Fri 25/4/14 Food for Soul: Do whatever Jesus tells you to do!

John 21:1-14

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night. It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to the right side and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land. As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

Food for soul: Do whatever Jesus tells you!

Imagine this scenario. Simon Peter announces: "I'm going fishing." The rest of the disciples reply, "We're going with you." And off they go fishing,  being lead by Peter. This man is now giving orders and the rest just follows him! Because they are follow Peter, they work all night and they catch absolutely NOTHING. As if not enough, Jesus appears to them and they don't recognize him. They are too busy in their business to recognize Jesus.

This was not the first time that Jesus appeared to them and they didn't recognize him. Yesterday's Gospel they did the same:

They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. 38 He continued with them, "Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over. 39 Look at my hands; look at my feet-- it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this."40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 They still couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.

Today, Jesus appears to them a third time. And this time Jesus takes over from Peter; it is Jesus who gives new orders; it is Jesus in the driver's seat. Peter's driving had lead to the wrong side, that is, on the left side of the boat. And as always we cannot get much if we keep going and working in the wrong place, the wrong profession or job; from the wrong we don't get a right.

Fortunately we have JESUS, who tells us to change: "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." And they obeyed.

The disciples did what Jesus said. And because they obeyed, all of a sudden they caught so much fish that they weren't strong enough to pull it to the shore.

This Gospel tells us that sometimes, like Peter and his friends, we make wrong decisions in life; we throw the nets on the wrong side. All of us, we have made wrong decisions in life. Indeed, we are where we are, and are what we are because of the decisions we have been making all along; it is our decisions that have brought us to where we are! As the saying goes, "Make the decisions, and the decisions will make you!" That is the bad news.

The good news, is that Jesus can undo our bad decisions; Jesus knows where we can fish best. And when he tells us to do so, WE SHOULD OBEY and see what happens. Even when he tells us to fish against tradition or custom or others' expectations; even when he tells us to change places or profession or job,  we must obey him. Jesus knows best our best interest. So, we do well to follow Mary's advice: "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2:5).