Day 27: Scared to Ask

5th Friday in Lent

Scripture: John 21:13-14

^{NRS 13} Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Devotional: According to John the Evangelist, this was the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples. The first was in the upper room, the second was when doubting Thomas was present and this breakfast party was the third. Three times the disciples have seen Him, talked to Him and touched Him, yet they still do not have the confidence that it was really Jesus who stood before them. Verse twelve describes the disciples scared to ask, “Who are you?” because they “knew” it was Jesus. They knew, but they lacked confidence in their knowledge as they still wanted to question the identity of this fellow who invited them to breakfast. Wouldn’t we be the same way? Resurrection is a tough thing to grasp. Someone was dead but now they are alive? You watched them hang on a cross but now they cook breakfast? Our eyes see it, but we are not completely sure we can believe that it is true. John wrote his gospel so his readers would believe in the truth of Jesus Christ. Jesus wanted the same certain belief for His disciples. The last real interaction Jesus had with His disciples was around the Passover table where He washed their feet. At the table, He gave them bread and told them to eat it in remembrance of Him. At breakfast, on the shore of Galilee, Jesus repeated the same action, He took bread and gave it to them. A gesture that screamed, “Eat and remember. Know that this is really Me! Remember that I have come to serve you.”  The second gesture mimicked Him giving them fish at the feeding of the five thousand. It was a reminder that just as Jesus came to serve, so too were they supposed to serve. It is this reminder to serve that leads the story into tomorrow’s encounter between Jesus and Peter. In our own walks with Christ, we are going to have those moments of fear and uncertainty. We will think it is God, but not be completely sure. We can rest assured that, in those moments, God will give us reassuring gestures that remind us He is always with us.

Prayer: Lord we pray that You will meet us at Your table and strengthen us with the assurance that You will always be with us. Let us smell the charcoal and fish as we taste the bread of Your forgiveness offered on the beach. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Song of praise:                To the Table by Zach Williams

                                                

Spiritual discipline challenge: John Wesley referred to the spiritual disciplines as means of grace. One of those means of grace was Holy Communion which always comes in the context of worship. Today reflect on the act of Jesus giving bread to the disciples on the beach and find a moment to enter into private worship as we praise the resurrected Christ.