A Day at the Beach
I was thinking about what I was going to preach on today while I was sitting on the beach, a wonderful blessing of being here on Cape Cod. And this has been such a fun summer for us watching our 1 year old granddaughter explore the sand and giggle and splash in the water.
July 17, 2011
John 21: 1-14, A Day at the Beach
Pastor Mary Scheer, Brewster Baptist Church
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While I was there, I couldn’t help but look around and wonder about my fellow sunbathers. Surely some are here on vacation, some are down for the weekend, some are folks like us out for an late afternoon swim. There were couples walking along the shore, moms and dads watching their kids, children running back and forth from the water to their family’s spot in the sand. There were individuals trying to read or sleep, someone trying to fly a kite and a plane flying an ad for margarita mix.
We all had one thing in common, we were there, taking a break from wherever we had come from to enjoy the sunny afternoon.
I’m a people watcher and so I watched and I wondered where all the folks had come from? Where are they in their lives? How are they? Are they happy? Are their families ok? Do they have all they need, have they suffered a recent loss and what will they be going back to when they leave the beach?
Maybe I was thinking about all this because I had just been reading the story about the disciples and one of their days at the beach.
But before I tell you about that day, I want to back up a couple weeks in the story.
After Jesus was crucified and rose from the grave, he made a couple appearances, first to Mary Magdalene when she and some women went to the grave to anoint his body early in the morning. They found an empty tomb, and an angel told them Jesus had risen. So they left to go tell the disciples, and on their way they went through a garden where Mary ran into Jesus but didn’t recognize him and thought he was a gardener. But, when she heard him call out her name she immediately knew who he was.
Then later that same day, Jesus appeared to two other disciples who were on their way to a village called Emmaus. As they walked and talked about the things that had happened in the last few days Jesus came up and walked along with them, but they didn’t recognize him either and simply thought him a stranger along the road. They persuaded him to stay with them for dinner and when he lifted the bread and gave thanks, they recognized him to be Jesus. (Lk 14:15)
Laterater on that evening when the all the disciples, except for Thomas, were together with the doors locked out of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. He showed them his hands and his side and when they saw this they believed.
Then a week later his disciples including Thomas, were gathered again in the same house. And once again though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. Thomas did not recognize Jesus for who he was until he touched him.
This is when our scripture takes place, after Jesus had made a few appearances and had specifically appeared to his disciples when they were all together on two occasions. Here now is the Scripture from John 21: 1-14.
After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.” The rest of them replied, “We’re going with you.” They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him. Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?” They answered, “No.” He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.” They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!” When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn’t rip. Jesus said, “Breakfast is ready.” Not one of the disciples dared ask, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Master. Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.[1] (MESSAGE)
I don’t suppose anybody else at the beach that day would have noticed anything drastically different about the disciples. It’s not that usual for a bunch of fishermen to go fishing. But there was a lot going on with them and the fact that they were out fishing was only part of the story. The last time Jesus appeared to them, he told them to stay in the city until they received power from God. (Lk 24: 45-49)
It was a weird time for them. We can look at the story now from the vantage point of knowing how it all worked out. But if we go back with them to the beginning, the disciples did not immediately know that Jesus was God or what his plans were. He was a rabbi and teacher and a mentor. He was also their friend, and he had just been killed in a very public execution. Their relationship with Jesus was powerful. He had so influenced their lives that their world had revolved around him. They left their jobs, walked away from their daily routines and followed him. They spent night and day together for three years. So now, as folks do after they loose someone they love they gathered and tried to make sense of it. Why would we be surprised that they went fishing? They may have returned to the very location where they had met Jesus three years earlier. The gospel of Mathew says Jesus began his public ministry with a walk on the beach!
He was strolling along the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mt. 4:16) and as he walked along he saw brothers Peter & Andrew fishing, he said come follow me and I will send you out to fish for people. At once they left their nets and followed him. Then he walked a little farther down the beach and found James & John sitting in a boat on the shore preparing their nets. Jesus called them & they immediately left their boat and their father and followed him (Mt. 4:21) Whether it was intentional or not, they had gone back to the place and setting where they had first met Jesus. And back to the scene of so many miracles, the feeding of 5000 (Mt. 14:13), where Jesus had walked on water (Mt. 14:22), the first miraculous catch of fish that was so huge it ripped their nets (Lk 5:1), the time he calmed the storm that threatened to sink their boat (Mt 8:23) and the place of the sermon on the mount (Mt. 5,6,7). They had experienced the power of God in that place.
It had to feel surreal. Did they reminisce about their favorite times with Jesus? Did they try to sort out what the future held for them? How would they deal with the people and their questions? What about work? How would they make a living? We can look back and see how things worked out, but at the time they had only an unwritten future ahead of them.
