Title: Come, Have Breakfast
According to the Bible, Adam was the first man and the ancestor of all mankind. And because he didn’t trust the Word of God entirely that as its consequence death has been brought upon mankind. Therefore, the cause of death is deceit which also can be said dishonest and unfaithfulness. So, from the moment of the fall of Adam, there are two things in the world: The Word of God which is the truth and the deceit which causes confusion.
Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” which is the truth. However, it never reached the hearts of the religious leaders of that time because their ears and hearts were already covered with lies and deceptions that He is not the Messiah.
Jesus said, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day” which is the truth. However, it never reached the hearts of the disciples because their ears and hearts were already covered with lies and deceptions that He cannot overcome the power of death.
Luk 21 describes about the incident that Jesus met the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. Verse 14 days that it was the third time Jesus was manifested to the disciples after His resurrection. Is it really the 3rd occasion? No, it was the 7th occasion but 3rd to the group of disciples. Jesus manifested Himself with the resurrected body 11 times before His accession.
- To Mary Magdalene (Jhn 20:11-18, Mrk 16:9-11)
- To other woman (Mat 28:8-10, Luk 24:1-10)
- To Peter (Luk 24:34, 1 Cor 15:5)
- To two disciples going down to Emmaus (Luk 24:13-34, Mrk 16:12-13)
- To the disciples without Thomas (Jhn 20:19-24, Luk 24:36-43)
- To the disciples with Thomas (Jhn 20:26-29)
- To 7 disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (Jhn 21:1-33)
For Peter, it must be hard not to believe because He saw the resurrected Jesus not only once but three times, heard other testimonies and also the group of people saw Him too.
Sea of Tiberias is called Sea of Galilee, thus we know it is located in Galilee. Galilee is the place Jesus told His disciples multiple times that after His resurrection, He will be there earlier than any other people (Mat 26:32). Galilee is the place where the resurrected Lord will meet us: this is the truth. However, to Peter on this stage, Galilee was only the place where they could go back to their previous occupation and work: this is the deceit (Jhn 21:3).
Peter was not only saying why don’t we go for fishing as a leisure but also promoting the idea of going back to their previous occupation. Jesus told them that He will be Galilee but the disciples went there not to see Jesus but to catch fish. It shows that until now including Peter, the ears and hearts of Jesus’ disciples were not open to the truth yet. However, knowing that Peter is not interested in believing Him anymore and knowing that they only came to Galilee to go back to their own business before, Jesus came to the Sea of Tiberias to meet Peter and His disciples. Isn’t it touching?
Jesus loves us. He will not give up upon us. Even if our ears and hears are covered by deceptions of this world, He will still visit us and give us another chance. Please do take the hand of Jesus, if you believe today is the moment for you.
After Peter and other disciples came back from fishing, Jesus asked them to come and have breakfast. Firstly, Jesus prepared a charcoal fire. Greek word for a charcoal fire is ‘Andrakia’ which remind Peter a charcoal fire that was in the court of the high priest (Jhn 18:17-18). A charcoal fire is the symbol and sign of Peter’s denial. However, Jesus was using that unforgivable symbol and failing sign to welcome Peter once again to Him. Jesus wanted to restore their relationship and continue their relationship.
Secondly, Jesus prepared fish and bread. Jesus had no boat and no net. It is impossible for Him to catch fish beforehand or bake bread beforehand. Where are they from? They are from Jesus and they are from God. During the wilderness journey, God prepared manna from heaven. In the same way, the fish and bread symbolize the power of God and the authority of God. Why did they leave God in the first place? Because they thought Jesus is weak, because He died and was killed. We got to make this very clear: Was Jesus killed because He has no power or chose to die for our sins?
Conclusion: Love is the key
Jhn 21:15-17 Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He *said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.
After having breakfast with them, Jesus finally went to deal the main point asking Peter, “Do you love Me?” 3 times. As Peter denied Jesus 3 times, Jesus allowed Peter to be restored 3 times by confessing “I love You, Lord.”
Firstly, this teaches us that to love our God is the key to overcome the deceits of this world and the unfaithfulness of this world. We should love our Lord Jesus and love our Father God. Secondly, this teaches us that if we love God, we should take care of God’s sheep. We should look after brothers and sisters in the Lord but also, we should look after the church because the church is the gathering of God’s sheep.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 