The Lord Provides

In John 20, we discovered how Jesushad appeared to his disciples on two occasions after his resurrection. Heappeared in a locked room to all of them but Thomas on the first day of theweek, in the evening (John 20:19-25). A week later, he appeared to all of themagain, including Thomas, in the same locked room (John 20:26-29).

As a result of these appearances,the disciples confirmed and believed that Jesus had risen again. They alsorecognized him definitively as the one true God, the Lord of all. By believingon Jesus this way, they had begun a new lifelong relationship with God based uponwho Jesus was and what he had done (John 20:30-31).

In John 21, we discover that Jesusappeared to his disciples a third time. This time, however, he did not appear forthe purpose of confirming his resurrection. He appeared to teach these men whohad believed on him how to live out their faith day by day.

His first two appearances had an “evangelistic” emphasis, while this one had a “discipleship” or “Christian growth” emphasis. The first had a “faith generating” emphasis, while this one had a “faith building” emphasis.

This is where we struggle, isn’t it?We believe that Jesus is our God and Savior. We believe that he is the Lord. Webelieve that he has given us eternal life. We even believe that we will be withhim forever when we die.

But what about today? What about theregular things we face every day? It’s easier to believe God with what happensto us in eternity than with how we will put food on the table each day, isn’tit?

From this third post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples, we learn that Jesus meets the needs of those who follow him as Lord.

Jesus meets the needs of those who follow him as Lord.

After the disciples had seen theLord a second time, they were uncertain about what to do next. Though he had returnedto them, he was no longer leading them around, teaching and performing miracleslike before. He was back from the grave, but he wasn’t with them all the timelike before. What’s more, he planned to return soon to heaven, leaving thembehind for good (John 20:17).

What would they do? How would theyfeed themselves and provide for their families? How would they spend their timeif Jesus was no longer walking with them and teaching them as before? They hadto do something, or food and money would run out. They had an “empty fridge”and a “low balance.”

In this state of limbo, Peter made aproposal to six other disciples. He said, “I am going fishing” (John 21:3).What did he mean by this announcement? On one hand, he was not suggesting ashort, recreational fishing trip to clear their minds for a day. On the otherhand, he was not abandoning the Lord by throwing himself wholeheartedly intohis former profession. He was solving a problem the best way he knew how – byfishing.

So why did he decide to go fishing?Traveling with Jesus had provided the disciples with more than teaching andmentorship. It had also provided them with financial income. Though they didnot travel with Jesus for the purpose of financial gain, it was a residualoutcome of their labor, nonetheless.

Jesus himself taught that those whodevote their lives to full-time gospel ministry should receive financialsupport (Matt 10:10; Luke 10:7-8). Paul repeated this emphasis in a letter to agroup of churches (Gal 6:6) and in a letter to a pastor named Timothy (1 Tim5:18).

During the ministry of Jesus, peoplecontributed money, housing, and other necessary resources to support theteaching ministry of Jesus and his disciples. Philip referred to this money atthe feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:5-13). Furthermore, Jesus had assigned JudasIscariot the responsibility of managing those funds (John 12:6).

We also know that the apostle Paul would later resort to his former occupation as a leather smith to make ends meet when the church did not meet those needs (Acts 18:3). He did this on at least three occasions: 1) when he pastored the church at Corinth (1 Cor 9:12), 2) the church at Thessalonica (1 Thess 3:7-10), and 3) the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:33-35). Yet, during these times, he also relied on supplemental income from other sympathetic churches (2 Cor 11:7-9; Phil 4:16-19).

So then, the NT provides a precedentfor “tent-making” pastors in certain occasions, when a church is eitherspiritually or financially unable to provide full support. Even so, “tent-making”pastors are not a normal pattern that the Bible promotes.

Now after the resurrection of Jesus,Judas (the group accountant) had died and popular opinion had turned againstJesus (and his message). So how would these men proceed? How would they putfood on the table? What would they do with their lives?

With money in short supply and with theirrevenue stream dried up, Peter made a sensible decision and refused to be lazy(cf. 1 Thess 3:6-15). He returned to his former occupation, which was fishing.In fact, this was the former occupation of many of the disciples, so togetherthese seven returned to fishing in what seems to have been Peter’s former boat(“the boat,” John 21:2-3). From this event, we learn that …

We fail in life when we escape to our work.

Wecan commend Peter and the other six men for taking action. After all, “ifanyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess 3:10). There is nothingsinful about fishing, either as an occupation or as a hobby. But fishing iswrong when you rely on fishing or when you run to fishing whenyou are supposed to be doing something else.

Sowhat can we learn from how the disciples returned to fishing to meet theirneeds? The words of Jesus answer that question for us.

WhenJesus spoke, these seven men had been out on the boat all night. They wereexperienced fishermen working from a familiar boat in familiar waters. Butafter a full night of work, they had caught nothing.

That’swhen Jesus appeared to them. He was on the shore and they were on the boat,about one hundred yards away from shore (John 21:8). (That’s the same distance asa football field or equal to the height of the Statue of Liberty.)

Fromthat distance, in the dusk of the morning, after a long, tiring night offishing, and perhaps in a bit of a fog, the disciples could not see the Lordclearly enough to identify him. But he called to them and asked, “Children,have you any food?” They answered him, “No,” not knowing who he was (John21:5).

Doyou see what Jesus is asking? “After all that work you put in last night,despite your professional skill and experience as fishermen, did you catchanything at all?”

