Gone Fishing

"Mom cooked an awesome supper last night, " I heard my husband tell our son today.  He told him about the mess of fish I fried that he had caught months ago when the weather was warmer.  I had frozen them, but they tasted fresh caught and were delicious!

We enjoyed our meal, especially when we reflected that the fish were free; all we had to do was pull them out of the water.  There is something almost miraculous about getting food straight from nature.  It is amazing that we can pull vegetables right out of the ground if we raise a garden. Makes you appreciate your Creator.

Savoring the crispy, browned fish last night made me think of the song, Come and Dine. "The disciples came to land, thus obeying Christ's command When the Master called unto them 'Come and Dine.' There they found their hearts' desire, bread and fish upon the fire Thus he satisfies the hungry every time."

The story is found in John 21 when after the resurrection Jesus appeared to the disciples while they were fishing.  They had caught nothing, but in the morning, Jesus, whom they did not recognize, called to them from the shore, "Children, have ye any meat?"  To their negative answer, He spoke, "Cast your net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find," John 21:6.

John realized it was the Lord, and when Peter realized it, he put on his clothes and jumped into the sea in his eagerness to see Jesus.  (Since he put on his garment, I wonder if he was planning to walk on water!) Jesus had performed a similar miracle as recorded in Luke 5:1-11 when He called them to be His followers, saying, "Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men."

Now Jesus was getting ready to go back to heaven.  He knew Peter needed encouragement and needed to confirm his commitment to Christ, since he had recently denied Him three times. Correspondingly, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Jesus changed Peter's name from Simon to Peter, or from a pebble to a rock.  He told him to "Feed my sheep."  As a leader of the church, he would become a fisher of men. The best kind of fishermen for us to be!