Easter is a wonderful season for Christians. We celebrate Christ’s victory over death, hell, and sin. We rejoice that God is victorious. We are reminded that nothing can overcome the will of God. But then Monday comes. It is time to get back to our normal lives. We have work to do. Problems to solve. Issues to tackle. Before we know it, we can return to the same normal living we have experienced for years.
No one had seen the hand of God in his day more than Peter had. No one had received Christ’s teaching or witnessed more miracles more than he had. Yet even after witnessing Christ’s resurrection and receiving His challenge to be sent into the world as Jesus had been sent, Peter determined to go fishing. He and six companions embarked in “the” boat. Supposedly those reading John’s Gospel would have been familiar with “the” boat. Perhaps Peter had not abandoned it as completely as Jesus had earlier instructed him to. Perhaps Peter was concerned he could not pay his bills or have enough to eat if he did not, at times, revert to his former lifestyle. Perhaps after his grievous failure, Peter was drawn to do the one thing he knew he could do well.
There are many things we can be tempted to do at night. Yet despite their efforts, on that night the experienced fishermen caught nothing. Clearly attempting things on their own initiative led to failure. At the dawn we often see our lives more clearly. The next morning the disciples saw Jesus. He gave Peter a fresh commission, to feed His sheep. We never hear of the boat, or Peter fishing, again. Peter could never go back to normal living again. How has Easter and all Christ has accomplished affected the way you are living?