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That disciple whom Jesus loved, therefore, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. John 21: 7 (ESV)
Simon Peter and six other disciples came together on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
He told the others, “I am going fishing.” The others agreed they would like to also do that.
They fished all night long and did not catch anything. At daybreak, they heard a voice. The voice asked, “Children, did you catch any fish?” They responded they had not. The person who appeared to be a stranger told them to cast the nets on the other side of the boat. The netted a huge quantity of fish.
John suddenly recognized the man on the shore, “It is the LORD!” Simon Peter heard John’s words and removed his outer garment, “dove into the sea.”
Have you wondered why Simon Peter did that?
Let’s keep in mind that Simon Peter denied Christ not once, not twice, but three times. We know he was tempestuous, not thinking things through before taking actions. Might he have been so thrilled to see Jesus that he threw caution to the wind in order to get to talk to Him? He may have realized how much he loved the LORD. He might have wanted to tell Him that. Maybe, he desired some one-on-one time with Jesus in order to ‘clear the air.’
What would we have done? Would we have swum to the shore in an effort to see the risen Jesus first? Or would we have tried to hide behind some of the other disciples because we were ashamed of our earlier behavior? I believe that at least one time in my life I would have cowered and even hid behind a tree or a post because of my fear and shame. As I have matured in Christ, I realize that I would be wrong in trying to hide from Jesus.
Psalm 139:7-8 tells me I can’t hide from God.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend the heavens, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! (ESV)
It's exactly what I would have done.
ReplyDeleteJeanette: Thank you for clarifying you answer for me. However, I believe I might have been one who hid behind something because of my shame.
DeleteI wonder if he had really expected Jesus to live again, it must have been a shock. But yes, he was reconciled with Jesus, like all of us after making mistakes :)
ReplyDeleteMarja: You make two good points here. He could have been shocked to see Jesus was alive. And we are all reconciled after we make mistakes. Praise the LORD, He accepts us as we are and forgives us when we fail Him.
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