“Remarkably, the disciples never catch a fish in any of the Gospels without Jesus’ help.” (590) Andreas Kostenburger is talking about John 21:1-7. 

I assume that Peter, Andrew, James and John caught fish before Jesus walked into their lives. They had a business. They had boats and nets. They had their identities.

They knew the Sea of Galilee, with its terrifying temperamental weather. When Jesus mentioned red skies, they knew exactly what he meant. They knew how to throw and pull in nets, how to clean them how to repair them.

They had mastered their craft before Jesus walked in their lives.

Then Jesus showed up just when the fish disappeared.

It’s not like they weren’t biting. You could simply change the bait and try again. But with a net, you don’t use bait. You cast your net to the area where the fish are and you draw it in. All night the fish weren’t there. The whole night was wasted. Jesus said, “try the other side.” And there were fish. In abundance. As if someone had put them in a pen and had them waiting.

It’s possible that it still happens.

What if the words don’t come. And we say, “God, this is awful.” And then Jesus says, “look over at that idea”? What if the pictures are suddenly dull. And we say, “God, what’s wrong”? and then Jesus says, “try the light this way”? What if the family isn’t connecting. And we say, “God, it used to work.” And Jesus says, “come here.”

And we have one of those amazing moments when things fall into place.

What would we do after we finished the project? Would we go back to the way we wrote before? Or would we somehow offer our pen and pride?