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.
But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No."
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.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net of fish.
Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."
Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.
Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" --knowing that it was the Lord.
Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. John 21:2-14
The thing I want to take note of today has to do with the response of the disciples, especially Peter, when they realized that it was Jesus on the shore waiting for them because of the large catch of fish that He once again directed them to. I love that Peter immediately 'plunged into the sea,' to get to Jesus faster. The reason I love this response is because it sets such a great example for the rest of us. Think about it? In Genesis 3:8-10 we see a different response.
'And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Way too often when we 'blow it' the tendency is to run away from God and try to hide because of our shame. NOT Peter! He immediately runs or rather plunges into the sea to get to Jesus. I love this!
I would think that the fact that he had denied Him the three times would have caused him to feel like he should hang back and avoid eye contact etc. But NO! He jumps in and gets to Him first and as quickly as possible. What a great witness to us on how to deal with 'blowing it.' Don't run away ---run to Him.
Plunge back into His presence as quickly as possible because the truth is ... He is there waiting for us! Ready, willing, and waiting, just for us! He wants us to respond to His call even if we've 'blown it,' and have denied Him on multiple occasions.
God Bless and remember take the opportunity to 'plunge' back into His presence whenever necessary!
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