Verse of the Day 4/18

Verse of the Day 4/18

John 21:12  Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.English Standard Version (ESV)

My wife Jean and I have returned from our trip to Israel and things will be getting back to normal, or will they?  Today's verse from John 21 puts us at the Sea of Galilee where Peter and the disciples had gone back to fishing.  They had been told to go there and wait for Him but were headed back to what they would normally do or what came naturally to them.  They had expected much more from Jesus and some if not all of them probably felt to some degree that they had been let down.  They had been thinking perhaps of a militant victory, a militant Messiah, not a suffering servant.

These thoughts had discouraged the disciples so they got out of town, left Jerusalem putting as much distance between them from what had happened as they feasibly could.  Now they were fishing.

We tend to focus so much on the rest of the encounter and Jesus conversation with Peter that we may overlook something.  That conversation came after breakfast.  The passage tells us that the disciples did not dare ask if was really Him.  It doesn't sound like they spook much or asked Him anything else.  But a lot must have been running through their minds.  Along with the fish, they had to digest more of what was happening and it took some time.

There are times in our lives where we too must enjoy the moment, digest what is happening and take our minds off of "to do lists".   The disciples must have taken in the sounds, sights and smells of the moment, not what it meant for them at the time or for the future, that would come.  Right now they just had to be present with Him.  I'm sure that in the future the sound of the waves, the sight of the fire and the smell of the roasting fish would bring them back to this place and to what happened next.

We were taught much on our tour, but I'm thankful that we had time in the various places to stop and consider, to try to put ourselves back in those places and absorb, without saying a word.  A time for that would come later.  It has.

Spend some time with Jesus today where you are.  Absorb, digest what He has to say to you without saying or asking a word.  Give it time, the words will come.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

John 21:9-14The Message (MSG)

^7-9 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Master!"

When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren't far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it.

^10-11 Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you've just caught." Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn't rip.

¹² Jesus said, "Breakfast is ready." Not one of the disciples dared ask, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Master.

^13-14 Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.