So Peter and the others spend the night fishing, and they catch exactly...zilch. Nada Not a single fish. It's morning, and suddenly there's a man standing on the shore, and he calls out, "So, you catch anything?" Not having any idea who the man is, they answer, "No." The man says, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat."
Do you think Peter and the others might have been a bit irritatted? After all, they'd been professional fishermen all their lives until three years ago, when things went topsy-turvy. And after all, one side of the boat is as good as the other, isn't it? The fish aren't down there, staring up at the shadowy figure of the boat saying to each other, "No, not there, you guppy. Get over on this side!" Nevertheless, they did as the man instructed. And what happened? Their nets were so full they couldn't even pull them in. Aha. Now they recognized Jesus!
I think it's so encouraging that Jesus gave them that huge haul of fish. They weren't doing what he'd called them to do, which is minister to his flock. They'd regressed from the life he called them to. He didn't chastize them with, "What in the world are you doing out there? Don't you know your job is to feed my sheep, not catch fish?" Instead, he blessed their efforts. He said, "You want fish? I'll give you fish!"
I pray that I'll always tend to the tasks the Lord gives me. That's my goal. But isn't it nice to know that even if I regress, Jesus isn't going to leave me with empty nets?
