Surprise, surprise! Jesus was already preparing a meal to share with the disciples! He knew they were desperate for some food, and made sure there would already be some freshly cooked fish, ready to be eaten.

The miraculous catch had made them remember Jesus and had helped them to put their trust in Him again. He wouldn’t have needed to ask the disciples to bring in more fish, but apparently he liked to provide abundantly, so that they could share the abundance with each other.

Some of you might know the American band ‘Sixpence None The Richer’. (They flirted with the hit lists around the world with their single ‘Kiss Me’ in the late nineties.) Their name comes from a C.S. Lewis story about a father who gives his 6-year-old daughter six pennies to be able to buy him a birthday present. The little girl joyfully goes out to the store, on an adventurous mission to buy her father something from her heart. When she returns to her father to give him her carefully picked out present, with a yellow ribbon neatly wrapped around it, his heart overflows with joy. He is ‘sixpence none the richer’, but he loves his daughter’s small gift, especially bought for him.
Jesus invites us to bring what we have, not because he needs it but because he loves it!

In these verses we also see that the suddenly energized Peter, who just seconds ago left the hard work of dragging the load into the boat to the others while running toward Jesus, now runs back to the boat after Jesus’ question, and fearlessly brings the net ashore all by himself. All for Jesus!

Even with 153 large fish, the net wasn’t torn. Sometimes we don’t think we are able to do what he asks. But Jesus will not only provide, but with it he will also make sure your nets won’t break. Look to Him, and he will give you the resources to deal with the overload. Just give it back to Him: he loves to share the joy!

–Christel Meijer

Finally it sinks in that the friendly man on the shore is their resurrected master! He is first recognized by ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’, as John refers to himself. Did he recognize him by the abundance?

For sure, it wasn’t the first time they got Jesus help with fishing. As we have seen on day 3, Luke 5:1-11 has an account of a miraculous catch of fish too, right at the beginning of Peter being a disciple of Jesus. This catch also took place after a night when Peter and his fishermen’s friends hadn’t caught anything, and Peter almost reluctantly obeyed Jesus’ command. The connection between these two events suddenly must have been made! Especially for Peter, since that first time it happened, he was blown away by Jesus power and became deeply aware of his own sinfulness, but was nevertheless affirmed by Jesus.

If we are familiar with the gospels, we probably shouldn’t be that surprised by Simon Peter’s reaction. Still, picturing the scene of this zealous young man in action must have been a funny sight. This tired and broken fisherman, suddenly pepped up with energy again by seeing his Lord, wraps around his outer garment quickly, before letting it getting wet as he jumps into the water in a rush, leaving the others behind to do the tough job. He forgets everything around him, and just focuses his eyes on his Lord.

How could Peter’s passion inspire us? How would we respond if Jesus shows up, after we have found ourselves on a long, dreary road, surrounded only by pitch black darkness, lacking direction and resources to move on? Wouldn’t it be a relief to see Him? Would we run to him and this time stay with him, and never go off track again, enjoying his fullness, now we know he’s good and faithful? Would we recognize the Good Shepherd?

–Christel Meijer

The night had been long, tiring, and very unfruitful. They had caught absolutely nothing. How frustrating is that! By sunrise, they must have been very hungry and almost at their wits’ ends. ‘Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go out fishing again’, they might have been thinking. But they had to eat something! They needed to survive somehow and be able to provide for their families! (Or at least probably some of them did…)

And then, in the midst of their despair, this man shouts to them from the shore: ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ The way the question is asked, sounds like this man knows the answer already. ‘No’, is their reply. ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some’. At this point they still haven’t noticed it is Jesus standing there. But hey, why not follow this stranger’s advice? He seems so sure of the positive outcome. He speaks with so much authority, that they have to act upon it. So they pull the net over to the right side, hoping for ‘some’ fish… Well, they do get ‘some’, and more! The net is so full, that these seven fishermen all together aren’t able to haul it in! (Out of shape, guys?) Their obedience leads to abundance.

Shortly before Jesus’ death, he had said to them: ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing… If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you… You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants… Instead, I have called you friends… (John 15, selected verses).

The disciples were reminded of the fullness of abundance that comes out obeying his commands. Obeying Him is all about remaining in Him, which means having an everlasting friendship with the Lord. We are not compliant servants of a distant God. Our God calls us friends. He laid down His life for us, so we can bear much fruit. Fruit that will last!

–Christel Meijer

John points out that this was already the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

The first time the disciples had locked themselves in, for fear of the Jews. Would they come after them now as well? They didn’t understand what had just happened. Then Jesus appeared in their midst: ‘Peace be with you!’ The disciples were overjoyed to see the Lord, his body marked with wounds. ‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’. He breathed on them, and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’, urging them to forgive. Full of enthusiasm they reported this event to Thomas, who wasn’t there when Jesus appeared. He didn’t believe them: he wanted to see and feel the wounds for himself first. A week later, Jesus appeared to them a second time, again behind closed doors. This time, Thomas was present and he believed. Jesus said to him: ‘Because you have seen me, you believe. Happy are those who do not see and still believe’.

