Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, April 18, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Bread and fish. It’s like the feeding of the 5,000 all over again. Probably this was intention by the writer of John. But here it’s the feeding of the seven. A few hungry folks out for an early morning fishing expedition. And here’s this guy by the fire cooking for them. “Sit down. Eat something.” And the response?
No one dared to ask this random dude if he was Jesus (can’t you just see them looking nervously at each other and shuffling their feet?). They didn’t dare to ask, but they knew. He broke the bread and the fish and gave it to them and it just hit them like a ton of bricks. I assume Jesus must have looked different to the disciples for them to even wonder for a moment—several post-resurrection encounters mention that his friends didn’t recognize him physically, but in his actions his identity was revealed.
I have moments in my life where something random or oddball happens and I know—I know—God is acting in my life. I may not recognize Jesus in the face of another person (because, let’s be fair, I’ve never physically seen the guy) but something they do—some action—gives Jesus away. I also recognize there are moments when Jesus acts through me—something I do, some action, makes an impact on another person that I might not even be aware of. Whether I’m the disciple standing on the beach or the dude making fish, I can connect with this story.
When have I been absolutely certain of Jesus’ action in my life?
