John 21:1-6

Before ending his gospel, John records one more day that the disciples had with the resurrected Jesus:

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” 

“No,” they answered. 

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. (John 21:1-6)

The disciples were apparently waiting around on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias, when Peter decided to do something. Courson points out that these disciples were not doing what Jesus had told them to do in Matthew 28:16, when He told them to go to a mountain in Galilee to wait for Him. Instead, they went to the beach. In fact, Peter decided to turn back to his old life as a fisherman. I wonder if Peter maybe had a little ADHD with his need to take action of some kind. We know he was impulsive! So he said, “I’m going fishing! Who’s with me?”

He jumped in the boat, and the others followed. They fished all night, but caught nothing – not one little fish! Isn’t that the way? We get tired of waiting on God, so we just jump in and start to do something – anything but sit around and wait. The results of our own efforts? Zilch!

But Jesus appeared in the morning and called to them, “Friends…” He did not chide them, He called them “Friends!” He told them to try the right side of the boat, to just move their nets by about five feet. And what do you know? More fish than they could manage! When the LORD tells us to do something, He will provide “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Does God have you in a holding pattern right now? Is He asking you to wait? If so, WAIT! He has a plan and a purpose for you. He knows where to help you find the biggest catch. The disciples went back to what they knew – to what was comfortable. But Jesus had a bigger and better plan. He had told them three years earlier that He would make them fishers of men. The time was coming. But they would have to wait.