Story of the Month
Peter’s Breakfast
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They always ended up at his house. Peter didn’t know why, but they did. From the very beginning, they all seemed to take their cure from Peter.
Today, Peter was frustrated and short-tempered. It had been three weeks since Jesus had been crucified. It had been less than three weeks since Mary had come running on that Sunday morning with the incredible, the impossible news – “He is alive again!” Peter had even seen Jesus himself, twice, since then. And both times Jesus had greeted them the same way. ‘Peace be with you.”
But Peter was anything but at peace. He simply did not understand why the other disciples still came around. Didn’t they understand what he had done? Yet here they were in his house – Nathaniel, Thomas, James and John, and two others. They all seemed to look at Peter and say with their eyes, “What should we do now?”
Peter wanted to shout at them, “I have no idea what to do!” Instead all he said was, “I’m going fishing.” Thomas jumped up first. “I’ll go with you,” he said eagerly. The Zebedee boys jumped up behind him and then all the rest followed Peter down to the docks.
By the time they got the boat ready to launch, it was getting dark. They went anyway. Night can bring you some of the best fishing. But that wasn’t the point for Peter.
They fished throughout the night…and they didn’t catch a thing. Wherever they went on the lake it was the same thing. It was as if the fish knew where they were going to cast the nets and swam en mass to the opposite side of the lake just to taunt them.
By the time the sun began to rise, Peter was ready to burst with frustration. Still, he didn’t want to make a scene in the boat with no place to walk away to. So he began to take deep breaths (inhale and exhale three times).
That’s when he caught the sent of grilled fish…and the aroma of rosemary and sage blended in. And Peter realized that he was hungry! And he saw off on the shore about a hundred yards away, a man bent over a fire grilling fish. How had he been able to catch anything?
The man waved to them and Thomas waved back. The man called to them, “Have you caught anything?” They all shook their heads no.
“Why don’t you try throwing your nets tot he right side of the boat?” He called.
They all looked at Peter. “What should we do?” they seemed to ask with their eyes.
Why were they looking to him for a decision. Wasn’t it obvious? He couldn’t possibly be considered a leader. Didn’t they remember?
Oh, sure he was the one who had said before any of them, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” And Peter was the one who said, his voice filled with pride, “I will never leave you! I will die for you!” And he was the one who stood by a coal fire warming his hands and swore up and down that he had never met Jesus. So why were they looking to him now? All he could think to say was, “Why not? What difference can it make?”
They threw the nets over to the right side and almost immediately the boat began to lurch! They looked out. FISH! Hundreds of them! They were filling the net as if they were begging to be caught and hauled to the beach.
John, the one everyone liked, said to Peter, “You know who that is on the beach don’t you? It is the Lord!” Peter didn’t have to be told twice. He couldn’t wait for the boat to be turned around or for the nets to be pulled in. Jesus might be gone by then. So he pulled the cloths on that he’d taken off for the work – hey it gets hot out there and fish are messy! – and dove into the water. He couldn’t wait to see Jesus!
When he got to dry land, he found Jesus cooking breakfast. Jesus motioned for him to hand him the oven so he could bake bread. Peter handed him the metal dome without a word and watched as Jesus put it over the glowing embers. When it was hot, Jesus poured the dough over it. The bread cooked quickly and Peter watched silently as Jesus gingerly flipped the bread over with his fingers.
About this time the others landed on the beach. They came up the beach from their boat and gathered around Jesus. He smiled as he looked up at them, “Are you ready for breakfast?” Then he began to break the bread and pass it around to each of them. When he came to peter he paused and said, “Simon, son of john, do you love me?”
Peter lowered his eyes, “Yes, Lord, I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” Then he went and picked up the fish. He began to break it up and he handed it out to each of them. When he came to Peter, he paused again and said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter took a deep breath and said quietly, “Master, you know I do.”
Jesus said, “Then care for my lambs.” And then like a mother who has to make sure all of the kids have gotten enough at the table before anyone gets up, Jesus took the rest of the food and carried it around again. When he got to Peter, her paused for a third time. “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
This hurt so much! Sometimes the cure hurts just as much as the sickness. Peter’s eyes were filling up with tears. They could all see it. Finally he answered. No pride, no bravado this time. There was just humility and submission.
He said, “Master, you know me. You know my heart. You know everything there is to know. You know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Tend to my sheep.”
Then Jesus sat down next to Peter and put his arm around him. Peter’s big head came down to Jesus’ shoulder and he began to weep silently. They sat there for what seemed like a very long time.
When hiss eyes were close to dry again, Jesus lifted up his head and said, “Peter, when you were young, you use to dress yourself and you would run off where ever you pleased. But the day is coming when someone else will dress you and they will take you where you don’t want to go. Do you understand?”
Peter looked into Jesus’ eyes. There was so much to see in those eyes! “I think I do.” He said.
Jesus said, “Good. I think you are ready Peter. Don’t worry about leading. Just follow me.”
Don’t forget to check out our ‘Tips for Telling’ this month as well
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