The Lesson of the Fish Fry

Subtitle: Breakfast on the Beach

John 21:1-14

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2021%3A1-14&version=NIV;NLT

 

Easter is when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Normally, it’s a busy week with services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and two on Easter Sunday; a sunrise service and a special Easter day service. Following this, we normally go home for time with family to celebrate Easter.

 

For over a decade, my wife and I have celebrated Easter Sunday with our daughter, her husband and our grandchildren; as well as my brother and his wife. Together we have enjoyed our annual Easter egg hunt, opened Easter baskets filled with goodies and shared an Easter dinner with traditional ham and cheesy potatoes.

 

Because of the stay at home order, Easter will be significantly different this year. However, in an effort to still “eat together”, we are going to celebrate our Easter dinner with our daughter and her family… virtually.

 

The menu and food preparation has been divided. An exchange will be made, at the appropriate social distance, on Saturday. Then, using Face Time, we will enjoy our Easter dinner together… just in different homes. We’ll see how it works.

 

In John 21, we read about Jesus and some of his disciples having a fish fry on the beach. Not exactly an Easter celebration, but a time of fellowship, discipleship and teaching.

 

You may have experienced déjà vu all over again as you read this story, because previously, in Luke 5, there’s a similar story with the same results. Only the first time when Simon Peter caught a boatload of fish, Jesus told him that from now on, he would fish for people. “So they pulled their boats on shore, left everything and followed him.”

 

So why does Jesus host a second fish fry on the beach? Could it be, that he is reminding his disciples of this earlier lesson? Could he be trying to get them to refocus on their mission? Could he be calling them once again, “to follow me”?

 

During your celebration of Easter this year, I hope you are able to enjoy some of your traditional activities.

But also, remember the lesson of the fish fry. We, like the disciples, have been called to catch fish; to share the Good News of Easter; to follow Jesus wherever he leads.

 

May you have a wonderful Easter; the best day of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do as I Say, Not as I Do

Matthew 23:1-12

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2023%3A1-12&version=NIV;NLT

 

I think the first time I heard someone say that, it was a football coach, or it might have been a teacher. For sure, it wasn’t my Dad! He gave me rules to live by, held me accountable and lived them out in his own life.

 

In Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus is speaking to those who are his followers. Later in the chapter his words are directed at the Pharisees, the teachers of the law and the religious leaders in general. It’s a scathing indictment of how they live their life, not by the Law of Moses which they preach, but by their own set of hypocritical rules.

 

Jesus’ primary concern was for those whose faith was sincere; for those who were trying to follow the law; for those who were trying to live by faith.

 

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. ³ So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. ⁴ They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.          NLT

 

Here are a couple of stories that I believe illustrate what Jesus was teaching his followers:

 

Years ago, my wife and I opened our home to a young man that I had worked with while in full time ministry. He lived with us because he had nowhere else to go. I remember him making a statement once when I asked him about making a decision to follow Christ. He responded, “I could never be as good as you”.

 

Apparently, somehow I had given him the impression that to be a Christian

required more than just belief and faith. It required living a certain lifestyle of being “a good person”; of being “a nice guy”.

 

In Keith Miller’s book, The Taste of New Wine, he tells the story of meeting a young woman who was considering faith in Christ. During the course of their conversation he tells her that God loves her unconditionally, just as she is. Her response to him is, “So your church will love me just as I am? Because I live with my boyfriend.”

 

There may be people in your life that don’t follow Christ. Think about how your life impacts their decision for, or against, Christ? Do they feel like they can’t live up to your standards? Or do they see that Christ came to save broken people; that you are one of those broken people; and that he loves them just as they are.

 

For us, it all boils down to these words:

 

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”     Matthew 22 NIV

 

  

 

(If God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share the link with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are You a Fan or a Follower?

(6^th in a series on Lent)

Luke 9:18-27

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209%3A18-27&version=NIV;MSG

 

 

I’ve lived in Columbus, Ohio for over thirty years, and it still amazes me how fanatic Buckeye fans are. If you’re a good Buckeye fan, then you will have at least one championship shirt and/or hat from 2015. You can tell what someone believes by their actions, their words and in what they invest their time, talent and treasure.

 

¹⁸ One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, “What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?” ¹⁹ They said, “John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back.” ^20-21 He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?” Peter answered,

“The Messiah of God.”             MSG

 

Peter responded with the correct answer, but the real question is, “So what difference does that make in your life”? Remember, the disciples were still under the misdirected belief that the Messiah would bring political power to the Jews. Even though Jesus point blank told them he must die, they didn’t get it.

 

Jesus follows his question above with some instruction on what exactly it will mean for the disciples to believe that he is “the Messiah of God”. He told them, and us, that there is a price to follow Jesus; to believe in him; to call him Lord and Savior.

 

^23-25 Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it… Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?    MSG

 

I used to have a neighbor that had season football tickets for the Buckeyes. Every Sunday morning, following a game, he would be in his driveway talking on the phone, dissecting every play and referee call.

 

As mentioned in the first paragraph, if you’re a good Buckeye fan, people can tell. They can tell by the clothes you wear; by what you talk about; by how you spend your time and money; by what you do for entertainment. People can tell.

 

During this Lenten season, as we draw closer to the celebration of Easter, how do you answer the question of who Jesus is? Are you just a fan or a devoted follower? People can tell.

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/