Go(ne) Fishing!
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
John 21:4-6; ESV
Reading: John 21:1-19 (Gospel for Easter 3)
Did you have an enjoyable Easter? For most Christians it’s a wonderful time of year, celebrating the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and the hope it brings us with hymns, fellowship and food. But what happens now? How has Easter changed you? Has it changed you?
Gone fishing
It seems somewhat ironic to me that, shortly after the first Easter, the disciples are to be found back at the Sea of Galilee fishing for fish (and unsuccessfully at that). This is ironic because, when Jesus first called those who were fishermen by trade, He told them they would fish for people (see e.g. Luke 5:1-11). Yet, in today’s reading it appears that Easter had not changed the disciples. Instead of “fishing for people” by sharing the Good News of the Resurrection, as Jesus commissioned them to do on Easter Sunday (John 20:21-23), they return to the comfort and familiarity of their old life in the backwater of Galilee.
Now, while this reaction is understandable due to our common human frailty, it isn’t what Jesus had called the disciples to do. For the sake of the people yet to be “caught” by the Gospel, He needed the disciples to leave their old life behind and tell others about the resurrection. But note how Jesus doesn’t berate them for their choices. Instead of criticism, Jesus comes to the disciples a third time and equips them again for their calling. He instructs them (showing, in the process, that His Word can be trusted by providing a miraculous catch), feeds them personally with breakfast, and then commissions them anew to tend and feed His sheep in turn (John 21:15-19). (Note that this text is also one of the reasons Lutherans like using the title of “pastor”, which comes from the Latin for “shepherd”.)
Go fishing!
So back to my original question: has Easter changed you?
Although not every Christian is called to be a pastor, all Christians are called to be “fishers of people”. And this can be daunting, especially if we have tried before and met with an apparent lack of success, like the disciples’ unsuccessful night on the water. But, before you put out the “gone fishing” sign and return to the safety of your old life, take Jesus’ call for you to go fish for people seriously.
Nowadays you don’t need to go overseas to bring the gospel to people who have never heard about Jesus. Rather, we have a majority of the Australian population on our literal doorstep that either doesn’t know or has rejected the message of the resurrection but desperately needs the hope and joy it brings. If we take the “mission” in LM-A’s name seriously, we will actively seek as a church to be faithful to our calling as fishers of people.
The Good News is that Jesus promises to give us everything needed. In reality, God is the one who does the catching (John 6:44), we just have the privilege of casting out the net of His Word. And even in this task Jesus comes and brings us encouragement. He directs us where to cast the net, starting with those He has placed in our lives (in our homes, places of work and study, and in our local community). And, when we meet with an apparent lack of success, He asks us to try again. Because God’s Word is living and active, we can trust it will do what He says, even if we don’t see its results this side of the resurrection. Finally, Jesus feeds us with His body and blood to sustain us in our callings, even when the nights of fishing leave us tired or despondent.
So let’s go fishing together in the joy and hope of Easter!
We pray: Dear Jesus, we thank you for the privilege of being called by you to be “fishers of people”. Help us to hold onto the joy of Easter and the hope of the Resurrection so that we want to share them with others. When we get tired and despondent, come to us anew. Direct us by your Word to where you want us to fish and feed us with your body and blood so that we are sustained in our callings. We pray this in your name. Amen.
Pastor Michael Prenzler
Pastor, Adelaide Northern Suburbs Lutheran Mission and Seminary Development Officer