Are You Still Holding Tight to Your Nets? - Part 2

May 7

Last week, in Part 1 of “Are You Still Holding Tight to Your Nets?,” we examined the call of Jesus’s disciples and, more specifically, the story of Peter, who put down his nets to follow Jesus fully.

Today, we are going to continue our dive into Peter's life and discuss an often-overlooked story. A story in which Peter picked his nets back up and returned to fishing, only to have another encounter with Jesus that radically changed his life and altered his future forever.

Before we turn to John 21, let's pause briefly to consider important details about the setting that will help us understand the upcoming passages.

Peter denied Jesus three times right before he was crucified, as told in Matthew 26,Mark 14,Luke 22, and John 18. I cannot imagine the immense guilt he felt in that moment, yet I often find myself reflecting on my own experiences of deep conviction and remorse, and realize we all share such moments, questioning ourselves and seeking forgiveness.
Jesus appeared to Peter and the other disciples after his resurrection in numerous passages, but Peter had not yet had a detailed moment of reconciliation with Jesus regarding his denial.

John 21 says: "After this, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way." 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards[a] off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

In verse 3, we see something that stands out: Peter told the others, "I am going fishing." I am not trying to read something into the text that is not there, but this is a clear parallel to times when we face setbacks, hardships, or uncertainty. We often feel tempted to return to what is familiar or distracting rather than address what is really going on inside us because of fear of the unknown, fear of failure, hurt, or a desire for security and comfort from something or someone other than God.

Peter and the other disciples were obviously thrilled beyond words that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they were probably still confused about what they were supposed to do or what Jesus would do next. I am sure Peter was still carrying around an immense amount of guilt from his denial. With all the different dynamics at play, Peter decided to go fishing again, which is the very thing he had laid aside to follow Jesus when he was first called. Whether it was a source of comfort, control, stress relief, or distraction, it was a return to an old way of life in the midst of a tough situation, one in which I am sure he was battling condemnation and remorse.

How many times have each of us done this when our hearts weren’t right with the Lord, hardships appeared, or we lacked clarity on our next steps? How many times have we:

Called that old friend group up that we stopped hanging out with because they led us away from Christ
Went back to an unhealthy relationship because it made us feel accepted and loved
Returned to that old addiction that medicated our pain away
Doubled down on “doing more things for God” to try harder, when in reality, we are trying to distract ourselves and not address what is in our hearts
Dove even deeper into our work or hobbies to stay busy
Withdrew from God’s presence and tried to hide our hearts
Pulled back from what we knew we were called to do
Avoided repenting and asking for forgiveness from someone we hurt

Peter’s reaction in this situation is so common and something most of us do. BUT the response of Jesus is what is truly amazing. In John 21, we see a replay of the story when Jesus first called Peter. We see Peter fishing, catching nothing; Jesus appears and instructs him to let his nets down once more, and a miraculous catch of fish occurs.

We all need to remember that anytime we take our eyes off Jesus or have fear, doubt, condemnation, etc., there will always be the temptation to return to what makes us comfortable and to step back from our faith and into our previous life. The devil will push us towards familiarity and comfort, and doubt about God’s love and his plans for our lives.

What is amazing about this story is Jesus's response. Again, Jesus met his disciples where they were, and he sought out Peter, rather than the other way around. He gave them an invitation to come and spend time with him, and he met Peter again in the same spot he had called him out of in the first place. Jesus is always there, and he is always seeking after us.

After the disciples had breakfast with Jesus on the shore, he asked Peter three times if he loved him, to represent the three times Peter denied knowing Jesus. Each time Peter responded with a “yes,” and after each “yes,” Jesus told him to “feed my lambs”, “tend my sheep,” and “feed my sheep”. This was Jesus reaffirming the call on Peter's life to shepherd God's children and be a fisher of men, and was the moment Peter was reconciled to Jesus, and his heart was healed. From this point on, we see Peter radically living his life for Christ and boldly proclaiming the Gospel. Just like us, he wasn’t perfect and still made mistakes, but he never looked back and doubted the call that God had on his life, and we never see him “pick up his nets” again.

God never gives up on us, will always meet us where we are, and remind us of the amazing things he has done in our lives, but we have to be mindful and resist the temptation from the enemy to go back to our lives as they were before Christ or to go back to areas of comfort as a believer when Jesus has called us to do something radical. Jesus wants to heal every wound and every pain in our hearts if we will let him. He will meet us exactly where we are, and it is up to us to respond appropriately. When we do, we are in for a life of adventure, filled with God radically using us to advance his kingdom.

A few questions to reflect on:

Are there any areas of your life where you have intentionally or unintentionally picked your nets back up again?
How much do you believe that Jesus is pursuing you and wants you in a right relationship with him?
What is it that Jesus is calling you to surrender to him and do next in life?
What would your life look like if you laid everything down and passionately pursued Jesus every day?

Prayer: Father God, thank you so much for loving me as one of your own. Thank you for pursuing me, even in my mess, and for never giving up on me. I repent and ask for forgiveness for the times I have, or have tried to, pick my nets back up instead of walking step by step with you. Please reveal to me the areas of my heart that are not fully surrendered and heal any heartache, wounds, or ungodly beliefs about you or myself. I long to be in your presence, to draw close to you, to be used by you, and to fulfill the plans you have for me. I love you, Lord. Amen.

Ryan