Devotionals

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More Than These

Jesus has a way of cutting through the mist of our ambitions and our innate desire to run from the truth that is both amazing and refreshing. Take the time when He had risen from the grave and was appearing to the disciples over several occasions. One of his men needed some specific help more than the others. It was the one who had run straight past the other disciples and into the tomb to see the folded clothes for himself. The same man who had stood round the fire feeling the heat of the moment and coming up weak and sneaky: Peter, the man we can identify with in so many ways.

It seems he, along with the others had been struggling to come to terms with the whole Jesus thing. He had followed Him for three years, convinced He was the Messiah. The crucifixion was depressing and gory. He had tried to piece things together as he talked with the others after the event. Then, there was the elation when they visited the empty tomb and listened to Mary’s story, followed by the appearance in the room. It had certainly sounded like Jesus – it quite simply couldn’t have been anyone else - but He had looked, well, different.

In his struggle he made a decision: he would go back to what he knew best – fishing. He got his friends together to see if anybody else was thinking like him. He also knew that he needed to team of men to manage a fishing boat. So one by one they made the reluctant decision to go back to what they knew best too. Nobody had the energy to work out what that all meant in the grand scheme of things and where it all fit into what they had just been doing for the past three years.

After three hours they thought they were losing their touch and had maybe got a bit rusty through lack of practice. No fish. They took a break and tried another area. Maybe they have more joy later. Maybe just before dawn. More time passed. Nothing.
Frustrated and ready to give up the night’s fishing as a bad idea, they started to draw their nets in. Then they saw someone on the beach lighting a fire, a common enough sight, but He suddenly caught their attention by shouting out to them. According to Him, they were fishing on the wrong side of the boat and if they cast their nets on the other side they would have a catch. The words sounded remarkably familiar, as did the voice.

The catch, of course, was beyond their wildest imaginings. Someone took the time to actually count them. One hundred and fifty-three of them. The nets couldn’t contain all the fish, and Peter couldn’t contain himself. Jesus was back. He splashed, swam and ran as fast as he could to greet his Lord. Breakfast was good. Smoked fish, miraculously caught and there was an excitement and expectancy in the air. This was more than old friends reunited.

Slowly the men dispersed to do various jobs that needed done. The nets needed to be checked after the stress of the catch. There was fish to sell. Then the conversation.

‘Simon, son of John, you love me more than these?’ said Jesus, pointing to the fish. Peter was taken aback, not only because of the direct question, but also because of the way Jesus addressed him. Immediately on the defensive, he responded: ‘You know I love you.’ But the first question had struck a deep chord. He had been ready to give it all up and go back to his comfort zone. What Jesus was looking for would require Peter to live so far outside his comfort zone, he would forget he ever had one. ‘So feed my lambs’, said Jesus.

He let the words sink in and after a few uncomfortable moments, came the second question: ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ No mention this time of anything else, just a straight question about his affections and his heart. Stuff that men struggle to talk about. The answer came back stronger this time: ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ He wondered where all this was going, and then, ‘Take care of my sheep.’

He had known Jesus for long enough to know that He wasn’t talking about a flock of sheep he had picked up. Jesus didn’t come back from the dead to take up a second career as a shepherd, but He had described Himself as the Good Shepherd. This wasn’t sheep He was referring to, but people.

But Jesus wasn’t satisfied with his answer. He wanted to drive the point home and make sure Simon Peter knew what he was getting into. His relationship with Jesus was to be the basis of all future ministry: ‘Do you love me?’ Peter was getting restless and was hurt by the repeated questioning. It was a painful reminder that he had recently denied knowing his friend. ‘You know all things. You know I love you.’ Again, ‘Feed my sheep.’

Jesus was calling Peter to something he couldn’t do on his own, and His challenge comes to every man who names Him as Saviour and Lord. Do you love Him more than these? Whether for you ‘these’ is your job, your ambitions, your life’s accumulations, your fears, your friends or whatever else keeps you from prioritising Christ as your love and Lord of your heart. And almost more importantly, do you just love Him? He calls us to step out in trust, in the power of the Spirit, and to participate fully in our own chapter of the history of the church.

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