Going Back to the Beginning

Going Back to the Beginning
John 16-21
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch.’ So they cast, and they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.” (John 21:6).
Sometimes, when we fail, the best place to start is not by picking up where we left off, but by going back to the very beginning. When Jesus was arrested and crucified, the disciples were devastated and disillusioned. They could not comprehend what had happened. In their view, the Messiah was a political figure who would come and restore the glory of Israel by freeing the land from the oppressive rule of the Romans. Therefore, when they came to arrest Jesus, Peter was ready to start the campaign by fighting. However, all their dreams and aspirations were shattered when Jesus went with the mob to face his crucifixion. If Jesus was the Messiah, surely he would resist. Instead, he went to his death, passively and submissively, like a lamb to the slaughter. In light of Jesus’ passive response, it is not surprising that Peter denied being associated with Christ. Even after Jesus appeared to them after the resurrection, they failed to grasp the true intent of Jesus. Not only was Peter disillusioned because Jesus did not lead the nation in a military assault against the Romans, but he had also denied knowing Jesus. For Peter, it seemed as if all his dreams were shattered and there was nothing more to do than to go back to his former life; to go back to the Sea of Galilee and go back to fishing. So he and his coworkers went back to what they knew.  
As they were fishing, again a man stood on the shore, just as had happened three years earlier when Jesus appeared to them. As before, they had been fishing all night and caught nothing. The man again told them to cast their nets, and when they did, they caught the mother lode. So great was their catch that they could not pull the nets into the boat. For Peter, it seemed just another coincidence. But when John told Peter that it was Jesus, Peter immediately dove into the water and swam to shore. We should not miss the parallel between this event and when Jesus first appeared to him and called him to be his disciple. There are times in our lives when we have miserably failed in our walk with Christ, when it seems that our sins are so overwhelming that God cannot and will not forgive, and we begin to wonder if there is no hope. This must have been what was going through Peter’s mind. He had fled in fear and disillusionment in the face of the mobs and even denied Jesus three times. To restore Peter, Jesus took him back to the beginning, when he first called Peter. Jesus’ selection of Peter had been initiated by Jesus rather than by Peter. So now, Jesus reminds Peter that it is not by Peter’s merit that he became a disciple in the beginning, and it is not by Peter’s merit that he is now being called to lead the church. Rather, it is solely based upon the grace of Jesus. Three times, paralleling the three denials, Jesus affirms his calling of Peter to lead the early church. Peter would become the primary leader in the establishment of the early church because of God’s grace rather than any merit on Peter’s part.
When we fail in our Christian walk, when it seems our sin is beyond redemption because of our failure to remain faithful to God, we need to return to the beginning of our salvation. We need to be reminded that we are not saved by our merit but by his grace. Furthermore, we can accomplish nothing for God in our own ability but must always remember that it is by grace and grace alone. When your guilt feels overwhelming, and God seems to have forsaken you, go back to the beginning of your faith. Remember that you were saved by grace and grace alone, and so now you live and serve him by grace and grace alone.