Resurrection Week Thursday

The Sweet Name of Jesus, calms the troubled breast.

Here is an extremely curious, yet ever so human a picture of one who is carrying a troubled breast. When your breast is troubled, for one thing, it tells that it is a heart issue, something you don’t speak about openly, but it visibly affects your being, thinking and living.

This is the state of Peter at the moment, as he still can’t make any kind of sense of his Master’s death. They all love Jesus and they all are in different states of acceptance, or denial, but somehow Peter, to whom many of the other disciples look, is dealing with heavy, inner turmoil. His life has become disorganized, aimless, barren and totally purposeless. It is in this troubled state that he decides to go back to his old work – that of fishing – something he had not done in a very long time.  Having nonchalantly stated to some other disciples that he was going fishing, they said they would go with him.

They fished all night and caught not one single fish. As the dawn of a new day began to break and they slowly came in to land, there, on the shore, was Jesus. He spoke to them, even telling them what to do to catch fish, yet not one of them recognized the sweet voice of their Jesus, who was talking with them from the shore. After obeying those fishing instructions, and receiving an unbelievable net-full of fish, a miracle of multitudinous fish, so that the net could not hold the bountiful amount, John speaks. He told Peter that it was Jesus and boy, what a miracle took place in that troubled breast of Peter.

Follow closely here. Peter, is so not himself, so totally beside himself that he resorts to an aimless mission. I mean, not even the zeal and zest of such honest employment, which he once knew, have any part of him any longer. It’s like he’s fishing, just for something to do - no heart, spirit and soul put into it whatsoever – pure aimless activity. Check the miracle change, when he hears the Sweet Name of Jesus. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord! Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. John 21: 7.  Peter only hears the Sweet Name of Jesus, for to tell him that it is his Lord is for him to hear His Sweet Name, Jesus. Tell me if this troubled breast has not been radically changed?

He hears the Sweet Name of Jesus! And with lightning speed, he puts on his clothes again. Is this not symbolic of truth in us? We strip ourselves of the garments of joy, hope, mission and more, and are bare and barren. Then we hear the Sweet Name of Jesus and we immediately know joy, hope and mission as we clothe ourselves in the garments of our Lord. 

He hears the Sweet Name of Jesus! And, no longer bare and empty, plunges into the sea to swim to Jesus. Peter is so freed of his troubled breast that he has no time to wait. He just plunges into the water, to get to his Jesus. Is this symbolic of facts in a changed heart, when we hear the Sweet Name of Jesus? We depend on no one and nothing, as we lose all lethargy and are propelled by exciting, wonderful anxiety, to see Jesus.

He hears the Sweet Name of Jesus! And he leaves all else behind. He leaves friends and fish, to come on at their own pace, but righteous adrenaline is flowing in him and he hastens on to get to his Jesus. Is this not symbolic of reality? In our lethargic, boring, useless state, we hear the Sweet Name of Jesus, and it becomes intimately personal, as we take off alone to meet Him.   

 Believer! Whatever has you in a quiet state of limbo, repeat the Sweet Name of Jesus. He will calm your troubled breast.