Deep Water
You have to love Peter. He was the Apostle that Jesus left in charge. “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.” He was the first Pope, charged with spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth after Jesus' death and resurrection.
But, he could be a loose canon. On the night of Jesus betrayal, he took out his knife and cut off the soldier's ear. Jesus didn't have enough trouble that night, he had to take time to heal the poor guy's ear.
Now, here he is in today's Gospel. Jesus has appeared and told the Apostles to throw out their nets for a catch, after they've been fishing all night and caught nothing, a situation that I can relate to. They're 100 yards from shore, the length of a foot ball field. John doesn't tell us how deep the water was, but they caught 153 large fish, so it must have been pretty deep, too deep for Peter to wade ashore. He had to swim the 100 yards.
Meanwhile, the other Apostles, the ones Jesus didn't leave in charge, turned the boat around and headed back.
The Gospel doesn't say who got back first. You have to think that Peter would have had to be a heck of a swimmer to get there ahead of five guys in a boat. It says that when the apostles climbed out of the boat, they saw a fire with fish on it and bread and that Jesus sent Peter to get some more fish. So, if Peter didn't get there first, he got there shortly after the others.
This is the third time Jesus has appeared to the Apostles since his resurrection. He fixed them dinner and ate with them to show that He was truly resurrected, and not just a spirit or a ghost. After all, ghosts don't eat.
But, to get back to Peter. He sets an interesting example for all of us. At times, like in the first reading, he can be a brilliant speaker, very pursuasive. As we know, he was successful in his mission or we wouldn't be here today. But he was an exhuberant son of a gun.
It makes me wonder, what would we do if we saw Jesus standing on the shore. Would we be the reasonable ones, turning the boat around and paddling, warm and dry, to the place where He stood? Or would we be like Peter, so excited, so anxious to be in the Lord's presence, that we'd jump into water over our heads and swim for it? I think we all get in over our heads many times. Are we willing to do it for Jesus? It's something to think about.
But, he could be a loose canon. On the night of Jesus betrayal, he took out his knife and cut off the soldier's ear. Jesus didn't have enough trouble that night, he had to take time to heal the poor guy's ear.
Now, here he is in today's Gospel. Jesus has appeared and told the Apostles to throw out their nets for a catch, after they've been fishing all night and caught nothing, a situation that I can relate to. They're 100 yards from shore, the length of a foot ball field. John doesn't tell us how deep the water was, but they caught 153 large fish, so it must have been pretty deep, too deep for Peter to wade ashore. He had to swim the 100 yards.
Meanwhile, the other Apostles, the ones Jesus didn't leave in charge, turned the boat around and headed back.
The Gospel doesn't say who got back first. You have to think that Peter would have had to be a heck of a swimmer to get there ahead of five guys in a boat. It says that when the apostles climbed out of the boat, they saw a fire with fish on it and bread and that Jesus sent Peter to get some more fish. So, if Peter didn't get there first, he got there shortly after the others.
This is the third time Jesus has appeared to the Apostles since his resurrection. He fixed them dinner and ate with them to show that He was truly resurrected, and not just a spirit or a ghost. After all, ghosts don't eat.
But, to get back to Peter. He sets an interesting example for all of us. At times, like in the first reading, he can be a brilliant speaker, very pursuasive. As we know, he was successful in his mission or we wouldn't be here today. But he was an exhuberant son of a gun.
It makes me wonder, what would we do if we saw Jesus standing on the shore. Would we be the reasonable ones, turning the boat around and paddling, warm and dry, to the place where He stood? Or would we be like Peter, so excited, so anxious to be in the Lord's presence, that we'd jump into water over our heads and swim for it? I think we all get in over our heads many times. Are we willing to do it for Jesus? It's something to think about.
posted by Mike at 7:43 PM
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