MEDITATIONS FOR THE EASTER SEASONThe time between the resurrection of Jesus and His ascension, was a period of intensive learning for the disciples, transitioning as they were, from their dependence on the Jesus who had been alongside them physically, to having His presence with them, and in them, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Some of these learning sessions are captured for us: one such being the story of the miraculous catch of fish [John 21:1-14]. It is interesting that the Gospel accounts of the disciples' physical journey with Jesus, begin and end with such a catch [Luke 5:1-9]. We can glean powerful spiritual lessons from these stories, but the basic reality was that a good catch meant money—the supply of their needs. Financial worries are a real issue for many. As modern disciples of Jesus, He wants to teach us, like the early disciples, to walk in rest in this area... Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [Matthew 6: 25,33] And like them, we need to understand that the Lord's provision often comes from more than one source. The disciples had been told by Jesus to go to Galilee, where He would meet them, but did not appear to have been given any further instructions [Matthew 28:7]. So, they did what they could do, they went fishing. Sometimes this is viewed as a disobedient or faithless act, but there is no suggestion of a rebuke from Jesus. And the fact that they had seaworthy boats and nets, readily available, suggests to me that they had been maintained properly during their three years of discipleship. Maybe the coffers had been swelled from time to time by the odd fishing trip? Some of the disciples at least, had dependents, and they themselves needed to eat… Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. [1 Timothy 5:8] The place to start in addressing financial need is in doing the things we can do. There is no division in the Lord’s economy between ‘ministry’ and ‘secular’ work, as there often is in Christian thinking; Jesus was equally about His Father’s business in His carpenter’s shop, as He was when preaching the Gospel and healing the sick. DIVINE PROVISIONHowever, sometimes our efforts are not as productive as we hope. Despite working hard all night, reminiscent of their first encounter with Jesus, the disciples had caught nothing, but once again, obeying the Lord’s instruction resulted in a huge catch of fish. The disciples learned afresh the lesson of the Lord's blessing on inspired action; hearing and obeying His direction in the commonplace can lead to an abundance of supply. (As an aside... It is curious that they didn't recognise the Jesus’ voice; I wonder if He was teaching them that in this new era, they would need to detect His voice in a variety of sources, including through the words of friends and strangers?) The account goes on to record that Jesus already had some fish and bread prepared for them. Their labour had nothing to do with this provision, the access to it depended entirely on their response to His Voice—this was grace on a plate. And although the miraculous catch was spectacular evidence of God's love and care, it was in the intimacy of the smaller gift, that real encounter and healing took place. So often we can be so focused on the miracle we need to sweep away all our problems, that we don’t attach proper significance to the smaller moments of supply. Jesus also invited the disciples to bring some of their blessing-catch to add to the meal; His emphasis is always on partnership with His friends. And no doubt as they ate, the disciples were reminded of the time when with their participation, and supplied by a child’s generosity, thousands of people had been fed from a similar meal of loaves and fishes. This might be a new era, but Jesus hadn’t changed. Lessons of supply for the disciples to reflect on… I suspect that that morning some fears were put to rest. Click on the link to read more about God's Promise of Provision NEXT WEEK: 7. SIGN POSTS TO A DIVINE ENCOUNTER Recognising the presence of the resurrected Jesus... GET IN TOUCH![Photo credits: Riddihman Bhowmik (fishing net); Dylan Luder (fire); John Schnobrich (laptop) @ Unsplash, with thanks]
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