The Changing

On this midweek day, as we stand drinking in all that we can receive  of our Lord and His deliberate, calculated, compassionate moves at bringing His friends to the reality of His Resurrection and Presence with them, our hearts bend and bow in deep reverence. When we see how unashamedly He exposes His love for them and His loving desire to have them draw closer and closer to Him, even closer and nearer than they previously were, we cry out in holy jealousy, Jesus! Me too. I want to be even closer to You.

Seeing how Jesus has made all the first moves thus far, in coming to His disciples and noting how He is the first to come to them and the first to initiate conversation with them, we are now drawn to the fact that He also makes the first move in changing them. Distance, whether near or far, does not in any way impede the Lord’s plan.  Have you realized that Jesus has chosen the perfect distance away, on land, so that His voice will be heard by the ears of a group of people, ‘out-at-sea’?

They are out-at-sea in many ways, but we highlight two. Being out-at-sea in this context, means, confused, not knowing where to go, what to do, or what to speak in one’s present, unable-to-handle, new, untried situation. Surely, this was the state of Simon Peter, one of the leaders of the disciples of Jesus, and in his state, six other friends have followed him. They are, all of them, out-at-sea, all seven of them, as they try to make some sense of their time by going fishing with Peter, whether or not they were fishermen, like James and John, Zebedee’s children. They are out-at-sea in their failed attempt to bring in any catch. Yes, they are in a boat in the water, returning to shore, full of failure of heart and hand, when Jesus, their Loving Master, makes contact with them.  Even before they get to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus greets them. Is this not most reminiscent of another scene, where a failure of a child, a prodigal, is met by a loving father, even before he gets to the house?

Is Jesus not still the same to His own, all of us who are failures and have failed in our works and efforts? Then let our faith gather the sure strength of resolve, believing with unashamed surrender that our Jesus, even in this moment, failures as we, will call out to us, to bring resurrection change to each one of us who is out-at-sea.

Here is Jesus’ Third Move – The Changing

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. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord! As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, It is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.  John 21: 6 - 8

Jesus again takes the lead here also. He does not just come to the seven first, and communicate with them first, but He makes the first changes in them also, as He brings them to the sure conviction of Himself as being alive. Jesus advises them on what they should do to find some fish, in the same waters from which they have already fished up nothing. They do as the Man on the shore tells them and the change is both astronomical and total. The change in their physical works is beyond their expectations, as they have caught fish beyond their imagination. This miracle is so obvious, so great, it has to be their Jesus. Jesus went ‘super extra’ in this showing.

At once, the disciple whom Jesus loved told Peter that it was Jesus. He was convinced that it was Jesus, by the complete change He made in their physical and emotional lives. Their new fishing, if you like, is super successful, producing fish galore, one hundred and fifty-three large fish. It is also super satisfying, producing in them an unimaginable change. Just look at the change in Peter, who was the one who wanted to go fishing in the first place. He abandons fishing – boat, net, fish and companions – when he hears that Jesus is the Man on the shore.  Just taking enough time to wrap his clothes around him, he swims ashore to Jesus, while the others are hurrying behind, as much as they can, towing a laden net-full of large fish.   

How can mere mortal words paint the picture of our Risen Lord, as He changes the lives of His friends? He works with their present fraught way, for He does not come right out and change their aimless, mindless fishing. In fact, He sends them back to fish, neither condoning nor condemning their actions, but uses this work of theirs, this fishing, to convince and confirm Himself in their lives, as Risen from the dead. 

How Jesus comes into our present empty living and changes us in ways we cannot fathom, is beyond human thought!  Jesus comes to you in all your plans and your efforts, which are proving futile day after day and shows you His Presence. He gives you great success in some work of the past and the success is so ‘extra’, so beyond human thought, you know without the shadow of any doubt that it is the Hand of God and that He is telling you and showing you more. There is a complete change in your heart and you know that you must return to Jesus and what He has called you to do.

The Lord has changed and is changing you as He reveals Himself to you, most convincingly. Accept Him! Jesus is still moving you, as He is all truth and all wisdom. Here are two statements of fact.

You don’t have to change yourself, for Jesus changes you.

You don’t have to try prayer, fasting, meditation or any good and useful practices to receive change. Jesus does it all. Just respond to His works and words.

Thank You Jesus for making the first move in coming to me to change me. I receive You with open hands and heart. Amen!