ON THE RIGHT SIDE
John 21:3-7 NLT
3 Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing."
"We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was. 5 He called out, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?"
"No," they replied.
6 Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!" So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.
John relates a story of Jesus after the resurrection that once again presents a different occurrence from the other gospels. It appears that Matthew was not there whenJohn, Peter, and some other disciples went fishing. Matthew was a tax collector prior to his time with Jesus, so fishing all night was probably not his thing. But John, his brother James, and Peter were all fishermen BC, before Christ.
Peter said he was going fishing. The question of why is speculation at this point. Maybe he and the other disciples were unclear as to their mission. But after this encounter with Jesus, we never see them fishing again. This encounter includes Jesus walking with Peter and directing him to feed and take care of His sheep. Of course, Jesus was talking about spiritually feeding and shepherding His people, the ones He had purchased with the price of His blood. Jesus views all who receive Him as belonging to Him. After this time, Peter and the rest of the disciples focused on the development and care of the early church. That was following the Day of Pentecost and subject for another devotional.
The fishing expedition suggested by Peter did not turn out well. They fished all night and caught nothing. That must have been frustrating. But that's not how things would end. A man standing on the shore inquired as to if their night of fishing had been productive. A simple no was the answer. What happened next was classic Jesus. "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some." But the disciples did not know this was Jesus. But after a fruitless night, what did they have to lose?
When they obeyed the directive to throw the net on the right side, a fishing miracle occurred. They went from nothing all night to a net they couldn't physically pull into the boat because there were so many fish. And their net did not break. The moment this happened, John knew this was Jesus. Peter, with his more aggressive and impulsive personality, put his coat on and jumped into the water to go to Jesus. Although John tells us they were not too far from the shore, and the other disciples pulled the loaded net in. Without Peter.
Jesus gave a clear directive. Throw the net on the right side of the boat. Not the left side or the back of the boat, the right side. When the disciples obeyed that clear instruction, wonderful things happened. The disciples knew it was Jesus because He did stuff like this. When they obeyed Him, wonderful things took place. And Jesus always provided more than enough. They had experienced His generous, marvelous ways for three plus years. They had seen Him feed thousands and have food left over. They had seen Him give clear directions that, when obeyed, always turned out well. The disciples knew it was Jesus because of the abundance of fish where there were previously none. That’s who He was. When they threw out the net, they caught much more than a few skinny fish and a couple of crabs. They caught a massive number of great fish. That's Jesus! That's our Heavenly Father.
APPLICATION
Jesus knows what is going on in our lives. He knows what we need, and He can provide. Our part is to listen and obey. Our part is to believe He knows what to do with our relationships, our careers, and our future. We need to ask and then follow what He instructs through His Word and by His Holy Spirit. He knows the right side of every situation.
PRAYER
Lord, please reveal to me what is the right side of my situation. You know everything about everything, and You know what to do. I trust You with all of my heart, and I will not lean on my own understanding.