Jesus said to them, “Come have breakfast.” John 21:12.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Always be looking for Me. Not in a frantic way but as a comforting presence. I am with you always and wherever you are, I am there. Yahweh Shammah.
“Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.
And yet most act like I am not there. But that does not make Me any less there. When you seek Me with your heart you will find Me right there with you. And now that I gave you Jesus raised from the dead, you can live your life not only with Him but through Him.
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10.
And that is what this Eucharistic journey of remembrance is about. It is about oneness in love. It is about the sweetness of My love in you and surrounding you like a hedge of protection and blessing. The strong tower of My Name. I crown and surround you with love and compassion. Do not forget any of My benefits. Psalm 103:1-5. All My promises are “YES” to you in Christ Jesus your Lord. He was never anything but “YES” to Me and now in Him I am “YES” to you.
Let us continue with the place we left off in the upper room in Jerusalem with Thomas beholding Jesus and believing in His glorious resurrection. And do not forget the blessing that Jesus spoke over all of you who believe in Him without seeing Him physically but only seeing Him in the Spirit. He lives to make intercession before Me, the Lamb who was slain for you so that you may live forever with Me.
But just because you do not see Him with your physical eyes does not mean He is not with you always as He promised. He is with you, and more than that, He is in you, your hope of glory. Resurrection glory!
And just when you are doing your daily activities, you might look up and see Him ready to serve you breakfast!
The disciples went out fishing. This may sound unusual when you have seen Jesus raised from the dead twice already, and Peter three times, but they did not know He was with them for forty days and about the mission that would be entrusted to them to go out from Jerusalem, to Samaria, to the whole world. Fishing was their profession and without Jesus physically with them, they decided to return to work to cover their needs. But Jesus had a different path for them. And He showed them He would provide more than enough and prosper the work of their hands to overflow, as He had filled their nets once before when He asked them to leave all that and follow Him in the glorious ministry of saving souls.
Do you remember how He showed them He would provide if they followed Him when He first called them to leave their nets and follow Him? He was about to call them the second time in much the same way but with a new dimension.
Let us first look back to go forward on our Eucharistic journey of remembrance. But let Me ask you a question first: Do you remember what you were doing when I first called you to follow Me? Maybe it is time to revisit it. Never leave your first love, rather, nurture it, grow it, show it, and come to new heights of love and trust the more years you spend with Me.
Let us go to a time three years before at the same spot at the Sea of Galilee, which is also called the Lake of Gennesaret and the Sea of Tiberias. Capernaum and Tiberias are about six miles apart.
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Jesus and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. Luke 5:1-11.
They had their orders, but now without Jesus present physically, they were wondering how it could possibly work. But what they did not understand was that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and My gifts and callings are irrevocable. Their calling was still the same. And My provision was still there.
So now fast forward past the three years of ministry, the Last Supper, Peter’s denials, the sufferings and death of Jesus, and the glorious resurrection, and go again to the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias) back to their old fishing grounds.
Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” Peter was a leader and people would follow his lead. That is one reason I designated him to lead the early church but at that moment he was trying to find direction and it led him to return to what he did before. Be careful about going back. Abraham never did.
So they went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. Sound familiar? Read their first call again. When you decide what to do on your own without consulting Me, and contrary to what I have called you to do, you will not be fruitful. You can do nothing without Me, but all things with Me.
After their night of fruitless toil, as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” Now they were working under the direction of Jesus, and He knows where the fish are, and if there are none there, He calls them to come.
They followed directions and cast their net. And the net, as at the first call, filled up to overflowing. They were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. John, suddenly had a flash back to the first load of fish, the biggest he had ever seen and he gazed at the man on the shore as the sun rose higher in the sky. And he called out to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
Peter was remembering too, and when Simon Peter heard John call out to him that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. Remember once before when he saw My Son, he tried to walk to Him on the water, but looking around in fear began to sink. But here they were not far from land and the water was not deep.
The other disciples, being not so impulsive as Peter, but I must say far less excited and enthusiastic, did not want to let go of the net so they came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
When they got out on the land, the disciples stared in wonder for they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. They were hungry and here was their breakfast ready for them to sit down and eat.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, this time the net was not torn and the boat was in no danger of sinking. Provision and preservation was present. An ordinary day had become a holy day of celebration. The Lord was there though the had not known it.
Remember Jacob in his journey to find a bride as he fled from Esau? I was with him as well, though he at first did not know it.
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. Genesis 28:16-19.
Jesus said to them, “Come have breakfast.” Remember He came to serve you and not to be served. None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples after He was raised from the dead. He was calling them again to follow Him as fishers of men, not just in Israel, but in all the nations of the earth and to bring the nations into the safety net of the Kingdom.
He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. Revelation 2:26-28.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Matthew 25:31-34.
And Jesus made the call and the qualification very clear. Only one thing was required: Love. Horizontal and vertical.
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love (phileo) You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love (phileo) You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love (phileo) Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love (phileo) Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love (phileo) You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Jesus asked for the kind of unconditional love that He has for you to be returned by you, that is, agapao or agape love. It is My kind of love, in Hebrew referred to as “chesed.” Phileo is brotherly love and affection, a deep friendship. But later Peter would advise you to go from phileo to agape, and once Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, he did. It takes My love poured in your heart by the gift of the Holy Spirit so you can love with My love, which is agape love.
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a like precious faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness (phileó), and in your brotherly kindness, love (agapaó). For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. 2 Peter 1:1-11.
And look again at this dialogue between Jesus and Peter. There is so much of My love here. First, Peter had denied Jesus three times, and now Jesus gave him the opportunity to erase all that with three declarations of love and loyalty. Love covers a multitude of sins and he who loves much is forgiven much. Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him above all other things, even above the fear of imprisonment or losing his life for proclaiming his faith in Jesus. And Peter said “Yes” that he did. And Peter would prove this time and time again. Even to the point of sleeping so soundly in prison the night before Herod had scheduled his execution for preaching about Jesus that the angel I sent in answer to the united prayer of the believers making up the early Church to release Peter had to strike him to wake him up. He had no fear of dying for in death or in life he was Mine and I was His.
Also you see here that to serve and shepherd My people you must love Me. There should be no other motivation for ministry or preaching the good news of Jesus. And when you love Me, you love and respect those I have created and willed to be from all eternity. You look at all as unique and loved by Me, but all do not know Me or know My Word. So what was Peter to do to teach them? Feed them My Word. And He did.
For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you. Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 1 Peter 1:23-2:3.
If you have not love (agape), your life, no matter what you do, means nothing for eternity, it has no eternal value.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8.
Tomorrow we shall continue our Eucharistic journey looking at more of the dialogue between Jesus and Peter in his second call to follow Me by the Sea of Galilee.
I love (agapaó) you. My Son laid down His life for you. And I was in Him reconciling the world to Myself, not counting your sins against you, but accounting them all to Him, so that in Him you can become righteous with My own righteousness. I even share My righteousness with you. That is true love without limits.