"It Is The Lord!"

"Today's Devotion" For April 22, 2006

Read: John 21:1-14; Matthew 14:22-36

"IT IS THE LORD!"

"Therefore the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' (John 21:7)

It's already a week after Easter. Many children are heading back to school on Monday after an Easter vacation. Teachers also will be getting back in their classrooms, greeting their charges as they've done almost everyday of the school year. There's a familiarity and fondness that develops between teachers and their students for the most part, especially among the younger children. While they've had a break from each other, teachers and children will go back to their "familiar spaces" with each other. Of course, such familiarity doesn't just apply to teachers and their students. Perhaps you have a good friend that you haven't seen for awhile. Have you ever noticed how seeing such a friend again after, perhaps, a long while, brings back fond memories and feelings for that person? Perhaps you've noticed that the last conversation you had with your friend is where you pick up - never missing a beat.

A comparison of the two readings for today gives some support to the aforementioned circumstances. Earlier in His ministry, Jesus had fed the five thousand and sent the Twelve ahead of Him while He remained behind to pray. In the middle of the night, while the disciples were experiencing some heavy seas, Jesus came walking to them on the water. Matthew tells us that they were terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus called out to calm their fears and assure them that it was He. Peter, ever the "prove it" sort of guy, responded, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water" (Mt. 14:28).

Well, we know the rest of the story. Peter got out of the boat, starting walking on the water, lost his focus on Jesus, got lost in the waves, and began to sink. Jesus reached out to save him and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Mt. 14:31). Of course, it's not too difficult for us to relate to Peter's doubts. Would any of us attempted to walk on the water? Who can say? Yet, we can be certain that the power of Sin in our lives, just as it was in Peter life, has the strong tendency to get us to take our focus off of Jesus.

Yet the final chapter wasn't written in Peter's life with Jesus as he was sinking below the waves. As time went on and Jesus got closer and closer to the Cross and His crucifixion, the disciples began to know Him better. Peter, for one, really knew Him well. He loved Him. He also continued to fall flat on his face spiritually because of his stubbornness and brashness. Yet Jesus held him close to His heart. They were not just Teacher and student; they were also friends.

Fast forward to the days following Jesus' resurrection. Peter and others of the disciples went fishing - their livelihood. After a long night of fruitless fishing they were ready to give it up. Along comes a stranger on the shore who tells them to put their nets into the sea on the other side of the boat. Having nothing to lose, they did so. Lo and behold, they had a catch of fish so big they couldn't haul it in. At that, John (he's usually understood to be "the disciple whom Jesus loved") recognizes his good friend, Jesus, and lets Peter know. And there goes Peter. Forgetting the nets and the help needed to pull the catch in, he leaps out of the boat and gets to shore. He's excited to see Jesus and his behavior, as always, shows his love for his Lord.

The last time Peter and Jesus got together on the water, followed Jesus' miraculous feeding of the Five Thousand with a little bread and a few fish. When the rest of the fishing party returned to shore, they saw that familiar meal again - fish and bread - and received Jesus' invitation to eat. Peter jumps into the boat, drags in the catch of fish by himself, and they all had breakfast. John is very clear that none of them dared ask who Jesus' was - they knew. And, when He took the bread and the fish and gave it to them, their certainty couldn't have been any greater - just as had been the case with the Emmaus disciples.

"It is the Lord!" The disciples were certain of it. His familiar words and actions, especially after the trauma of His crucifixion and the wonder of His resurrection, gave them hope and peace. He brought the fish into their nets, giving them their daily bread, and He carried on with breakfast and fellowship as if nothing had ever happened. "It is the Lord!" is also our cry of hope, joy, and peace as we experience Jesus touching our lives each day with "our daily bread" - not just with food and clothing but also with His love, grace, and mercy. These are His familiar ways with us - ways we know He is with us and brings His forgiveness to bear in our lives. With John we cry, "It is the Lord!", as we recognize Jesus' hand at work in the world around us - as He works through us to touch the lives of others with His love and forgiveness. "It is the Lord!" is a cry of familiarity and confession as we live our lives for Jesus, confident in His presence with us each day in every circumstance and situation. "It is the Lord!" gives us hope and confidence to do His Will and live for Him - confidence unto eternal life with Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You for taking my sins upon Your head and bearing the punishment for Sin that I deserve to pay. I thank You for assuring me of Your resurrection through the testimony of the apostles, to whom You appeared in order to assure them that You had overcome death and the grave for us all. As I see their response to Your actions, knowing it was You who walked among them once again because You continue to do the familiar things such as providing their daily bread in body, soul, and spirit. Help me to see You with the same familiarity, so that when things are at their worst, I will always see You at Your best - knowing, despite all indications to the contrary, that You are with me and uplift me with Your grace and love. Help me to share You with others that they, too, might become familiar with You and see Your work in their lives - Your blessings, Your love, and Your forgiveness - everyday. Hear my prayer, precious Savior. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 The Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.