Reflective Bible Study

Following Jesus’ resurrection, John records in his gospel an interesting event that I am a little surprised the other gospel writers don’t include. In this event, we find a group of Jesus disciples back by the Sea of Galilee headed out to go fishing. John describes what happened at the start of the last chapter of his gospel.

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as 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.” (v. 1-3)

This event, with just a couple more individuals added to it, begins to look like an earlier event that another gospel writer records early on in Jesus’ ministry. Perhaps catching nothing was something that happened regularly, so it may not have been as abnormal, but I also wonder if the disciples were pestering each other saying they must have gotten out of practice having not fished for a few years.

John continues by saying, “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.” (v. 4)

I wonder if it was because of the distance that made the disciples unable to recognize Jesus, or perhaps He was dressed differently. John had already shared that this was the third time Jesus had appeared to them, so at the very least, some of them would have seen Him before.

In this event, Jesus then calls out to them in the boat, asking “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” (v. 5a)

Probably with a bit of discouragement in their voices, they answer “No.” (v. 5b)

At this point in the event, we begin to see the biggest parallel to an earlier event. Jesus then responds to the disciples by saying, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” (v. 6a)

With this statement, Jesus echoes an earlier direction that led into a miracle leading up to the first fishermen disciples being called. Luke describes this earlier event as Jesus heading out to fish with these disciples after they have had an unsuccessful night of fishing. While discouraged, these first followers obey and they have one of the best catches of their career. (Luke 5)

Here at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, we find a similar event, and when the disciples obeyed Jesus, “they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” (v. 6b)

This event echoes how the first group of fishermen disciples were called. I wonder if this after-resurrection event was a new call for these followers to reset their relationship with Jesus and start fresh with Him. After they all had abandoned Him in the garden, I wonder if Jesus intentionally repeats this earlier miracle to give them a new call and invitation to restart their journey again with Him. When we choose to come to Jesus after failing, He is willing to forgive and start fresh with us!

In one of the most famous parts of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we find one of the most amazing promises that Jesus shared during His earthly ministry. Within this section of the message, many people have found both encouragement as well as reason for doubt.

This section begins with Jesus saying, “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.” (v. 7-8)

The self-help movement within Christianity sprang up around these two verses because in them, Jesus shares a repeatable process and principle. I think these two verses are also incredibly popular because they work without Jesus as well. When looking at these two verses, there is very little here that points to Jesus.

But Jesus hasn’t finished sharing on this topic. He continues by saying, “Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.” (v. 9-11)

With this explanation, Jesus brings faith into the discussion, while He also brings in a framework for understanding how God answers prayer. In these three verses explaining this concept, Jesus helps us understand the answers we may receive that are not what we would have wanted. All the “No’s”, “Wait’s”, and substitution answers may feel like God is ignoring our requests, but this famous set of five verses holds the key to how God answers prayer.

The key to understanding how God answers our asking, seeking, and knocking has to do with what our request is, and the best possible response. While Jesus rhetorically asks whether a parent would give a bad gift to a child when he/she asks for something they need, the same could be said in reverse. What parent would give their child something that will harm them if the child asked for it? If you knew a gift would injure your child, would you still give them the gift?

God, being the perfect parent, knows what the best response to every request we ask, every goal we seek, and every door we knock on. While it might feel like He is rejecting or ignoring our requests, these responses may be Him telling us that the timing isn’t right, that we need to grow more, or that what we are asking for will ultimately harm us in the long run. Faith comes into play regarding whether we are willing to accept His answer to our request.

And this promise isn’t reserved for just Christians. God loves everyone He created, and He “is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.” (v. 11b)

So while we are called to ask, to seek, and to knock, we are also called to trust God the Father’s guidance and His direction. He will open doors that will help us; He will help us find the best things for our situation, and He is happy to give us things that truly will bless us. He loves us, and He cares for our eternal future above all else.

During one of Jesus’ conversations with the crowds that followed Him, John tells us that Jesus said some perplexing things. In this conversation, I believe Jesus hints at something important, and something that is very challenging.

Jesus opens up this passage restating an idea He has previously shares. John tells us that “Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. You can’t come where I am going.’” (v. 21)

The phrase that really stands out in my mind in this larger statement is when Jesus tells them, “You will look for me, and you will die in your sin.” (v. 21)

On the surface, this sounds backward. After all, shouldn’t we be looking for Jesus?

Perhaps Jesus knew He might be misunderstood, so a few verses later, He restates this idea using a slight shift in wording. John records Jesus’ restating this as “I told you that you would die in your sins. This will happen if you don’t believe that I am he. If you don’t believe, you will certainly die in your sins.” (v. 24)

When comparing these two statements, we begin to see that seeking Jesus does not always mean we will end up placing our faith in Him. Not everyone who seeks Jesus will believe He is the Messiah. There will be those who seek and find Jesus, but who ultimately choose to reject Him. These people will die in their sins.

However, there will be those who put their faith in Jesus and believe He is the one who God sent for us. Those of us who believe in Jesus and believe Him to be our Messiah do not die in our sins. Instead, we have Jesus’ promise of heaven and eternal life.

I believe that Jesus should be where our belief is focused, and that belief in Jesus is the only way to have eternal life. But I also believe that not everyone will be saved, and that not everyone will choose Jesus when they have found Him. Looking for Jesus is important, but believing in Him is the only way to find salvation for eternity!

While reading about the birth of Jesus, a phrase stood out to me that I never noticed before. I don’t know how many times I have read this, but I guess God keeps showing me new things when I open up the Bible to read with His guidance.

In the second half of verse 21, we read the angel telling Joseph, “For He [Jesus] will save His people from their sins.”

This is the big overall mission of Jesus’ life as told to Jesus’ earthly father, but something interesting that I never saw until now is the phrase “His people” in this statement: “for He will save His people from their sins.”

The angel could have said Jesus would save all of humanity from their sins, but he doesn’t. The angel could have said Jesus would save all of “God’s people” from their sins, but he doesn’t. Instead, the angel tells Joseph that Jesus will save all of Jesus’ people from their sins.

So who exactly are “Jesus’ people”?

When reading this, and seeing what could have been vs. what is, I am lead to believe that saying “Jesus’ people” means all of those people who have put their faith and hope in Jesus, as their “sacrificial lamb” to pay the price for their sins. Those living before the cross had the symbol of the crucifixion and of Jesus through the sacrifice/death of a lamb, and all of us living after the cross have the crucifixion event as an even clearer picture of this truth.

By accepting the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice, we align ourselves with Him and become one of His people. This can be summed up with the phrase “trust and obey”: We trust in His sacrifice, and we show that we love and accept Him by obeying what He has told us to do.

In the angel’s message, we see Jesus creating a new group of people: His people – and this group of people would overlap but also be distinct from all groups of people before it.