Third Meeting of Jesus with His Disciples

"Simon Peter said [to the other disciples] : I am going to fish. And they said unto him, We also go with thee: but that night they took nothing. The dawn was coming, and Jesus stood on the shore ; However, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus ... This was the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples after being raised from the dead." John 21: 3, 4, 14

This meeting follows that of the upper house in Jerusalem where Jesus met his disciples : "The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord" (John 20: 19-20). It was then a matter of establishing proof of his resurrection. Resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul declares : "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain" (1 Cor 15:14).

In the verses of the day, Jesus manifests Himself to His disciples in another setting. He meets them this time in their usual activity. This corresponds to a situation with which we can more easily identify ourselves. We often ask ourselves how to discern the presence of the Lord in our lives. These are all the questions of all time.

In the circumstances cited, Pierre returns to his former occupation, perhaps to forget. He is followed by the other disciples. The Lord then comes to meet them and restarts their love. John the first recognizes Jesus thanks to the new miraculous fishing. Jesus then turns to Peter, who has also recognized him. It is a matter of making him revisit his triple denial. For this he asks him three times : "Do you love me ?" (John 21: 15-17).

For us, caught up in our daily life or discouraged, we allow ourselves to be invaded by our occupations. Jesus remembers us by some circumstance already lived with him, as he did with his disciples going back to fishing. If Jesus came to meet them, it can also come to us, to revive in us that altered relationship : by exchanges with other Christians, by a message that shakes us up, by a memory that re-emerges , By a failure that hurts. The end of this chapter ends with a personal appeal addressed to Peter : "Thou, follow me" (John 21:22). It must also resonate in us for our recovery.

Source (Please the Lord)