UNDAILY Episode 102
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So, they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 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!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So, Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, One Hundred and Fifty-Three, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
JOHN 21, 1-14 (NIV)
In the story from the Sea of Galilee, Jesus not only astonishes his disciples with a miraculous catch but also reminds them of their original calling and mission. Isn’t this also a tale about us, struggling with contemporary challenges, seeking meaning and purpose in everyday life that often seems incomprehensible and even fruitless? Our protagonists, the disciples, had returned to their former occupation of fishing, possibly to find some anchorage in the new, uncertain reality after the death of Jesus. For what else to do in such an uncertain reality after everything has crumbled to dust, and the servants of the religious and political system hunt every disciple? Moreover, with an empty purse and in the heart… great sorrow.
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