ヨハネによる福音書21:1-14
Jesus, who died on the cross and rose again for our salvation, appeared to his disciples in his resurrected body many times. On the evening of Easter Sunday, and again eight days later, he appeared to the disciples and said, “Peace be with you.” And even the doubting Thomas, who at first refused to believe in Jesus’ resurrection, became a believer when he met the resurrected Jesus.
Some of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen who fished in the Lake Galilee. They were Peter, his brother Andrew, James and his brother John. It was on the banks of the Lake Galilee that these men first met Jesus. It was also in this region of Galilee that Jesus chose his disciples to begin his work as Saviour. So Peter and the other six disciples returned from the city of Jerusalem to the banks of the familiar Lake Galilee. They must have been thinking a lot about what they were going to do with their lives.
Then suddenly Peter said, “I am going fishing.” He must have felt that from now on he would return to his former life as a fisherman. The other disciples said, “We will go with you,” and got into the boat and put out a little from shore. They fished all night, but caught nothing. While they were wondering why they could not catch anything, someone called out to them from the shore, asking if they had any fish. The disciples replied, “No.” The man said, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So the disciples did as they were told and cast the net on the right side of the boat, and to their surprise, so many fish were caught in the net that they could not haul it in. How strange! Yes, it was actually the resurrected Jesus who told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. Come to think of it, when Peter first became a disciple of Jesus, he also did as Jesus told him and caught a lot of fish. When John realised it was the resurrected Jesus, he said, “It is the Lord!” Peter jumped into the lake, swam to the shore and met Jesus. The other disciples dragged the net full of fish and came in the boat. The boat was only about 90 metres from the shore.
The disciples returned to shore and had their morning meal with Jesus, eating bread and fish. Jesus had previously performed a miracle on the banks of the Lake Galilee with five loaves and two fish, feeding many people and telling them, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). The disciples would surely have remembered that moment. Then Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:51). Having received the bread and fish from the resurrected Jesus, the disciples must have been very happy to know that those who believe in him can have eternal life. We cannot see the resurrected Jesus in person as the disciples did. However, we can meet Jesus in heaven through the Scriptures and the Sacrament of Holy Communion at Sunday church services.