A Peace Meal

When I was a boy we used to go to Roaring River. It was a trout hatchery.  They would release all the fish at once and you would see all these trout swimming right in front of you. The kicker was you were not allowed to use live bait. Fishing there was one of the most annoying things I have ever done. I remember the time I caught my first fish. It was proceeded by my dad yelling at me for something I did wrong. I went from tears to joy, and then we sat down to eat the fish. Honestly, I didn’t think it tasted that good, and you know me, I love a variety of food. Maybe my palate was not as diverse at that time. For me, Roaring River was more about the huge water slide we rode down with a mat than it was about the fishing. It was awesome! Watching a million fish not take your bait, that was miserable.

Now fast forward to my college days. My Aunt Bea, who lived in Chicago, would help me out sometimes by picking me up from the airport and taking me back to school. My favorite memory of my Aunt Bea and Uncle Wally was the swimming pool they had in their house (they did pretty well). Once my Uncle Wally took me to a restaurant where I had Dover Sole for the first time. The memories of Roaring River all came back to me, but he convinced me to give the Sole a try. Wow! I thought I was eating the most amazing food I had ever tasted!

Today’s lesson includes fish. When I think about Jesus eating fish, I think of Dover Sole, not the trout at Roaring River. This is an important distinction for those who don’t like fish. Fish stands out for me in this passage for two huge reasons. First, Jesus is eating. He is revisiting one of the last deep moments He had with the disciples as they remember the upper room and the Last Supper. Think about all the memories that possibly came flooding back to the disciples’ minds as they see Jesus and eat with Him again. How many casual meals have they had with Him? Many. There were also those “big event” meals, like the feeding of the five thousand, dinner with Zacheaus, and of course, the Last Supper.  They could also be remembering all of the comments Jesus made at the Last Supper and how they all came true. Second, seeing the fish reminded them of how many of them gave up their livelihood as fisherman to come and follow Jesus, and now how they were asked to use those skills to fish for men. Fish was a way they made money, but it also reminded them of their personal family meals. If you have ever met a fisherman, you know how well they cook fish. This is not Long John Silver’s fish; it is the real deal, even without all our modern day seasonings and supplies. I am pretty sure these guys knew how to have a pretty great fish fry.

When you think about everything fish meant for them, it helps broaden our prospective to the richness and depth of what Jesus was doing. He was letting them know that He was living, but more than that, He was taking one of the most powerful foods of their lives and bringing all the craziness that had recently happened into context. Fishing also meant peaceful, quiet mornings. Now that Jesus was there with them, they could rest again and truly be at peace.

This weekend we will take some of these thoughts even deeper by asking ourselves some questions. In our lives, with what foods or in what places do we find Jesus? Where can we rest in the fact that Jesus knows us so well that He knows exactly what we need? It isn’t just the disciples Jesus walked with everyday; it is all of us! He is walking with YOU everyday!  He knows what you need to see Him do in your life, just like showing up for the disciples cooking a fish breakfast. But, I remind you, the disciples never prayed for fish, Jesus just knew. He is surprising like that.