought is, and probably was for these men as well, that they were there actually in the presence of their Lord and Savior.

We long for the time when we too can edge our way into the circle of warmth around a fire where we can be closer to Jesus.  In physical worldly terms, this may have to wait.  But for a sincere follower of Him, these precious moments can be sought.  You and I may leave our frustrating night of toil to find our Lord has already prepared us a welcoming meal.

I will look forward to finding you there, huddled around those coals and feel with you that wonderful burning inside our hearts to be that near to Him.

Good morning to you,

In Christ,

Scott W