There are two passages in the gospels that have similar accounts. Luke 5:1-11 is the first time Jesus met Peter, James and John and the other is John 21, the last time Jesus had one on one time with Peter, James and John and a few other disciples. These two stories are similar as they both take place on the Sea of Galilee, just after the men had been fishing all night.
In Luke 5, Simon (Peter) had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. As he was washing his nets, Jesus walked up and stepped into Simon's boat and taught from it. I'd like to say that literally, Jesus got into Peter's business.(Luke 5:3) We miss so much if we don't take the time to think about the setting. Peter was probably exhausted from being up all night. I'm sure he had heard of Jesus, but at this time, he had never met Jesus before. When Jesus finished teaching, he told Peter to go back out "into the deep" and fish some more. Peter's first response was probably like that of a tired and frustrated fisherman, "Master, we worked all night and didn't catch anything."(Luke 5:5) I wonder how long the pause was between the next sentence, or I wonder if Jesus gave him a look, like "come on now". But Peter replied with "But if you say so, I'll let down again."(Luke 5:5).
Having read this passage so many times, I never thought that Jesus never got out of the boat when Peter took it back out. Jesus went with Peter out into the deep and it was there they caught so much fish their nets began to tear. I bet Peter was glad he had obeyed Jesus. On the other hand, he had more work ahead of him having to repair the nets that were torn. Sometimes obedience is going to require more of us than we like. It was probably a bitter sweet thing. Yet Peter realized who Jesus was and fell to his knees saying "Oh, Lord, please leave me-I'm too much of a sinner to be around you." (Luke 5:8) But Jesus told all of the men not to be afraid that from now on they would fish for people. It was at this moment they left everything and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:10 &11) What's interesting to me in this passage is that Jesus is willing to go "out into the deep" with us when he asks us to do it. But on the flip side, the blessing that comes when Jesus is with us doing what we do is so much more than we could imagine.
In contrast to this passage, John 21 is also another time when Jesus showed up while they were fishing. This was the third time Jesus met up with disciples after his resurrection. This time, I wonder if Peter was dealing with shame. It hadn't been that long since he had denied knowing Jesus three times was probably still coming to grips with the fact Jesus still wanted to be with him. So what does Peter do, but tell his friends "I'm going fishing." (John 21:3) What is it with us when we feel so bad about ourselves we go back to our "old ways". It's easier to hide behind the thing we don't have to really think about. What's so funny is his friends went along with them. What's that old saying, "misery loves company." Remember they to had their issues to deal with. They had all gone into hiding after Jesus died.
At dawn, Jesus shows up on the beach and calls out to them, "Friends, have you caught any fish?" They replied "no". Then Jesus told them to throw their nets to the right side of the boat. So they did and they caught so many fish, they couldn't bring in the net.(John 21:4-6) Think about this, it's probably dark being so early in the morning so they couldn't really see him there. (Darkest before the dawn). But Jesus said his sheep will know his voice. They didn't argue back this time as in Luke 5. They received the blessing of many fish, but this time the nets did not tear. (John 21:11). The outcome for obedience is they didn't have much work when they got back to shore. Instead, Jesus had started a fire with some fish already on it and some bread. Jesus wanted to spend some time fellowshipping with them. He served them just as he did the last meal they had eaten, but he also asked them to bring some fish too. (John 21:10) Jesus wants to partner with us in our success. Success through the act of obedience.
When Peter heard it was Jesus, he put on his tunic and jumped into the water and swam to shore to see Jesus. I think Peter felt so bad, he wanted some alone time with Jesus. (John 21:7) After breakfast Jesus has a conversation with Peter. It was at this place that Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. Three times Jesus asked this and Peter felt so bad, he repeatedly said, "you know I love you." (John 21:15-17) On this beach, Peter's Primacy in Galilee, I found two rocks that were the shape of a heart. I'd like to think this is where Jesus had a "heart to heart" talk with Peter. (see photo above)
Unlike the Luke 5 encounter with Jesus when Peter confessed to being a sinner, John 21 Peter is now dealing with the relationship and how he had disappointed Jesus. It was while I was thinking about that the Lord brought to my attention that the event found in Luke 5 was before Jesus had gone to the cross. This passage the people were living under the old Covenant, "The Law" and Jesus had not yet taken on the sin of man yet. Peter was convicted by his own "self-consciousness" which is what "The Law" represents.
In John 21, Jesus has now redeemed mankind and truly feels Peter's pain. Peter is now living under the new Covenant and I don't think he realizes it until he and Jesus had this conversation. This time, instead of Peter leaving everything behind, Jesus tells Peter, "Follow me." (John 21:19) Jesus invites Peter to partner with him in "feeding his sheep." The grace that now covers this relationship is encouraging Peter to move forward by following Jesus. Sometimes we get stuck in our past and can't go where Jesus is, or just the opposite. Sometimes we get so anxious, we get way ahead of him. We get ahead of ourselves and we want Jesus to catch up to us. Jesus didn't say, "I'll follow you." He said, "follow me."
Maybe you are feeling like Peter today. Ashamed of yourself because maybe you've let Jesus down or maybe you think he's let you down. I want to encourage you today, he's calling out to you and wanting to get into your business. He wants to partner with you in whatever he's asked you to do. He wants to be there when you bring in your nets so full of blessing, probably because he wants to see the smile on your face. Don't be concerned with how dark it is or whether or not you've been out all night, just do what he asks of you and you will be restored to a place of honor and know that Jesus loves you. He wants a "heart to heart" talk with you.
I would encourage you to take some time and read both of these passages. I pray that as you read them the Holy Spirit will show you new things, just as he showed me. There is so much more that I just can't begin to write it all down. These two passages are powerful and I pray they will minister to your heart.
