“Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered.” John 21:4-5

Not one bite, all night long.
Every single time they pulled in the heavy nets,
they were empty.

That must have been frustrating for those professional fishermen.
Maybe returning to their former jobs wasn’t a good idea after all.

Then a voice on shore called out, “Hey boys, catch anything?”
It’s hard for a boat full of men to admit that something isn’t working.
A dejected and annoyed “no” carried across the water.

They didn’t know what was coming next.
Jesus had only appeared to them in Jerusalem.
They thought they were beyond His reach up north.
Their futures were unclear.
Everything was confusing.
But Jesus was about to change all that.

If they had been successful that night,
in their own strength and striving,
they might never have gone back to ministry.

Lack of success doesn’t always mean we’re failing.
Sometimes it just means we’re going the wrong direction.

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” John 21:1-3

Years ago, one of our children spent an extended time in Pediatric ICU. Grandpa and Grandma took care of our other three youngsters, bless their hearts, so PB and I could stay by the bedside of our gravely ill daughter. Finally, after a week or two, I was strongly encouraged to go home for a night. The other kids were missing their mama.

I remember standing at the kitchen sink doing dishes (we didn’t have a dishwasher) and thinking, “This feels so good.” My hands in the warm water, the smell of soap bubbles, the familiar view from the window. A tedious chore any other day, but on this day, washing dishes was such a comfort, a relief, a sense of normal. For those few minutes I could pretend life was the back to the same old routines.

It seems the men from Galilee needed a break from the crowded city of Jerusalem. They had been holed up together for too long. Peter was itching to do something. So seven of them took the four day walk north, perhaps to check on things at home. It must have been a balm to their souls to smell that sea air and hear the ripple of water on the shore. Considering the strangely wonderful but deeply unnerving events following Jesus’ resurrection, it probably felt good to go somewhere familiar and do something normal.

Back in the boat.
Setting the sails.
Throwing out nets.
Sweating in the sun.
Talking to each other.
“Should we go back to fishing for fish
instead of men?”
Jesus was about to show up again and answer that question.

Once you encounter the Savior,
you can’t really go back.

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.” John 20:30-31
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” John 21:25

How many books are there in the world?
I’m glad you asked.

“There are 48.5 million published books on Amazon,
give or take a few ancient papyrus scrolls and stone carved tablets.”*

Every year, Amazon adds one million new ebook titles.
Every five minutes, a new book is entered into Amazon’s library.

How many books have been published in all of modern history? 
“According to Google’s advanced algorithms,
the answer is 129,864,880.”**
But they haven’t updated that figure since 2010.

The Library of Congress is the biggest library in the world.
Of its more than 170 million items,
24,863,177 are cataloged books.***

As you can see, it’s hard to keep track.

Is there room for more books? Of course.
I can always find room for more books on my shelves.

The Apostle John begs to differ. If every single thing Jesus did was written down, the world would be over-run with books, it would drown in books, it wouldn’t have enough shelves to hold all the books.

But eternity future will be different. I expect to find a spectacular library on the New Earth with unending shelves filled with stories and biographies and poetry and scientific wonders and history and….and….and….

That’s where you’ll find me.

*https://justpublishingadvice.com/how-many-kindle-ebooks-are-there/
**https://mashable.com/2010/08/05/number-of-books-in-the-world/
***https://www.loc.gov/about/general-information/#year-at-a-glance

“Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.” Mark 16:14

Mary told the disciples she had seen Jesus. The two on the road to Emmaus brought news to the disciples that they had seen Jesus. Even Simon Peter gave an eye-witness report. Why did they refuse to believe it?

The word for “stubborn refusal” is “sklerokardia”.
“Sklero” means dry, hard, or tough.
“Kardia” means heart.

Trauma and grief can do a number on our hearts.
It can make us shut down our emotions and shut out our hopes.
In an attempt to protect ourselves from more pain,
we stubbornly refuse to believe anything good.

Yes, it was hard to believe Jesus was alive.
But He took the disciples to task for their hard hearts.
Jesus expected better from His friends
and interrupted dinner to express sharp, stern disapproval.

Sometimes we need to be comforted,
and sometimes we need a kick in the pants.

Lord, may we have stubborn belief.

“You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:48-49

He didn’t say how long to wait, exactly,
or where to wait, specifically,
or what they were waiting for, precisely.

God is big on waiting.
He is not limited by time or space.
He doesn’t wear a watch or keep a planner or feel hurried and rushed.
He has all the time in the world.

When we’re told to wait, we have a choice how to go about it. We can wait patiently, with trust and confidence in His timing, yet shivering with anticipation. Or we can wait nervously, agitated and grumbling while biting our nails and clenching our teeth.

