December 12, 2023
Hungry After A Busy Day
“After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will also come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.” John 21:1-3 (NASB)
When I was young, it was fun to play outside all day with my friends. We ran hard all day and worked up a good appetite. When it was time for lunch or dinner, my mom always had a great meal (except when we had beets and hash) planned. To eat a good hot meal meant so much. It filled the hunger spot. One day after playing all day we came inside for lunch. My mom wasn’t home. There was nothing to eat (at least in our minds). It was a little frustrating looking through the cabinets trying to find something to eat. We wanted something to eat after a long day.
“After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way.” The disciples had been given instructions to go to Galilee by the angel in Matt. 28:7, “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him;” After witnessing Jesus resurrected, the disciples didn’t have trouble obeying Him any longer. They had a destination and took off for it. “the Sea of Tiberias...” John uses this term to describe what is known as the Sea of Galilee. Tiberias was the capital city of Galilee and was named such by Hebrew custom. “and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.” The list comprises seven of the disciples. “Heading the list is Simon Peter, who was last singled out at the empty tomb. Thomas is mentioned next and again, as in the previous reference to him in 20:24, designated Didymus or ‘the Twin’. Nathanael from Cana in Galilee has not been referred to since 1:49–50, where he was told, ‘You will see greater things than these,’ and now this further manifestation of Jesus may be regarded as part of the fulfilment of such a promise. The sons of Zebedee are singled out for the first time in the Gospel. Readers would need to be familiar with the Synoptic Gospels or tradition to know that there are two of them and that they are named James and John. Finally, two others of his disciples are mentioned and left unnamed. The most likely inference is that one of these is the Beloved Disciple, who features in v. 7, since he is also unnamed in the rest of the narrative.”[1] “Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will also come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.” After a long journey to the Sea of Galilee, the seven became hungry. They knew how to get something to eat. They were fishermen. Lincoln says, “At this second level of reading, the comment that that night they caught nothing suggests the failures and frustrations of mission. Readers are reminded of Jesus’ words in the farewell discourse, that where fruitfulness is concerned, ‘apart from me you can do nothing’ (15:5).”[2]
After a long day of fishing, they still hadn’t caught anything. Their efforts produced nothing. They were tired and hungry and responsible for their meal, not us. Mom was our provider, but Jesus would provide once again for the tired and hungry disciples.
[1] Lincoln, A. T. (2005). (p. 510). Continuum.
[2] Ibid.