John 21:9-14
So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Three times Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection in John’s Gospel. And by the third time they are no longer confused or terrified (although they didn’t recognize him at first), but now know who he is.
Three times it took for them to see Jesus and find some level of confidence that this was, indeed, their Lord. No wonder Jesus blesses all those who believe without seeing him. Even those who got to see him in the flesh had a hard time comprehending the wonder of what God did in and through the resurrection, defeating death and the specter of death once and for all.
I think this is important to remember – that faith can be hard and take some time to really take hold. I mean, if even Jesus’ own disciples struggled with believing that their Lord has been raised to new life, we might be more patient with those we know who struggle to believe the good news…and with ourselves in those moments of doubt or struggle.
Indeed, we might go on to say that if we believe the resurrection too easily perhaps we’re not paying attention. For the ground is, in our collective experience, generally unwilling to give back the dead, and when it does we realize that little if anything we thought was permanent remains untouched in the presence of God.
This thought should give us some pause. For if God can raise the dead to life, just what might do with us?
Prayer: Dear God, open our hearts to you that we may look upon the wonders you work in us and through us with joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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