Third Sunday of Easter

Bottom Line Spirituality: Worldly and Godly Thinking

Click here to go to the Bottom Line Meditations for the Third Sunday of Easter

Godly Abiding Spiritually in Jesus Changes the Meaning of What we See Worldly When Not Abiding in Jesus.

Spirituality is our innate ability to feel the difference worldly or godly thinking makes to the way scripture translates to our daily life and relationships.

John 21:1-19 Questions at Easter time: After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberius.

SPIRITUALITY CHANGES OUR LIFE

We try to change our worldly life to feel God’s Presence.

Godly feeling God’s Presence changes our life.

We try to trust God so He will trust us.

In feeling the Trust God has for and in us, we become trusting.

What is Peter doing with some of the Apostles way up in Tiberias? They were just in the upper room at Jerusalem. Now they are far away at the top of the Sea of Galilee. 

Peter says I am going fishing. Where did he get the boat and the nets to go fishing? Didn’t he leave his nets and boat to go with Jesus? Surely they did not have a Tiberius Shop renting boats and nets for the night.

The obvious answer is he had the boat and nets stowed away in Tiberius next to the Galilean Sea. This was his plan B. If plan A did not work out, here goes plan B: back to the nets.

He and seven others are in the boat all night and they have caught nothing. There is a figure on the shore as the sun begins to rise. The voice says, “Did you do any good?” Answer “Nothing!”  “Cast off into the deep side”. Why not try it? The nets go out and suddenly there is a huge draft of fish. As they are hauling them in, John whispers to Peter, “It’s Him”. Peter is motionless for a moment. Then, he grabs his cloak and jumps into the cold, predawn water.

John, the writer, wonders, “It is only a short distance to the shore why not wait?”  The real question is why did Peter grab his cloak? He could have jumped in and left it there. It would have come back shortly and it would have been dry.

What is the symbol of the cloak? The cloak was his uniform.  Remember Jesus had these women following Him and the Apostles. What do they do to support the group? They knit similar matching cloaks. This is helpful for Jesus to know where His disciples are as well as the people to know who to come to. When Jesus sends His disciples out two by two, they do not take sandals, money or staff, but they do take their cloaks. When they come into the towns the people know who they are, who they represent and they are welcomed. For the Disciples, the matching cloaks are a mark of honor and a sign of their ministry. Peter is now saying I am not leaving any doubts about plan A. Plan B with its boat and nets are left behind. I am coming on board for better or for worse.

Sometimes we need to go back to plan B to realize how bad it really is. As a matter of fact, we do go back and forth. Plan A is to be in the Presence of the Power, Love and Wisdom of God Himself. Plan B depends on how we see the circumstances around us to determine the life we live. When the choice is put in that manner, between the abundant Life or the conditional life, what is your choice?  Grab your cloak we are heading up and in.

Psalm 33:3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life.

Spirituality can restore our life and bring us out of spiritual death when we are open to consciously feeling His Presence.