Editorial by Pastor Malcolm Macqueen
“And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.” John 21:6-7a KJV
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for the disciples, must have been the most profound miracle they had ever witnessed. The terrible events which followed the Last Supper, beginning with His arrest in Gethsemane, to His ultimate death by crucifixion at Golgotha, were now tempered by the overwhelming evidence that He was alive once more. Sorrow, separation, sadness and despair had given way to unspeakable joy and gladness.
The well known American author, Josh McDowell, had this to say about the resurrection, “No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.
Few people seem to realize that the resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone to a worldview that provides the perspective to all of life.”
According to the teachings of the Apostle Paul in Romans 6:3-5, we are told, “that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death …….that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ”
When the Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to cast their net on the right side of their boat, events had come around in a full circle. It was on this very shore of Galilee He had met them just three years before. So much had happened in all their lives. Now, He who had been dead was alive again and calling them to a renewed walk with Himself, never to again return to fishing for fish, but now to be those fishers of men He had promised to make them three years before. Matthew 4:19
As a result of the resurrection of Jesus, new characteristics were seen in the lives of these early disciples, let us consider them:
1. They were FORGIVEN. Considering just what had taken place and how they had all reacted, with the exception possibly of John, forgiveness was something they all needed, but not really deserved. Apart from the Lord Jesus “rebuking them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen” Mark16:14 NIV, the Lord Jesus exercised unlimited forgiveness toward them all. If Jesus was willing to let go what they had or hadn’t done to Him, they too had to forgive themselves of the burden of their own guilt and shame. It’s been said that the toughest thing is to forgive yourself. So we’re told, it’s probably best to start with other people. It’s almost like peeling an onion. Layer by layer, forgiving others, you really do get to the point where you can forgive yourself. They had been totally forgiven and they needed to totally forgive themselves and move on.
2. They were FED.
On the beach of Galilee, the Lord Jesus had prepared a fish barbeque and invited His astonished disciples to “Come and dine.” John 21:12. Some of the profound events of the 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension was how He also fed them with spiritual food in a three-fold way. a) By opening their eyes that they might know Him Luke 24:31
b) By opening the Scriptures to see Him in the teachings of Moses and all the prophets Luke 24:44
c) By opening their understanding that they might (thoroughly) understand the Scriptures. Luke 24:45
It is extremely humbling to know that unless the Lord, by the Holy Spirit, opens our eyes to see and understand the Scriptures, we will remain in ignorance and darkness. Spiritual experience teaches us the truth of Jesus’ words in John 15:5 “without me you can do nothing.” But the converse is also true, that, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.” Philippians 4:13
3. They were FEARLESS.
In the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, stands the statue of a John Knox. He was the key leader of the Scottish Reformation and the founder of Presbyterianism in Scotland. At his graveside, Regent Morton said, “Here lies one who neither flattered nor feared any flesh.” He wasn’t interested in being politically correct; he was a 16th century John the Baptist and commonly known as the “Thundering Scot.”
Fearlessness was a common character trait found in Old Testament prophets and New Testament followers of Christ. It was one of the by-products of having spent much time in fellowship with Jesus. John, the beloved disciple, begins his first epistle by describing the intimacy of fellowship that he and the others had known with the Lord when he writes, “We are writing about the Word of Life, who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our own eyes, Whom we have gazed upon for ourselves and have touched with our own hands” I John 1:1 Amplified.
No wonder the high priest and those associated with him recognised “the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 NIV
4. They were FAITHFUL.
Biblical history records that without exception all those men who Jesus had called to follow Him, apart from the Apostle John, remained faithful to death, dying as martyrs. Tradition tells us that when Peter died as a martyr in Rome, he was given the choice of how he should die, he said, “I’d like to be crucified up-side-down because I am unworthy to die as my Lord died.”
Paul the Apostle, also died in Rome at the command of the emperor Nero, by being beheaded around the same time of Peter’s martyrdom. Paul summed up his faithfulness to Jesus by writing to Timothy, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” II Timothy 4:7
It is the Lord who only can make His followers fighters, finishers and keepers
