Journey to Pentecost

April 23, 2010    John 21.11-13

I have wrestled with this passage for some time now.  The Lord sent these fishermen out to catch fish.  They had already spent the night fishing and caught nothing.  He sends them out and they catch 153 fish.  Now, I am not going to try to identify why scripture gives us the exact number.  We know the Holy Spirit inspired John to write how many – but we really don’t know why.  John was also inspired to write the fact that there were so many fish the “net broke.”  I am trying to figure this out. 

Jesus blessed these men for their obedience.  They caught an abundance of fish.  So many that the net broke.  Pardon me but the net breaking is something I see as out-of-place.  Why would Jesus bless these men with so many fish that their net would break and allow them to lose part of their blessing?  Doesn’t make sense.  Bless them and then let them lose part of their blessing.

Then it dawned on me.   Jesus blessed these fishermen with a great catch.  It may not have been the largest catch they had ever taken in but 153 is better than the “catch less” night they had just finished.  Something is better than nothing.  So when they lost a few fish it may not have meant a lot to these fisherman.   In this case the large catch of fish was actually a means to an end.  Jesus would eventually challenge these men to full-time “followership” (my word!!!) so they were going to walk away from their vocation any way – fish, broken net and ships – all of it!

I have seen times when God gets us to a place of obedience even though we may have to suffer some loss along the way.  When Kim and I came to Ohio – in obedience to the Lord – we were blessed.  Although experiencing blessing – we also experienced some loss along the way.  Our former residence in Michigan cost us nearly $150,000 in financial losses.   The loss was only a means to an end.  Here we are today – left our “ship” and “broken net” in Michigan.  We moved on in obedience.  We hold no regrets about what we left to follow Him in truth and honesty.  It was an earthly loss that cannot be returned.  The fish that were lost could not be retrieved.  No effort could get the fish that got out of the broken net.  The broken net was the result of the greater blessing – catching fish. 

Our blessing of being here in Lancaster, Ohio is the greater picture.  The cost factors of what we left are gone.  No amount of effort can get what we lost back.  No more than fisherman jumping into the water and catching the same fish that jumped out of the broken net.  The loss was gone – never to come back.  The greater picture is a kingdom picture.  We knew when we came Victory Hill that there would be a “great cost” to our coming.   At our interview we were given word from the Lord by someone who said, “…you will come at a great personal cost.”  We listened but it didn’t matter at the time because the greater picture was at stake – a kingdom issue. 

How many people out there have obeyed the Lord at a personal cost to your obedience.  We realized that there were missionaries in foreign countries who give their lives for their obedience.    All we surrendered was a house.  A vacant house.  The disciples initiated their obedience with the loss of some fish – oh they kept 153 fish but they lost some.  The greater picture – they would eventually give their lives to follow Jesus.  The fish was a means to an end.  Jesus had greater plans for these professional fishermen.  They would become fishers of men – not just fishermen.

In your life and mine – there is a greater picture in regard to our destiny.  Our home in Michigan was just that – a home.  Brick and mortar.  Sod, trees, sprinkler system, patio.  It was a house.   The greater picture was that we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to a greater place of obedience.  Costly?  Yes.  Rewarding?  Absolutely.   Can the home be replaced?  No.  But it doesn’t have to because the greater picture, the greater principle for us was obedience regardless of the cost. 

Yeah!  The crazy net broke!  The net breaking was just the natural result of too many fish in the first place.   With God – there is no record of loss because He doesn’t lose nor do we.  We are more than conquerors in Him.  Fish went back to where the fish belonged.  No loss.  But there was great gain – the gain of people being won to the kingdom of God.   I don’t think there is any thing that any of us have lost that would outweigh the great picture of our destiny – the kingdom of God. 

I think we lose perspective from time to time.  We get caught up in the earthly losses we suffer.  We forget that here we are aliens.  We are foreigners.  We are only passing through.  That’s why Jesus could allow a few fish to escape the net.   On the run fish were no where near what Jesus had in mind for these fishermen.   To reach for the greater kingdom perspective of being filled with the Holy Spirit – you may have to let some fish go.  Dont’ focus on the broken net and a few fish escaping.  It’s not worth losing sight of the greater kingdom perspective.