The Second Miraculous Catch of Fish
John 21: 1-14
Jesus will perform the necessary miracle to help us accomplish our mission.
VERSES 1-3
After leaving his disciples in charge of his mission on earth, Jesus sought them to remind them of the task he left for them. One may easily relate to the thinking and the frustration of Peter, because he was anticipating Jesus to be the Messiah, and king, the new ruler of the world. After denying Jesus three times on that morning before his passion, Peter may have been rebuked and derided by many for his weakness! Being discouraged after the death of Jesus he decided to return to his profession as a fisherman.
It is interesting to note the first two disciples who were mentioned here: the one who denied him and the one who doubted him, Peter and Thomas. They certainly needed the approval of Jesus, his love and forgiveness. Peter and his companions were expert fishermen but on that night they came out empty handed. Why didn’t they catch any fish? This surely was not coincidental. If we are not doing what God called us to do, we will not succeed at whatever we try to do. They were not fishing for the right thing...!
VERSES 4-6
This passage shows that Jesus has not given up on his disciples. He wanted them to continue his mission and to work for the kingdom. Watching them struggle from the shore, Jesus cared to guide them and teach them. He wanted them to be fishers, not of fish, but of men. (Cf. Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17, and Luke 5:10). Jesus calls each of us for a special task in life. We must trust Him enough to know that if he called us to a certain task he will be there to help us achieve that task. We should not give up when we are discouraged, or angry, or when things do not necessarily go our way. But rather, we should believe what Jesus really means when he promises that he would always be with us. That morning, as they were going about their normal way of life, i.e., fishing, Jesus came to them. He met them in the work place, in their normalcy when they were trying to earn a living. They did not expect his visit. Who of us looks for Jesus when we are working to make a living? Who of us searches for Jesus in the ordinary events of our lives? But most definitely, we search for Jesus when we are in big trouble, during a big storm in our life, or when we desperately need him.
Further, it is worth noting that we may have the right idea, but we may be doing the wrong thing. The Disciples had the right idea, but they were working on the wrong side. The expert fishermen could have asked themselves this question: If we could not catch any fish on the left side of the boat, why would we catch any on the right side? Jesus suggested to them to cast the net on the right side of the boat because he was indirectly telling them to trust him. When they obeyed his command, they were abundantly blessed. Obedience is a tremendous virtue we may acquire and it goes a long way with the Lord, especially if what we are asked to do does not seem to make sense.
VERSES 7-9
John, the beloved disciple, was the first to recognize Jesus. John, the youngest of the disciple, the one who leaned against the chest of Jesus at the Last Supper, the one who outran Peter to the empty tomb, is the one who always knew when it was Jesus. John is always steadfast and never tries to show off, brag or be impressive. John never boasted or looked for recognition or credit. John is the one who knows if it is the Lord and announces his presence. When we are lost and confused John would say, There is Jesus. When we have worked hard, exhausted every ounce of energy, and came out empty handed, we need a John to tell us, There is Jesus. When we are about to give up after having tried every trick we know, we need a John to encourage us saying: There is Jesus. When we have depleted all our resources and felt like folding the tent, we need to voice of John proclaiming: There is Jesus. Don’t we all wish to be a “John”! Don’t we all wish we have a “John” in our lives to tell us of the presence of our Lord? Jesus is our rock, our anchor, and our hope. He is our strength and our glory. He is always there for us. Let us remember to call out his name and lean on him.
When we are desperate and do not have much, we may seem to think that it is our end. But actually it is not. When we don’t have our basic needs, no matter who we are, we will call upon God’s help. Even an arrogant atheist will cry out to God when the end is near. The real test in our life comes when we decide to leave everything we own and follow Jesus. After having established a successful career, secured a handsome income, built the dream house, acquired the envied property and everything else that we have worked hard for, are we willing to risk them all in order to reach Jesus?
On that day the expert fishermen had the catch of their lives. This was the best they have ever caught. Their net was at the breaking point from the huge catch. It was an extraordinary abundance during an ordinary day event. Realizing that it was the Lord, Peter immediately jumped out of the boat and went toward Him leaving everything and everyone behind. Peter did not know what was waiting for him when he finally reached the Lord. It was not just a simple pic-nick or a breakfast at the beach, but another chance to reconfirm his faith in Jesus after having denied him. The continuation of this gospel tells us that Peter was given the keys of the kingdom, and thus, his great reward. When we decide to give up everything for Jesus, His response will meet our needs abundantly!
VERSES 10-14
There is a compelling lesson in this passage. Quite often we think that God helps us once and might not help us again. But here we learn that there are no limits to God’s love for us. Jesus does not limit or ration his help. Rather, He grants it to us freely and abundantly. If we are more conscious of his love, then we cannot help but see that he repeats His miracles in our lives time and again. We ought to know that if He helped us once, He will help us again. This second miracle of catching a huge number of fish is way too familiar to the disciples because it is very similar to the first miracle of catching fish which is narrated in Luke 5: 1-11. Jesus performed that first miracle of catching fish at the beginning of His ministry just before He called Peter and his companions to be “Fishers of Men”. The first miracle of catching an abundance of fish was for them to believe in Him. But here, the repetition of the miracle of catching fish was to strengthen them in both their faith, and their determination, as they got closer to the time when they would go out on their own into the world to catch men for Christ.
Let us always remember that Jesus will never abandon us. If He calls us for a certain task He will be there to help us complete it. He will never forget his plan for us. He will remind us of our duties and will perform the necessary miracle to help us accomplish our mission.
Msgr. Georges El-Khalli, Ph.D.,
Pastor Our Lady of the Cedars of Lebanon Church
Boston, Massachusetts
More...
