Peter, James, John, Nathanael and Thomas were together by the Sea of Galilee. I can only imagine the confusion in their hearts. They had been in the upper room with Jesus. He washed their feet, which they thought was strange. Why would He do that? He shared the Passover meal with them; then the bread and wine. He said to remember Him when they did this in the future. After supper they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed. They fell asleep but were awakened by a crowd carrying swords and clubs. The guards arrested Jesus and took Him away (Matthew 26:47-56).
They beat Jesus, mocked, and tried Him. They put a cross on Him, which He carried through Jerusalem until a man named Joseph took it and carried it to the hill outside of town. There they crucified Jesus. Except for John, all the disciples left. Peter even denied he knew Jesus. Three days later they huddled in the upper room, afraid of the Jews, but Jesus appeared right in front of them.
They went back to doing what they did before Jesus called them–fishing on the Sea of Galilee. That night they caught nothing. Early in the morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not recognize Him.
“Haven’t you any fish?” He called. They answered that they didn’t. “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some,” Jesus said. When they did that, they were unable to haul the net into the boat because of the large number of fish.
John said, “It is the Lord.” Peter jumped into the water and swam to shore. The others followed in the boat. Jesus had a fire with some fish and bread on it. “Bring some of the fish you caught,” He said. Peter got into the boat and dragged the net to shore. Even though it carried 153 fish, the net did not break.
After breakfast Jesus commissioned Peter to “Feed my lambs.” It was from this shore that the disciples began their ministry (John 21:1-9). About three thousand were added to the number of believers at Peter’s first evangelistic meeting. Empowered by the Holy Spirit the disciples gave eye-witness testimonies of Jesus and His teachings, and many more believed (Acts 2:40).
Jesus’ friends thought it was the end, but it was the beginning of the adventure of their lives. They would do what Jesus did and more. People were rescued from demons and sickness. The lame walked and the blind saw.
Today we see more signs of the end times, and it can be tempting to give up when times are tough. I encourage you to refocus. Look up to Jesus and not at your problems. Nothing is too big or too little for Him. Nothing is impossible. Let Him love you and give you new life. Let what you thought was the end be a new beginning by trusting God. It’s easy for me to say that because I feel blessed, but a simple prayer like, “Help me, Jesus,” is a powerful prayer for you. Sometimes all we have left is prayer, but prayer is the best and most powerful thing we can do.
Prayer: Holy Father, we live in troubling times. Many have lost homes, health, wealth, or loved ones. Comfort us in our loss. Heal our sickness and make us new in Christ Jesus. Strengthen us for the days to come. We pray all these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Closer Walk with God 