Now, what would you do, if you had witnessed the resurrected Jesus, coming to enter your little prison of fear to comfort you with his assuring presence? How would you respond after Jesus has sent you out in peace, empowering you by giving you the Holy Spirit, spurring you on in faith? Would you not go out, and spread the wonderful message of the resurrected Jesus amongst the people out of pure joy and excitement?

But this is what the disciples did: Simon Peter, always the first to act, told them, “I’m going out to fish,” And as if he has glue stuck on his bum, they all follow: “We’ll go with you.” What had happened here? Why did they decide to go back to their old fishing job? Didn’t they get it? What was so appealing about fishing? They had stopped fishing, when they decided to follow Jesus around the country, three years ago. Didn’t they know what to do with their lives, now Jesus wasn’t with them anymore? (Or was He?) Were they so desperate, that they thought the old routine would give them the security they were looking for?

Is it possible that we act like the disciples, trying to hold on to our old familiar ways of thinking and acting? Doesn’t it seem appealing to us to stick to what we know from the past, in which we relied upon our own strengths and plans? Are we afraid of what might happen if we act upon Gods call upon our lives, in which he asks us to step out in faith? God promises us fullness of life. Do you want to reach out to that fullness?

- Christel Meijer

This is it.  The lowest point.  Something Peter could never have imagined himself doing, he is doing.  And who is he intimidated by?  Not soldiers, but servants.  Not burly men, but a girl.  And not only does he deny knowing Jesus, but Mark tells us that he called down curses on himself to swear to his denial (Mark 14:71).

Luke’s version is even more poignant: Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly (22:60-62).  What a wake-up call that cock crow would have been! And how he must have felt that Jesus’ look penetrated his very soul!  No wonder he weeps so bitterly.  He must have felt his failure very keenly, after all his boasting and bravado.

But what was in Jesus’ look? Disappointment? Sadness?  Anger?  Judgment?  “I told you so”?  The text does not say—but I think it might have been: Love.  Let me tell you why.

When Mary comes to tell the disciples that the tomb is empty, Peter could have reacted with fear as a result of his failure.  True, he does not yet understand that Jesus is alive, but he runs to see what has happened to him.  And even though John reaches the tomb first, it is Peter who enters and fingers the empty graveclothes in wonder, hoping for a sight of his Master.

And in the story we are about to enter, Peter jumps into the water—clothes and all—as soon as he realizes that it is Jesus.  He cannot even wait for the boat to reach the shore, but has to get to him as soon as possible.

How can this be the reaction of one who fears judgment?  Peter knows the gravity of his sin—the reason he weeps bitterly.  But he also knows how much he is loved, and how deep and valuable that love is in light of his betrayal.  To betray a deep love is emptiness.  To be loved in spite of deep failure—this is fullness.

- Shannon Deal

Peter apparently took his new nickname very seriously.  He figured that since Jesus had named him “Rocky,” he had to be a real tough guy!  Gone are thoughts of fishing.  Peter is a hard-core follower, to death and beyond!

In a parallel text in Matthew, Peter comes across as even more cocksure: “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Matthew 26:33).  He is positive that his loyalty, his courage, his strength, and his belief are strong enough to withstand anything that is thrown at them, even death itself.  And he is sure that he can go it alone even if the rest of the disciples wimp out—Peter and Jesus against the world, side by side, going down fighting to the last man.

Then Jesus drops the bomb on him: you are not the man you think you are.
Following Jesus is not about how strong we are.  It is not about how sure we are.  It is not about our own will, or bravery, or loyalty, or even love.  No matter how much natural strength or courage or love or belief we have been endowed with, it will run up against the limits of life and death.  Situations will come up in our lives that will stretch us beyond what we can deal with.  Sickness.  Uncertainty.  Injustice.  Disaster.  Loss.  Betrayal.  Death.

We end up like Peter, pulling out our swords to do battle with the foe, trusting our strong right jab to defend us—and discovering that Jesus has as much compassion for the “enemy” as he does for us.  That our strength is not equal to the fight.  And all we can do is follow from a distance, disarmed and disillusioned and wondering if this is what we signed up for.

Take heart.  You may not be able to follow closely now.  But maybe you, like Peter, will follow him later.

And this time, the following will not be based on your strength, but his.  And you will discover that the real Rock is the One to whom you have attached your life.  The One who first laid down his life for you, and took it up again so that you might know the fullness of his strength rather than the emptiness of your own.

- Shannon Deal

Those of us who are “Lost” fans know what is going to happen when that familiar whooshing sound of a plane engine precedes a blackout: we are going to find out something about someone’s back story.  And all of a sudden something going on in the present time line makes a bit more sense…  That is the situation with this little incident.  It is essential to understanding the big story of John 21.

