John 21:1–3

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”

They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

This is a perfect example of things going badly for a holy purpose. These disciples needed to catch nothing to set up Jesus’s grand entrance in the next few verses.

This starts out with Peter just randomly saying, “I am going fishing.”

Given the time (apparently evening, or night), it’s a curious choice. They’ve been disciples of the Lord for some time, and their sleep patterns have been normal.

Peter’s announcement has the feel of him saying, “I just need some ‘me’ time.” He wants to do something normal to settle his soul and give him time to think, even if it’s at a time where he should be asleep. Still, it feels impulsive.

But this sounds good to everyone else, so they say, “We are going with you also.” Unfortunately, that night they caught nothing.

For these guys, on this sea (Tiberias, AKA Galilee), catching nothing is an off-night. They literally pull an all-nighter fishing and the whole thing is a bust.

Or is it?

Fishing can be a source of shalom. Many great quips speak to the wisdom of this.

“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” — Henry David Thoreau

Here’s a list with some real keepers.

https://www.liveoutdoors.com/fishing/241195-30-of-the-all-time-best-fishing-quotes/

The disciples’ non-catch that night will become the launching point for an important encounter with the risen Lord. With His help, they will catch a huge number of fish.

Still, I can’t shake the image of them jokingly replying to Jesus with, “Why’d you go and ruin a perfect night with all these fish?”

Then again, they were hungry.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Saturday DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.