We once had a dog that knew how to wait. We would put a treat at one end of the kitchen floor, put her at the other end and tell her to “stay”. She never took her eyes off that treat. As she waited, her body began to quiver and drool started to drizzle down from her mouth. She would whimper slightly, give us a quick glance and then refocus on the treat. When there was a puddle of drool under her chin, we would say “Okay” and she would make a mad scramble across the kitchen for the small morsel.

She never knew how long she was going to have to wait.
She didn’t know why her loving masters were causing this suffering.
But the reward was well worth the wait.
Oh, for the obedience of that dog.

For the disciples, the Father’s promise raised more questions.
Did it matter where they stayed in the city?
What did it mean to be clothed with power?
When was this thing going to take place?
What if they missed it when it came?

Stay.

“He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'”
Luke 24:46-47

Remember Easter?
It was only three weeks ago.
Jesus walked out of the tomb
and started showing up in random places.

We’re only halfway through His time on earth between the resurrection and the ascension. At twenty days in, He’s still alive and still going over the same material with His disciples.

Except Jesus began to clarify one important point:
forgiveness would be offered to all the nations.

Including the Gentiles.
That’s us.

Jesus was going about His Father’s business by blowing open the doors of His Father’s House.
The Chosen people would be made up of people who would choose Him as Savior.
The Day of Atonement would be in effect every day of every year.
The Holy Priesthood would consist of multicultural believers.
The Holy of Holies would move into their hearts.
All nations — one Spirit.

This thing was going global to the world God so loved.

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7

“He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:44-45

There are over 300 prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament.
They were written between 500 and 1000 years before Jesus was born.
The mathematical chances that any one person could fulfill all of them is
one in a
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion,
trillion!
And Jesus had to fulfill every single one, or He was not the Messiah at all!

The probability that someone could fulfill just eight of these prophecies is one in 100,000,000,000,000,000!* 

I like those odds.

The Old Testament is all about Jesus.
Like the disciples, we often need help understanding the Scriptures.
Oh, how He delights in giving us insight.

Theologian Benjamin Warfield said,
“The Old Testament is like a richly furnished but dimly lit room.
In the New Testament nothing is added but light.”

Come, let Your Light shine in.

*https://www.icsv.at/one-chance-in-a-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion-trillion

“And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.” Luke 24:41-43

I grew up on a beef farm. We ate a steady rotation of meat and potatoes with a side of garden vegetables. I don’t remember having fish for dinner while growing up on the farm. Ever. I still don’t eat fish very often, but when I do, it’s beer battered and deep fried and smothered with tartar sauce. Not exactly Mediterranean style fare. Roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy would be my first choice for a post-resurrection meal.

The shocked disciples were not convinced Jesus had a real body. They saw Him with their eyes and they touched His skin, yet they were still having trouble believing. To prove He wasn’t a disembodied spirit, Jesus asked them for something to eat.

One of them grabbed a piece of leftover broiled fish (yuck!).
Jesus took it in His hand.
They leaned in.
He took a bite and chewed.
They watched His mouth.
He swallowed.
They watched His throat.
Their eyes moved down His chest.
They stared at His belly.
He smiled.
And there was no more talk of unbelief.

The way to the men’s hearts was through His stomach.

“He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.” Luke 24:38-40

Are you feeling troubled today?
Are doubts filling your mind?

I have a suggestion for you.
Look at Jesus.
See the wounds
in His hands and feet.

Those healed scars are there to remind you
the extent to which He would go
to prove how much He loves you.

Those nail holes are big enough
to swallow up your troubles and doubts.
Pour them all down into the glorious hollows.

He wasn’t some ethereal apparition, floating like a phantom.
He had flesh on the outside.
He had bones on the inside.
He had actual feet standing on the ground.
He had genuine, touchable skin.
He was real.

Christ came near to His disciples in the midst of their doubts.
He didn’t wait for their belief.
He is in the room with you now.
Let Him show you what is real.

“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.” Luke 24:36-37

PB’s dad was a man of prayer. Some of my favorite memories of my father-in-law involve him praying. He “prayed in” the new year on New Year’s Eve. He prayed over our babies at their dedications. He prayed in restaurants.

I don’t know how he did it, but Dad O. had a knack for timing his prayer right as the waitress came to take our order. As she approached our table, he would say something like, “And Lord, thank You for our waitress. Bless her as she serves us today. Help us to also be a blessing to her, letting her know she’s appreciated.” Many times, we would open our eyes and lift our heads to see a shocked look and sometimes, tears. The presence of God was tangible around those diner tables.

Then he would leave a big tip.

God loves it when we talk to Him about people.
God loves it when we talk to people about Him.

When the disciples talked about Jesus,
He came and stood in their midst.
The presence of Jesus comes to us,
not just when we talk TO Him,
but also when we talk ABOUT Him.

When we talk about the Lord to each other,
He listens in and comes alongside,
bringing His peace.

“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other,
and the Lord listened and heard.”
Malachi 3:16