That I may Know HIM - A Devotional

Day 10: Breakfast Before Business

Day 10: Breakfast Before Business

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12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord.

15 After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me…?"

John 21:12-15 (Good News).

After Jesus’ resurrection, it was necessary to encourage some of His failing disciples, hence His frequent appearances to them. On one occasion, Thomas had been absent when He called, and had refused to believe the account of his fellow disciples that Jesus had been there. For his very important sake, Jesus had to repeat the visit (John 20:24-29).

In spite of those several calls on the disciples, one of them was still being plagued with guilt feelings for his part in the events of the recent past. It was Peter, the man who had denied Him three times on the fateful night of His trials.

To reassure the penitent but still-depressed Peter, the loving Jesus had had to send a personal message to him after His resurrection (Mark 16:7). Even that helped very little. Being severely discouraged and depressed, therefore, Peter decided one day that he was going back to his old fishing nets, to resume his fishing business. If he was not going to have any place anymore in the ministry of Jesus, at least he still had a place in his old trade. One evening, therefore, Peter simply announced his resignation to his other friends as he said, "I go a fishing" (John 21:3). Everyone thought, "If Peter of all people should abandon the men-fishing business of Jesus and return to his fisherman past, then we follow." So a number of them did, six of them altogether, plus Peter, totalling seven out of eleven disciples. Judas had killed himself already.

That night they caught no fish, in spite of how hard they had toiled. By morning, they were more discouraged than before they had set out on that adventure. At once, Jesus realized that He had a job at hand. So, He went very early in the morning to await them at their shore.

Jesus does not go anywhere merely for fun. He certainly had a mission that day at the shore. Peter was His mission. The first two verses of John 20 confirm that Peter was Jesus’ reason for this mission. However, Jesus was aware that it was not going to be helpful to start scolding the backsliding and already discouraged and depressed disciple in his hungry, harassed and disappointed state. Jesus had to prepare breakfast first of all, yet not only for Peter His target but also for all the other disciples that had begun to follow him. They all needed to be refreshed and relaxed, before the very important business of re-commissioning Peter into the ministry from which he had begun to veer, through discouragement. The transgressed Master Himself began to prepare to serve His own estranged servants! The offended One reaching out to His own offenders and deserters! In the entire Bible, that was the only occasion where Jesus cooked or prepared a meal.

You are not so insignificant for the Master’s special attention today.

It was only after they had all eaten that Jesus took Peter on the epic stroll, asking him three times, "Lovest thou me more than these?" and securing his fresh commitment thereby to the Heavenly call as a fisher of men rather than as a fisherman.

As Peter signed "Yes" three vital times on the fresh forms from Jesus, he wiped out the records of his earlier three denials on the fateful night of the Master’s trials. Jesus knew what He had been doing.

May leaders, masters and mothers learn the same wisdom, to offer ‘breakfast’ before their ‘very serious’ ‘businesses.’

Some have further estranged even returning prodigals because they welcomed them with a rod rather than with a feast (Luke 16:22-24).

No ‘business’ is more important than the soul it aims to restore. A bad approach can destroy a good intent. Thank God for Jesus’ breakfast. It was the final stimulant of a reassuring communion that Peter needed, so that when Pentecost day eventually came, he had become a changed man. He could no more deny Jesus. He was ready, if need be, to die for his caring and loving Master.

One breakfast might do more magic (miracle) than a thousand rebukes. One little piece of a cake of care could be more invigorating than a rash and crushing timber of a ‘rod’ of reproof

You have some very important ‘business’ to do? Then begin to prepare ‘breakfast.’ Amen.