Iwonder if this Q&A with Jesus reminded the disciples of what he had taughtthem days before? He had said, “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

It isfascinating to recognize that whether you are serving the Lord full time as apastor or working in secular employer (like fishing) as a disciple of the Lord,you will not succeed as you should until you obey Jesus as Lord. These skilledmen had worked hard all night with no results. But Jesus (who was aconstruction worker by trade, not a fisherman) told them what to do. Only whenthey obeyed him as Lord, doing what he said – even in fishing – did theysucceed.

We succeed in life when we follow Jesus as Lord.

Whenthe disciples admitted their lack of success, Jesus said, “Cast the net on theright side of the boat, and you will find some [fish]” (John 21:6). Rather thanargue with this unidentified stranger, they took the chance and followed hisadvice. That’s how exasperated they had become.

Theresults were immediate and astounding. They caught so many large fish (onehundred fifty-three, to be precise) that they couldn’t pull the net back intothe boat (John 21:6, 11). At that moment, John realized first who this personwas, so he said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7).

In response to this discovery, Peter immediately put on his outer layer of clothing (John 21:7). He did this because of the cultural expectation that a person dress properly to greet someone and he had been wearing only his underclothes out on the boat. Then he plunged himself into the water so that he could swim to Jesus.

IfPeter had been running away from the Lord by fishing (rather than simplyattempting to meet some needs), then we would anticipate a different response here.He would have been reluctant to meet the Lord. But the exuberance of Peter tosee the Lord for a third time indicates that he wanted to see the Lord, not runfrom him. In fact, it seems to be what he had been waiting for.

AsPeter swam to shore, the other six disciples stayed in the boat and dragged thenet of fish to land (John 21:8). Once there, they saw that Jesus had prepared acharcoal fire and was cooking bread and fish (John 21:9). You see, Jesus didn’tneed their fish, nor did he labor all night to get his fish. He already had hisown and was prepared to share it with them.

Atthis point, he asked them to contribute some of their own fish to the meal(John 21:10). That’s when Peter single-handedly pulled the net full of fish tothe land (John 21:11). That he was able to do this indicates that Peter was avery strong man indeed. More importantly, by asking them to contribute theirown fish (which they had caught after following his command), Jesus revealedhis approval of their work, but specifically their work done in obedience tohim.

Aftertheir fish had been added, Jesus served them a hot breakfast of bread and fish(John 21:12-13). This dramatic and fascinating breakfast episode was the thirdtime that Jesus had appeared to his disciples after the resurrection (John21:14). What does it teach us?

Thisappearance focuses on teaching believers how to follow Jesus as Lord ratherthan on teaching nonbelievers to believe on Jesus as Lord.

First, it teaches us to trust Jesus as the Lord who provides even through our secular work.

We should rely on him as the Lord who provides. Though we should be willing and ready to work, we should rely on the Lord even in our work.

Sometimeswe mistakenly think that following the Lord will leave us in poverty. When thishappens, we easily make work our priority and serving the Lord a secondarypursuit. But Jesus warned against this outlook. We cannot serve two masters(Matt 6:24). That is why we should seek first the kingdom of God, then allthese other things (like fish, bread, clothing and housing, and income) will beadded to us (Matt 6:33). No matter what work or Christian service is beforeyou, Paul tells us that “God shall supply all your need according to his richesin glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19).

Second, we should obey his commands in our work because he is Lord over our work.

Not only is he the Lord who provides, but he is the Lord who presides. Whether you are an employee or an employer, you should do your work as though the Lord is your supervisor – because he is your supervisor. He is your Lord! (Eph 6:5-9; Col 3:22-4:1).

Not only is he the Lord who provides, but he is the Lord who presides.

Today,we do not havethe Lord walking around with us. Whether you are a person who serves the Lordfull time (like me) or someone who works another vocational job but serves Godas a disciple nonetheless, you should not allow your worry over financial andmaterial provision or success overshadow your calling to be a disciple ofChrist. Your work should not prevent you from participating and contributing toyour church, reaching people with the gospel and helping them to grow in theirChristian life.

Following the Lord as a disciple is not something to do inyour spare time. Nor is it a secondary pursuit. Thomas said, “My Lord and myGod” (John 20:28). This belief is not necessary for becoming a Christianalone. It is a belief that should transform the way you live your entire life,including the way you go about earning an income and providing for yourmaterial needs and the needs of your family.

Can you look at your professional life and say, “I am doingit the way the Lord wants me to do it. The Lord, not my work, is running mylife. I am serving Christ and following his priorities first and foremost. I ammaking biblical choices with eternal priorities, trusting him with the way thatthis affects my employment and career.”

Friend, believing on Jesus does more than give you a home inheaven. It gives you a blueprint for living right now. Every day of the weekyou should follow Jesus as Lord, go about your work with Jesus as your Lord,and trust in Jesus as Lord who meets your needs.

Also, I will add that if you follow Jesus into full timeministry, then you can trust the Lord to provide for your needs. Do not viewsecular employment as a more “secure” and “stable” option. The only securityyou have in life is following Jesus as your Lord, whether that be in secularemployment or full time Christian service.

Yes, full time Christian service relies on the freewillofferings of those you serve. But in the end, whether a church provides foryour needs or a business pays you, it is God who puts the fish into your net inevery case – in every career, in every profession. Follow him as Lord day today, don’t just believe on him for heaven (Luke 11:3). Make his priorities yourpriorities. Let him take care of the rest.