Impact Others in our World
We were making tamales, and mine were not looking good. I was in Guatemala with a group of women from Christ Fellowship. Our wonderful hosts had done all the hard work preparing the meal we would take to the senior center in the nearby town. All we had to do was assemble the tamales, wrap them in banana leaves and tie them. Sounds simple, but for me, it wasn’t.
Of course it didn’t matter what the tamales looked like when all was said and done. It was an unbelievable experience getting to spend time around tables with people I would have never had the privilege to meet otherwise. We ate together, sang songs, and heard testimonies of God’s goodness. You never know what can happen over a meal, any meal, even badly wrapped tamales.
This week we’ve been reading stories from across the Bible that tell of God’s table. In the next few weeks we’ll discuss some of the major examples that we’re skipping over for now — the Last Supper, the Lord’s Supper, and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. But today I want to focus on one of my favorite meals that’s depicted in the Bible. Something life changing happens over this meal. It’s the time when Jesus cooked for his disciples after his resurrection. One more time, look for how God’s peace, provision, and presence is offered in this scene.
Read
John 21:4–17 (NIV)
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 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.
7 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. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
Where do you see Jesus’ peace, provision, and presence?
Reflect
Jesus had died on the cross to take away the sins of the world and had been raised from the dead by the Father. He now appears before his disciples once again as the resurrected Son of God. And what does he do? He helps them fish and cooks them breakfast. I love that about Jesus!
Of course, if you know anything about Peter’s relationship with Jesus, you know that there is more going on in this scene. In the Gospels, Peter is often bold and brash, and often speaks and acts before he thinks. We see this trait again in this story. Peter is so thrilled when he realizes it’s Jesus standing there on the shore, he impulsively jumps in the water to get to Jesus, leaving his fishing companions and their huge catch (thanks to Jesus) behind.
John tell us that Jesus had made a fire on the shore. The word he selects for “fire” (verse 9) is only used one other time in Scripture, and it’s just a little earlier in John’s account. After Jesus was arrested, Peter followed him, but ends up denying him three times, just as Jesus had predicted. John uses the same word for the fire where Peter and the others warmed themselves on the night of Jesus’s arrest and trial. The charcoal fire of John 18:18 was the place of Peter’s denial. “For Peter, shame had a smell—that of burning charcoal.”[1]
But this fire, and this meal is the place of reconciliation and restoration. Jesus’ invitation is simple, “Come and have breakfast.” Once again Jesus is inviting people to his table, to the meal he’s prepared, to dine in his presence, and find peace. Then Jesus insists that if Peter loves him, he will feed the Lord’s sheep.
When we experience the peace with God that forgiveness and restoration through Jesus brings, we can demonstrate our love for Jesus by tending to his flock — the ones who are gathered, and the lost ones who need to come home. We don’t have to have to be pastors or professional clergy to love people, care for their needs, and invite them to dine with us at Jesus’ table.
We might think of Jesus’ command to “feed my sheep” in purely metaphoric terms, but we don’t have to. We know that good conversations happen around meals. This is a trick my grandmother always used, feed people and you can get them talking. We can come to understand someone’s spiritual needs when we attend to their physical and emotional ones. We can have meaningful conversations that help point people to Jesus when we invite them to join us around a table. We can help them feel known and loved.
[1] Barry Jones, “The Dinner Table as a Place of Connection, Brokenness, and Blessing,” DTS Magazine, October 26, 2015, https://voice.dts.edu/article/a-place-at-the-table-jones-barry/
Respond