Cast your nets on the other side (John 21:1-14 Summary)
I asked God, “So what is one way this reading could translate for where we are today?” These are the insights that came to me.
Well, the boat could be where we are today. It doesn’t even matter whether we are in prison or outside prison. The boat can be an analogy for where we are in our lives today.
The left-hand side could be everything in our lives that has led up to today i.e. our past. All our disappointments, our good decisions and our not-so-good decisions, the times we felt unloved, the times we felt loved but not in the way we wanted to be loved, our successes, our failures and our feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. The way we lived through using habits and patterns we hadn’t thought about... where we just carried on the same old – same old... just like the disciples carried on fishing the way they always had – the same-old-same-old way.
The right-hand side of the boat could be the future where we decide to invite and experience the Jesus part of God into our lives – if we want to find God’s love and wisdom in our lives. Wisdom??? Well the teachings of Jesus are a good place to find wisdom... as is talking to others about what is in the Bible and how we apply it to our lives today.
Now for the love bit in our lives today. How can we even begin to understand God’s love? Well, here’s a thought I want to share with you. I was praying the other morning and asking God, ‘How can I explain how this could work in our everyday lives?’
This is what came to me in my thoughts. It was as though God was talking to me through my thinking. Jesus said there were only two commandments – to love God – and to love others as we love ourselves. I thought about that – how can we love God and others if we don’t know how to love ourselves? Surely then, ‘ourselves’ has to be the starting point. It seemed as if God was agreeing with me. Things in the Bible came into my mind – things like- he knew me before I was born – and he had carved a place for me in the palm of his hand. Then I thought of the nails in Jesus’ hands – now that was love, to suffer that for me. OK. God loved me. Now how could I experience I loving me in a way that I could share that would make sense? How could my listeners experience themselves loving themselves in order that they would know how loved they are?
This is what came to me.
‘I want you to go to the left-hand side of your boat – let’s pretend this is your past.’
“I want you to think of a time when you were a little child, and something happened that you felt wasn’t fair – or you felt misunderstood – or you felt unloved. Every child has felt that way whether it’s true or not. What is true is that the feeling that was felt then was a true feeling.’
“OK God. I can think of times like that. Now what??”
“Well you’re a grown up now – an old grown up. Today I want you to go to the right-hand side of your boat. In your mind can you take your old grown up arms and hug that little child – just where she is in your memory. If she needs understanding – give her understanding – if she needs loving – give her loving – if she needs forgiveness – forgive her.
I will be there right beside the old you, wrapping my arms around you both, understanding with your understanding – loving with your loving – forgiving with your forgiving. Both you and she can be loved into forgiveness by the love of us both. Can you do that?”
So back I went down memory lane to meet the first memory. What happened was, lots of memories flooded into my mind. So, I took me as a little girl with one of the memories and I tried it in my mind. Mentally, I put my arms around her and just loved her with understanding as I imagined Jesus with his arms around us both.
What happened? Well, let me tell you it was worth it. That little girl felt so much better. Incidentally – so did the old girl. The old girl had gone to the right-hand side of the boat and listened to the immediate thoughts after asking God what she needed to write today. Then she obeyed. So, there we are.
You can invite Jesus into your life like this too. So, how do you know if he’s listening and answering? Let’s try a small, real life situation:
Let’s pretend someone gives you the evils – in your mind try asking Jesus how you should respond.
If it’s a loving or kind thought you can trust it. You’re on the right-hand side of the boat. If no thought comes you can trust that too. You’re still on the boat – waiting to hear. If it’s a negative, vengeful or unloving thought you’re on the left-hand side of the boat. You still have free choice to carry out the negative – but the results will also be negative – in the disciples’ case no fish were caught – in your case, who knows? The left-hand side of the boat is our old pattern of behaving towards others and ourselves.
Perhaps some of you want to think about inviting Jesus into your life to talk with you like this.
There may be someone reading who wants to invite Jesus into their life, or is seeking baptism, or wants to learn more by doing bible studies or joining group discussions. Really – it’s about learning how to live with Jesus in your life.
Take a quiet moment to think about these things knowing that Jesus just quietly waits for us – loving us – ready to forgive us. All you have to do is ask for his forgiveness and love as you embrace the little person living in you and decide to move from the left hand side of the boat to the right hand side of the boat inviting Jesus to come with you.
The painting is one I recently did of Pataua.
Ruth xox
To learn more about Ruth’s books or blog, or to make contact with her, visit ruthhammond.co.nz
