Hints of Abundance – May 8, 2022
Psalm 67, John 21:1-14
May 8, 2022
Today we have this story of Jesus appearing to his disciples at the sea. And I’d like to start by reminding you of some of the things I’ve said about this story in the past.
In past years, I’ve pointed out how this story begins with the disciples going back to their previous lives. These men were fishermen, after all. And there may well have been some thought on their part that this “experience” with Jesus was now over, and that “it was time they got back to the life as it was before.”
But, as I’ve also said before, Jesus had “other plans.” For them, there would be no “life as it was before.” This “experience with Jesus’ was a turning point in their lives, (and in the world!) and there was no going back! And this story harkens back to the words they heard three years prior, when they first met Jesus by the sea. Do you remember? He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)
And then last year, I pointed out that all of this took place at the same spot by the sea where they first met Jesus. That hadn’t occurred to me before. But don’t we have to assume, when they said they were “going fishing,” that they were using their own boats, and that they went to the same place they usually conducted their fishing business? And that’s the place where they first encountered Jesus and heard his call to “follow me.”
That first time they were called to be disciples. Now they were receiving (or being reminded of) that call. And now they were being called again. Now they were being “commissioned” – this time as “Apostles.” That’s that special word that became their title. It’s a word that means “Ones who are sent.” Before, they were followers. Now they were ones who were sent out with the Gospel message!
So, this story today is all that. That’s what was happening there by the sea that day. These disciples are being told about their place in the kingdom of God, and what would be their role in this new thing called “the church.”
With all that in mind, the thing I want to point out today is that all of this takes place in the context of abundance. Because the way this story unfolds, it takes us back to Luke’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. In Luke chapter 5, the call of the disciples by the sea includes a similar story of those same fishermen catching a large number of fish.
In that story, Peter realizes what has just happened. He’s standing there in the boat, watching the men struggle with nets that were almost bursting, and he recognizes that he’s in the presence of somebody very special. He’s also painfully aware of his own doubt and cynicism at Jesus’ request to “let down the nets.” He says to him, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Do you remember that? And that’s when Jesus says to him, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” I love Luke’s account of this!
This story then, this call of the Apostles, has a similar scene of the disciples catching a huge number of fish. The description here actually uses a word you know I love! They caught a “plethora” of fish! That’s the Greek word here. “Plethos.” I think it’s no coincidence that this is a similar miracle. It not only served to remind them of the previous calling they received – and the event that happened at that time – but it also gave them this context of abundance!
Sometimes people in the Church miss that. They get the idea that the Christian life is all about austerity, about sacrifice, about “self-denial” and “doing without.” And there’s a time and place for such things, don’t get me wrong. But in all of that, we also need to remember that we follow a Savior who said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly!” (John 10:10)
Well, these fishermen were up to their knees in abundance that day. This was more than just a “hint” of abundance! This was a full-fledged “slap in the face” of abundance! And I think that was intentional on Jesus’ part. He wanted them to have this context, this experience of God’s abundance, as he sent them out with the Good News. And I think he wants us to know of his abundance, too!
Do we? Now of course, having God’s abundance doesn’t mean we’re all going to be rich. This is not about the “abundance of things.” It’s too easy to go right to that idea. But abundance is about us recognizing that the “treasure” we “store up,” for ourselves, is “treasure in heaven,” where, as Jesus said, “moth and rust do not consume, and thieves don’t break in and steal.” Abundance is about seeking the joy and the peace of God, which, as you’ve heard me say many times, is not dependent on the circumstances of our lives. The goal, and the benefit of the Christian life is having those things, it is recognizing God’s abundance, at all times – even though it is not necessarily abundance as the world might use that word!
We need to know that. And we need to seek to recognize those “hints of abundance” in our lives. Because it’s way too easy to focus on the “lack,” isn’t it? It’s way too easy to think of what we don’t have, then it is to think about what we do have!
Think about the ways we see God’s abundance is in the world around us. The beauty of a Spring Day is kind of cliché when we think in terms of God’s creation. But it’s a good cliché, isn’t it?! It does remind us of the eternal power of our creator. It shows what an amazing world he gave us! There is great beauty in a single leaf and in the vastness of the cosmos. But we should also be seeking those reminders of God’s power every day of the year!
We just passed Earth Day. It was April 22nd. Earth Day is a day set aside “To honor the Earth, and to dedicate ourselves to peace and the protection of our planet. The first Earth Day was in 1970. But two years later, Earth Day became associated with what has been called “The Blue Marble” photograph. If you haven’t seen that, Google it! It’s a picture of the entire earth, hanging like a blue marble in the vastness of space, and it was taken by the crew of Apollo 17. It’s a great snapshot of the power of God’s creation! When I see it, it reminds me of how incredible it is that God created all of that! As one author said, “God used an abundance of beauty in creation. God was almost wasteful with beauty!”
The same thing can be said of the beauty of God’s creation that we see in every person around us. That’s also a hint of God’s abundance! And it’s sad to me when I see people who don’t appreciate that, or when I see people who seem to have no regard for the environment. If you think about it, we, as God’s people, should be the greatest environmentalists! We should be the greatest humanitarians! Because we know the one who created it all! And we see, and we appreciate God’s abundance around us!
All of that, all of life, hints of God’s abundance. But we’ll miss it if we don’t look. And we’ll miss the abundance of God’s peace and joy if we don’t seek it. I’m sure we could all look back on times of our lives where we recognized such hints, and times we missed them. I know I can!
And sometimes I wonder if the boys out on the sea fishing might have missed it if Jesus hadn’t done what he did that day. Either way, I’m glad he did, and I’m glad we have their story! May it remind us to look for God’s abundance all around us, every day!
Prayer
Eternal God, Creator of the heavens and Earth, help us to see and to know your power in our lives. Help us to see your creative hand in our world, and in each other. Help us to see the hints of your abundance that you give us every day. And give us peace, knowing that you hold the whole world, and each of our lives, in your hands. For we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.