OBEDIENCE AND BLESSING

JOHN 21:6

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

(John 21:6)

In response to Jesus’ question, “Have you caught anything?” the disciples simply said, “No.” You can just hear the fatigue and sense of failure in their voices. They did not even bother to offer any explanations or rationalizations. They simply admitted the truth that their nets remained empty even after a long night’s toil.

Jesus, then, said, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” One would think that the disciples would protest. Who was this Stranger who stood on the shore to give instructions to them? Maybe their refusal to respond stemmed from weariness. They were ready to try anything. Maybe it was something of the calmness, majesty, confidence, and authority in the Man’s voice. We don’t know. Whatever the reason, they simply and immediately obeyed. The passage says that they cast the nets on the right side of the boat, and they were not able to draw it in because of all the fish.

There are a few things we need to notice in this passage. First, Jesus did not come to the disciples early in the night. He came to them only after a long night of struggle. Sometimes God lets us continue for a time in our self-dependence to teach us the futility of our ways. He allows us to exhaust our strength, giving us opportunity to see our own impotence before He intercedes and carries us on the wings of His love, power, and grace.

Second, the disciples did not hesitate in their obedience. They didn’t question, they didn’t argue, they didn’t procrastinate. They listened and obeyed. This should be the response of all Christians to the commands of Christ. We should obey immediately no matter how strange or unbelievable that command might be. Too often, our response to Christ’s commands is argument and denial. Our ways have failed, but we aren’t ready to believe that God’s ways, which seem so foreign to us, can actually work.

But, as the disciples discovered, Christ can take a hopeless situation and surprise us with blessing. So great was the catch that they didn’t have the strength to haul it into the boat. The blessing of God overflowed, and so it shall be for all who trust in the Lord and live according to His ways and obey His commands.

CORAM DEO

Daniel 1–2

1 John 2

Trusting in God means obeying His commands. Too often, Christians say they are trusting in God, but they do not obey His Word. Some don’t even see the connection. Are you studying God’s Word, so that you can obey His commands and be ready for the trials of this life? Meditate on the verses below.

For further study: Prov. 3:5–6 • 1 John 2:3–11; 5:1–5

thursday

december