A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Monday,
April 19,
2021
We drove through this conifer forest near Wellfleet PA on the outer cape, a view we don't expect on Cape Cod but more like Northern PA.
Click to enlarge
"Going
Fishing"
Message
summary: Peter
became a great fisher of men and in some ways we
are all his spiritual descendants, a result of his
faithful fishing.
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
“’I’m
going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and
they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out
and got into the boat, but that night they
caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus
stood on the shore, but the disciples did not
realize that it was Jesus. He called out to
them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’
they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the
right side of the boat and you will find some.’
When they did, they were unable to haul the net
in because of the large number of fish” (John
21:3-6). “Come, follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
We returned home from several days on Cape Cod yesterday afternoon. We didn't have the kind of weather we had hoped for as it was cold and rainy most of the time, not suitable for biking. But we had a good and safe time exploring from our van and reminiscing from the years we lived in New England during the 90's.
We returned home from several days on Cape Cod yesterday afternoon. We didn't have the kind of weather we had hoped for as it was cold and rainy most of the time, not suitable for biking. But we had a good and safe time exploring from our van and reminiscing from the years we lived in New England during the 90's.
Being essentially an island,
(separated from the mainland by a canal*) Cape Cod
has various fishing opportunities from deep sea to
bay to the 1,000 freshwater kettle ponds, many
stocked with trout. I am not an avid fisherman but
my first ocean fishing experience was off Cape Cod
about 25 years ago. A young man named Brian who
attended our church was a very avid fisherman and
invited me to join him in fishing for striped bass
around the Elizabeth Islands in his very small
boat, which was surely barely seaworthy. It was
cold drizzly weather similar to what we
experienced on our recent trip and was not my most
pleasant memory as he kept wanting to fish just a
little bit longer while I was soaked, cold, and
emotionally done with the outing! (Note: Photo is
of commercial fishing boats in New Bedford harbor,
not what I was on!)Another far more famous fishing story took place 2000 years ago and is repeated often even to this day since it was recorded in Scripture and included a miraculous intervention. It took place shortly after Christ’s resurrection.
The apostle Peter, for some reason, had a hankering to go fishing and told the other disciples, "I’m going out to fish". The other disciples said, "We’ll go with you". It's more fun to fish with other people isn't it?
They
fished all night and caught nothing. That must
have been a hard, discouraging fishing trip.
Anyone who’s ever been fishing knows the
frustration the disciples experienced in the daily
text. Early in the morning Jesus stood on the
shore but they did not recognize Him, possibly due
to a morning mist, because of the distance, or
because this was only His third appearance since
He rose from the dead. He called out to them,
“Friends, haven’t you any fish?” Of course
the resurrected Lord knew they hadn’t caught
anything, but thoughtful conversation is often
begun by asking a question! It was the "disciple
whom Jesus loved" (John) that recognized
His voice and told Peter "It it the Lord".
A seasoned fisherman knows that he must cast his line in all directions to find where the fish are biting. When I’m fishing from a boat I’ll try fishing from the back, each side and even the front if I can get there. Surely during the course of the night the disciples had moved about trying to cast their nets in various places in search of fish.
But
Jesus had some specific and unusual fishing
advice: "Throw your net on the right side of
the boat and you will find some". Now surely
they had tried this already but Peter didn’t
hesitate in obediently responding to the voice in
the distance. His obedience resulted in a great
catch of 153 large fish (v.11). It’s
always been interesting to me that they counted
the fish they caught that morning and the total
number is included in the Scripture account. What
an authenticating detail this is! Real fishermen
keep track of how many fish they catch,
particularly keepers, as well as the weight and
these fish were whoppers!
The disciples, upon landing, saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. The disciples warmed themselves around a camp fire with Jesus teaching them biblical truths up close and personal. The Lord provided a very inviting setting for some hungry, wet, and chilled fishermen and it was even more appealing after they laid an extra layer of fish on the hot coals for an indulgent men's fellowship breakfast. The disciples indulged on both the physical and spiritual food Jesus provided them that morning. I have a feeling the disciples involved in this fishing story talked about it everywhere they went, especially the men who did the cooking!
A seasoned fisherman knows that he must cast his line in all directions to find where the fish are biting. When I’m fishing from a boat I’ll try fishing from the back, each side and even the front if I can get there. Surely during the course of the night the disciples had moved about trying to cast their nets in various places in search of fish.