It seems that Simon and Andrew had already encountered Jesus at a previous time when they were following John the Baptist around (see John 1:35-42).  Andrew apparently was a disciple of John’s, and was around to hear him say, “Look, the Lamb of God!” about Jesus, which intrigued him.  After spending the day with Jesus, he brought his brother Simon to him.  Jesus not only knew Simon’s name already, but handed him a new one: Peter, which means Rock.  He gives Simon a new and mysterious identity, full of strength.

So when Jesus shows up in Galilee later where the two brothers are fishing, Simon already has this new name given to him by this intriguing rabbi.  The rabbi then does something untraditional and amazing: instead of waiting around for students of biblical studies to approach him, he picks his own students—fishermen! He invites them to leave their productive livelihoods for the more uncertain and exciting one of following him around the countryside.  And he promises them a fulfilling new purpose: fishing for men.

So they go!  They hear his voice and they follow him…

However, it seems that this is not the last time Jesus has to call Peter away from his fishing.  In Luke 5, we find Peter washing his nets after an unproductive night.  Jesus uses his boat as a pulpit from which to teach the crowds, and afterwards tells Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (v. 4). You can hear Peter’s exhaustion—but also his willingness to follow—in his answer: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (v.5).

What happens next? When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink (v.6-7).  The very fullness of the nets and the boat causes Peter to see his own sinfulness and self-reliance, and to recognize in Jesus something more than your run-of-the-mill rabbi: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (v.8).  But Jesus reassures him, telling him not to be afraid and calling him once again to fish for people.  The disciples leave their nets once again.  But not for the last time…

Does it encourage you that Jesus calls Peter more than one time?  That each time he recognizes a little more of who Jesus is, and of the new identity and purpose to which he is called?  That each time, he responds in a new and deeper way?

- Shannon Deal

I’ve never really had a flock of sheep.  But I did once have a flock of kittens (three of them) that I hand-raised after their mother died when they were two weeks old.  Those kittens loved me!  Once when I was out of town and talking to Carlton on the phone, they sat on his lap and shoulders, purring and rubbing the phone—just because they could hear my voice coming through it.  (And I have to say, I was pretty fond of them too!)

The verse about “life to the full” that we looked at yesterday comes from this passage in John 10, Jesus’ famous extended metaphor portraying himself as the Good Shepherd.  And who are the sheep?  All who know and love his voice: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice” (John 103b-5).

We are called to follow our Shepherd wherever he leads us.  Sometimes it seems a scary thing to commit yourself to going God knows where.  What if the way is hard?  What if he takes me somewhere I do not want to go?  What if I lose something precious to me?  Can I trust him?

But the thing is—we know him.  And if we know him, we know that he has led the way even into death itself, as far as giving his life for us.  And that is not all: “I lay down my life—only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again” (v. 17b-18).  This is really life to the full—life that not only faces death, but defeats it!  And this is the kind of life into which he leads us…

The invitation to follow into fullness is one we can take up with confidence, knowing that Jesus is inviting us into the kind of life that he lives with his Father.  This is the truly amazing thing: that we are drawn into this family love, a love that never lets go even in death, a love that is truly stronger than death (Song of Songs 8:6).  It is this that can give us the faith to follow where he calls us, to feel our hearts quicken as he calls our names, and to venture out into places as yet unknown.

Can you hear him now?

- Shannon Deal

What do you think of when you hear this promise?  What does it mean to you to have “life to the full”?

Perhaps to be living a life of adventure and excitement—a life where nothing is taken for granted, and “boring” is a word that is never heard?  To take risks and know that they are worth taking?  To look forward to surprises around every corner?

Perhaps to be known and loved by someone, and to love them in return? To experience the kind of relationships where trust and commitment are a given?

Perhaps to use your God-given abilities to do things that you were uniquely designed to do, and that were designed for you to do?

What is keeping you from having “life to the full”?  Sometimes it is just that your life is already full of empty things—material possessions, addictions, baggage in relationships, personal ambition, concern for your own image and reputation.

Just before this, Jesus said, “The thief comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy.” All of these empty things are distractions that lead to death and destruction and are the enemies of a full life.

Jesus came that we might have life, and have it to the full.  And this is possible first of all because he conquered death itself, the enemy of life, in his own resurrection.  He promises us that one day we will share in that resurrection ourselves, in his renewed kingdom.

But “life to the full” doesn’t have to wait till then!  We can begin to live it now!

That is not to say that there are not sorrows, or hardships, or difficulties.  In fact, it is often precisely these things that refine and define our experience of fullness, that weed out the empty things with which we try to fill our lives.

The story that we are examining this month in John 21 shows the journey of one man towards this fullness after a time when he had hit rock bottom.  All the things that he though he had possessed in himself—courage, loyalty, purpose—had been shown to be hollow.  But Jesus steps in and shows that fullness is found in following Christ, and in finding completeness in him through his resurrection power.  May you, also, begin to find “life to the full” as you journey with Jesus this month!

- Shannon Deal

Each box contains 30 promises (enough for a whole month!) for you to open and discover each day.  We hope that daily encouragement will come to you through meditating on them!