Troubled Memories

Peter was back home in the Galilee. The women who had encountered the angel in the empty tomb of Jesus had told them that Jesus would go ahead of them into Galilee. So, he and the other ten disciples traveled from Jerusalem back home to the Galilee.

They had all seen the risen Jesus. Peter was sure of that. But now he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. For three years, he had followed Jesus. Now what?

Peter gazed out over the Sea of Galilee. This is where he had been fishing with his brother Andrew when he met Jesus for the first time. Three years before, after a night of fishing with no catch, Jesus told them to let down their nets. So many fish were in the nets that they began to break with the weight of them. He could still remember Jesus saying to him, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” He, Andrew, James and John all left their livelihood of fishing and followed Jesus.

The sea brought back so many memories. He remembered when they crossed over the stormy sea with Jesus. And he could never forget how Jesus had walked on water. Peter remembered every detail of that night when he too walked on water. But Peter also remembered what happened when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storm. He remembered the terror as he began to sink and called out to Jesus to save him. The words of Jesus still rang in his ears, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Thoughts of the sea were not the only memories that troubled Peter. Over and over in his mind he relived the night of Jesus’s arrest. Every time he remembered how he denied even knowing Jesus, it filled him with shame. Peter was horrified at what he had done.

His troubled gaze looked out over the sea again as the memory of his failures haunted him.

“I am going fishing,” said Peter.

Fishing was something he knew well. Something he was good at doing. James, John, Thomas, Nathaniel, and two more disciples wanted to fish with him.  

Peter had thought going fishing would bring him a little bit of joy. But they caught absolutely nothing all night. As the first streaks of daylight peaked over the mountains, Peter gave up on the idea of catching any fish.

He turned the boat toward the shore. As they came closer, they saw a man standing there.

“Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” asked the man.

“No,” came the terse reply.

“Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch,” he said.

They cast the net and when they began bringing it in, it was so full of fish they couldn’t haul it in.

It happened just the way it had the day Jesus called Peter and John to be disciples. John was the first to realize who was standing on the shore.

“It is the Lord,” said John.

Peter knew he was right. He grabbed his prayer shawl and jumped into the sea. He was anxious to see his Lord.

The other disciples came up in a smaller boat to assist bringing in bringing the incredible catch of 153 fish to shore.

By the time they all got out of the boats, Jesus was there cooking bread and fish over a charcoal fire.

“Bring some of the fish which you have now caught,” said Jesus.

Carla Killough McClafferty