4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ 6 He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. John 21:4-6
Peter and friends have returned to Galilee, their home area to wait for Jesus who promised to meet them there. They have decided to go fishing. That was their profession, their comfort zone. A night on the Sea of Galilee would feel good after all they had been through. Right? In fact, they caught no fish and were tired and probably frustrated. A stranger on the shore yelled at them to toss their nets on the other side of the boat. They did and the nets were loaded with fish. We are seeing growth in the followers. When Jesus in person told them to cast their nets in a similar situation in Luke 5, they obeyed and were rewarded. Now they are told by a stranger on the shore and they obey and are rewarded. John was the first to make the connection that they had gone through this experience before of fishing, catching nothing, and Jesus telling them to try the other side. He looked at the shore more closely and recognized the risen Christ. God sometimes surprises us and meets us “on the other hand” as we learn to follow his lead in unexpected ways.
The truth is that God’s ways are not our ways. It does not come natural to forgive, to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile. It does not come natural to spend time going to worship on Sunday. We want to play or get other things done when we are not at our profession. Jesus calls to us and tells us to throw our nets on the other side of the boat, on the other side of a situation. It is often when we look in unexpected places and act in unexpected ways that we find the Lord going ahead of us.
My kids loved for me to read the story of Balaam and his donkey. The donkey refused to go forward because the donkey could see the angel with a huge sword blocking the way. Balaam beat his donkey and God gave the donkey voice. “Why are you hitting me? I am trying to stop you from getting in trouble!” Sometimes when we keep coming to an impasse, we need to try a new approach and to stop and ask where the Lord is in the experience.
That dawn long ago, Jesus was on the shore with a fish roasted for breakfast because he knew the disciples were weary from work and needed to eat before he could talk to them. He knew their situation better than they and he knew their needs. It is still true today. We find the risen Christ in the unexpected turns of our lives and he feeds our souls – but it may not be what we expected. He knows! He cares!
On the Way to Wonder 