But
Jesus had some specific and unusual fishing
advice: "Throw your net on the right side of
the boat and you will find some". Now surely
they had tried this already but Peter didn’t
hesitate in obediently responding to the voice in
the distance. His obedience resulted in a great
catch of 153 large fish (v.11). It’s
always been interesting to me that they counted
the fish they caught that morning and the total
number is included in the Scripture account. What
an authenticating detail this is! Real fishermen
keep track of how many fish they catch,
particularly keepers, as well as the weight and
these fish were whoppers!The disciples, upon landing, saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. The disciples warmed themselves around a camp fire with Jesus teaching them biblical truths up close and personal. The Lord provided a very inviting setting for some hungry, wet, and chilled fishermen and it was even more appealing after they laid an extra layer of fish on the hot coals for an indulgent men's fellowship breakfast. The disciples indulged on both the physical and spiritual food Jesus provided them that morning. I have a feeling the disciples involved in this fishing story talked about it everywhere they went, especially the men who did the cooking!
Have you ever worked hard in some form of
Christian service and not "caught" anything? We
may serve in some form of ministry for Christ
that, at least for a season, seems to be going
nowhere. We’re not "catching" anything. When we
don’t see receptivity or growth it is very
discouraging. But we need to stay faithful and
listen to the voice of our Master and learn from
the disciples’ fishing trip.
We need to trust and obey. There will be discouraging times and mysterious delays in our service for the Lord. I am sure there was for the disciples and other early followers of our Lord as well. Notable leaders throughout church history had these experiences as well. Charles Spurgeon looked back upon dark hours in his own life and said, "I bear willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord’s workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most."
When they first met, Jesus had said to Peter and his brother Andrew, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Peter indeed became a great fisher of men and in some ways we are all his spiritual descendants, a result of his faithful fishing. And now we are all called to be fishers of men.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
We need to trust and obey. There will be discouraging times and mysterious delays in our service for the Lord. I am sure there was for the disciples and other early followers of our Lord as well. Notable leaders throughout church history had these experiences as well. Charles Spurgeon looked back upon dark hours in his own life and said, "I bear willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord’s workshop. I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most."
When they first met, Jesus had said to Peter and his brother Andrew, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Peter indeed became a great fisher of men and in some ways we are all his spiritual descendants, a result of his faithful fishing. And now we are all called to be fishers of men.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
it is during times of discouragement or
bewilderment that I find myself more attentive to
Your instruction. And sometimes, the direction I
feel in my spirit, either directly from Scripture,
in prayer, or counsel from a mature believer may
lead me to an action that is counter to that which
I would otherwise do, like the disciples who were
told to cast their nets back into the same sea
after they had no results earlier. My heart is
more absorbing of the truths You want to convey
when I walk in faith and obedience while leaving
the results to You. Help me to always remember
that You are the Teacher and I am the student. I
welcome the wisdom of the Master to guide me into
all truths, and sustain me in the moments of
silence and waiting. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Fishers
of Men" Video
Christian Edition I recall this song
from childhood but am blessed by this
men's choir version.
"Fishers of Men" Video
Rhonda Vincent (Another song
with the same title)
Some photos from our trip to
Cape Cod
The Nauset Lighthouse is in Eastham, Massachusetts on
the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Click to enlarge
We made a point to drive by
several lighthouses during our trip.
Fun fact: The lighthouse
design on each bag of Cape Cod Potato Chips is a
visual tribute to this lighthouse. On a
rainy Friday we drove by the Cape Cod Potato
Chip factory (here on Google map)
and wanted to take a tour but it was closed
due to high production and also
covid-related. It does not seem to be a very
large factory but they sure put out the
chips across the country, at least as far as
where we live. We often purchase them here
in Lancaster County. Herr's and Utz Potato
Chips, from our neck of the woods were
easily available wherever we drove on the
cape.
The coast of Cape Cod is dotted
with many small inlets and harbors, this one
in Harwich along Nantucket Sound.
Click to enlarge
This house in Chatham, MA had a
matching dollhouse with the very same
design and colors sitting beside it!
Click to enlarge
The former Chatham, MA train
station is now a railroad museum but like
many of the attractions on the Cape was
not open for visitors yet. One of the rail
trails we had planned to ride starts near
this station. All day on Saturday it would
start to clear up so I would talk about
getting the bikes out of the back of our
van, and then it would start raining
again!
Click to enlarge
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