John 21:1-14
1Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. b It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. [1]
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What struck me in this passage today was the image of Jesus making breakfast for the disciples. It seems so mundane, so ordinary. Shouldn’t the resurrected Jesus be doing more spiritually profound things in His time with His disciples?
And He does. The second miracle of the catch of fish is big. Jesus was once again reminding them of the fruitfulness of the mission He was sending them on. And tomorrow’s passage, the conversation with Peter, is certainly significant. But between the two, John points out that Jesus makes breakfast on the beach for His disciples.
But this little detail reminds us of something extremely important in Jesus’ character and about His mission. He came to serve. And even as resurrected Lord, to whom all authority and power has been given, He is still all about service. And not just in the obvious missional ways like sending the Spirit and performing great miracles. He’s also still about serving in the smaller ways, like making breakfast. (Although making breakfast for 12 men wouldn’t be real small!)
And if Jesus came to serve, and if He is still all about serving, then we too are to be all about serving. This little breakfast detail reminds me of the importance of going into each day as a servant, and seeking out ways to serve those around me. The fact that I may be in a position of leadership does not excuse me from above all being a servant. In fact the example of Jesus indicates that a leadership should above all be about serving.
So my prayer today is that I may be a servant, and so more and more conform to the image of Christ.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Jn 21:1–14). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.