Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the
disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it
was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to
them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time
Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the
dead. John 21:12–14
The appearances of Jesus after His Resurrection were cloaked in
mystery. Not a mystery of confusion, but a mystery of profound
depth and awe. On this, the third time Jesus appeared to His
disciples, Jesus first spoke to them from the shore after they had
been fishing all night without catching anything. He told them to
try again and to throw the net over the right side of the boat.
They did so without even realizing that it was Jesus Who was
speaking to them. But upon catching more than they could handle,
they realized it was the Lord.
The “mystery” present in this resurrection appearance has many
aspects. Why did the disciples not recognize Jesus at first? Why
did Jesus instruct them to throw the net over the right side of the
boat? Why was Jesus made known through this catch of one hundred
and fifty-three large fish? Why was Jesus cooking breakfast for the
disciples on the shore? And why did John record that “none of the
disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’” Though all of these
mysteries have answers that have been offered over the centuries by
the saints and great Scripture commentators, it’s useful to also
simply ponder the fact that Jesus’ resurrection appearances were,
indeed, cloaked in mystery.
In a mystery novel, the reader is given various vague clues to help
them try to figure out the mystery and solve it. The clues are
vague intentionally so as to make the solving more enjoyable and
challenging. However, when it comes to a “mystery of faith,” such
as the mystery of faith surrounding Jesus’ resurrection
appearances, the mystery is of an entirely different sort. In these
cases, the mystery is one of depth and breadth and is something
that has the potential to draw us deeper and deeper into the
infinite nature of God and His saving action.
Take, for example, this one line quoted above: “And none of the
disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they realized it
was the Lord.” It appears that the disciples gathered around Jesus
as He was preparing breakfast on the shore and sat there in awe of
Him. Their silent awe of Him in this appearance reveals that words
are not sufficient. Normally, when you see someone whom you are
happy to see, you greet them and start talking, asking them how
they are, etc. But here, the disciples remained in this holy awe,
listening to Him, receiving this meal and pondering the mystery of
His resurrected presence.
Reflect, today, upon the ways that our Lord comes to you. It’s easy
to miss Him since His ongoing presence in our lives is also
mysterious. Imagine if the disciples would have ignored Jesus’ call
to “Cast the net over the right side of the boat…” If they would
have ignored that command, they may have never come to realize it
was the Lord. Reflect upon the ways that our Lord speaks to you. Do
you respond? Do you recognize Him? Do you allow yourself to be
drawn into this holy awe of His divine presence? Follow the example
of the disciples and be on the lookout for the ongoing presence of
our Lord all around you.
My divine Lord, You are constantly present to me, day and night,
and yet I so often fail to perceive You and adore You. Help me to
become more aware of Your presence in my life. As I do, help me to
enter more deeply into these holy mysteries with love, devotion and
awe. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured images above: Meal of Our Lord and the Apostle By
James Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons
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