Perhaps you can relate to that place of uncertainty. Has there been a time when something happened that changed the future you thought you were heading toward? When sickness struck or when a career collapsed, or you lost a loved one, and the things you knew about your life and your future suddenly looked different. This was a time of sadness and confusion. Like the hero in a great novel I want Jesus to ride in on his horse and save the day. I want him to shake his fist in victory at his enemies and say, “See, I told you I am God!” I want him to burst onto the scene and change everything all at once, sort of like the way I want him to answer my prayers. But he didn’t, he came in quietly. The fact that he was alive did change things, though it didn’t immediately look that way. He showed up a couple times said hi and then vanished again. What were they to do with that? He told them to sit and wait, but they needed to do something. Maybe they thought enough time had passed and they needed to get back to work. So, seven of them went fishing. They went at night, that’s when fishermen went to work. The mood is dark and they came up empty handed. Then after a night of disappointment, dawn came. In the morning light they saw a man on the beach. To them it looked like just a man, but it was Jesus. He called out to them but they didn’t recognize him…again.
If his family and friends who lived so closely with him could miss him, is it possible that there have been times when you and I have missed out on recognizing his presence? When we missed Jesus and saw only a gardener, a walker or a fellow beachcomber. So, how can we recognize Jesus today? The first step in recognizing someone is that you have to have some previous knowledge of them. It has to come from what we know about him. People who have pen pals get to know them through their writings….they are able to distinguish between a letter written by their friend and that of a stranger. Folks who know art are able to identify an artist by their work. Musicians can recognize a composer by looking at a music score. Folks who know fashion can readily identify a fashion designer by style. A builder or architect can be known by their designs so on.
In the same way, the more we know about Jesus, the easier it will be to recognize him. The more we read the Bible and become familiar with Jesus, who he is, how he communicates and what he has had to say in different situations, the easier it is to recognize his voice in your heart, and his prompting especially through scripture and prayer.
For me this is a story about the power of recognition. It is the moment of recognition in each of the post resurrection encounters that heralds a turning point. Even before the disciples recognized that it was Jesus, they took his suggestion to cast their nets to the right side of the boat and their efforts were rewarded with a huge catch, so much so, that they took the time to count and record the number of fish they caught.
Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus said he would be with us always, that he would never leave us or forsake us. Do we regularly look for where he’s at work in our lives? If we do, are we pursuing him? That takes a certain awareness that can be a challenge in this busy, noisy world. We have to pursue him watching, listening, expecting holy moments, expecting miracles. If we’re not careful we can miss out on the miraculous when we’re bogged down with day to day life.
If we pursue power, glory, money, pride, we miss out on pursuing the abundant life God wants for us. He said he came to give life more abundantly and demonstrated that for the disciples with an abundant catch of fish. Vincent Fasano said, “when we emphasize the mechanistic, scientific, materialist view of creation, all mystery is stripped from our lives.” What prevents us from looking through the mystery and finding the holy? For Mary, perhaps her grief prevented her from recognizing Jesus. You’ve heard the expression, “blinded by grief.” Strong emotions and feelings such as grief, depression, even stress can cause tunnel vision making it difficult to see beyond the place we’re in. We have to be able look for the bigger picture, beyond the boat to the beach.
Perhaps the disciples on the road to Emmaus were so absorbed in where they were going and what they were talking about that they didn’t really look at or listen to the one who traveled with them.
Mark said Jesus rebuked the disciples for not recognizing him and said it was due to their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe. (Mk 16:14) In a world that screams for our attention, it can be easy to miss the subtle voice and presence of God. We have to confront doubt & disbelief.
We have to deal with the challenges that can keep us to busy or distracted to notice him? Because he’s here. His Spirit is everywhere, his presence is already in all the places where you and I will be. Think of what we miss out on when we fail to see whose behind some of the ideas, opportunities and situations we find ourselves in? Imagine what life could be like if lived with the belief that we could run into Jesus at the stop and shop, or at work, or even when we are out on a walk. Why couldn’t we? Consider the possibilities. I pray that you and I will go from here with a heightened sense of awareness, that we will take a second look at what we think we see filtered through the lenses of faith, and learn to listen a little better, and then…in that moment of recognition even an ordinary day at the beach can reveal itself as an extraordinary opportunity to meet with God.
Let’s pray:
Dear Lord, thank you for sharing some of the disciples stories with us as we can identify with so many of their struggles. Your resurrection confirmed your word as true and gives us confidence in your promises. Lord, help us to be able to know you better, to believe a little more, to be strong and steady in our faith. Help us to be able to see you at work in our lives, to see your hand and your leading, to more easily recognize when it’s you calling our name, or soothing anxious hearts, or prompting ideas, or instructing us in the way we should go. Help us to be better disciples as we grow in the grace and knowledge of your love for us. In Jesus name. Amen.
[1]Peterson, Eugene H.: The Message : The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, Colo. : NavPress, 2002, S. Jn 21:1-14