Clothesline 249 "Lucia and a fish story"

If you ever get the chance, read the Gospel of John—in its entirety—at the same time! I know, I know it would be time consuming, but I guarantee, you will come away with a deeper sense of the Jesus you love and worship. Part of seminary was reading the entire Gospel of John, in one sitting. For me, however, it was while walking around my dorm room. I used to fall asleep reading if the assignment was too long!

This past Sunday we read John 21, the final chapter of his Gospel, and it is believed to be an epilogue, of sorts, written by John much later than the rest of the Gospel, surely to do what an epilogue was meant to do: tie up a few loose ends…and John does it with a fish story.

The apostles have returned to their former profession: fishing. Surely they thought a lot about Jesus and his Resurrection, but they still had to put food on the table. So they go back to what they know. They fish all night and they catch nothing. Enter Jesus on the shore, who is not at first recognized. Remember, he now exists in what is known as a “resurrected body.” So, he appears to be a stranger, standing on the shore, and he says to the disciples, “Did you catch anything?” to which they reply, “Nothing!” And the “stranger” tells them to drop their nets off the right side of the boat. Why they did what they were told, we don’t know, but they hauled in so many fish that their nets were breaking! And when they came ashore, Jesus cooked them a breakfast of bread and fish!

I often wonder what it must have been like for those fifty days after the Resurrection. Jesus appeared to hundreds of people, showing his Resurrected body, making his Godliness known to those who believed and surely to those who were still unsure. While I wonder what those visits were like, I’m reminded that we can see those precious “visits” even today—if we have eyes to see them.

On Easter Sunday I baptized a four-month-old baby who looked at me constantly, as if she knew every word I was saying: “Lucia, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…

Lucia, you are marked as Christ’s own forever!” I choose to believe that she now knows the Risen Lord, if only in her innermost being. And when she comes to herself, she will be joyful in the knowledge that Jesus is her Savior and will stand by her forever, just as he stands with you and me. Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!