Back To Life: for us.

“Children, have you any food?” [John 21:5 NKJV]

Here we are the Monday after Easter. Many of you are back to work and some may be enjoying an extended break. Life gets back to the normal hum drum of work, family and day to day chores. The excitement of yesterday’s celebration still lingers in our memories. The music, the dramas, the sunrise service; the breakfast! To be blunt that Sunday celebration of the rising of Christ should not cause us to be anymore excited that day than we are any other day. It is just human nature to live in the moment. We are no different than the first followers. We do not have a lot of detailed information about what happened the Monday after Jesus arose. We do pick up from John that eight days later Thomas got his wish. Now we see sometime after that the disciples are obeying the Lord and waiting in Galilee for Him to meet them again. Some think Peter decided to give up on ever being restored by Jesus and went back to his day job. After all we do not know for sure how long they had been there waiting on Him. I on the other hand think different. Listen carefully to what Jesus asked them while they were in the boat. “Are you still hungry?” I arrive at this conclusion because He fixed them breakfast. I do not think this was a commercial fishing trip or one just for fun; but to catch something to eat. It is interesting that they did not know it was Him at first. They expected Him to meet them on the Mount of Olives or perhaps in an undisclosed location while behind locked doors while hiding from the Jewish leaders, but here He is; in all His Glory! Still doing what He always has and always will for His followers: feeding them.

The resurrection changed the body of Jesus from one that was destroyed for sacrifice to a body that was equipped to serve once again. His appearance may have changed but His mission had not! He reaffirmed that mission to Peter by first taking care of his empty gut and then feeding his starving soul. I can picture Peter lying on his side in the grass picking his teeth with a fishbone when Jesus asks; “Do you love Me Peter?” I think that Peter was wondering if Jesus still loved him after his denial. Jesus makes it clear that He never stopped loving Peter.

You may be wondering today, this day after Easter, if Jesus still loves you. I assure you; He does. He always has and He always will. The question is: do you love Him? Do you love Him enough to come to Him to be fed?