He Came to See About Me
You can find meaning and purpose in a retired life when you encounter and experience the risen and resurrected Jesus. - Pastor Charlie Dates
John 21:1-14
1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas who was called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are also coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.4 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish.” So they cast it, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish.
9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already made and fish placed on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to inquire of Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus manifested Himself to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.
We are now several Sundays past Easter, but Christians always live in the light of the resurrection.
Jesus shows up to see the men he committed His ministry to go back to the things they were doing before He called them. He showed compassion instead of judgment.
Retirement and Resignation
Michael Jordan ended retirement from basketball and his 17-month stint playing baseball with a two-word fax saying, “I’m back.” MJ’s return begged the question: why did he come back?
We have those moments in life where retirement seems like a good idea and resignation seems like the appropriate thing to do. Sometimes we run into those seasons of life when resignation and retirement deprive us of the mission left over in our lives… of purpose that remains.
Resignation and retirement do not mean when we move on to better opportunities or end a prolific career, it is when disappointment has caused you to give up on what God has called and created you to do.
During those times, a return to the activities you enjoyed before God called you seems like the only option. You’ve lived and given your best, maybe even experienced some measure of success, but after a while, you ask yourself… so what?
The natural decline that comes with aging tends to prompt these questions and feelings of purposelessness.
The only logical and emotional solution seems to be resignation in the face of feelings of failure and regret.
If you feel like abandoning what God has called you to do because the circumstances don’t seem to be working in your favor, you can rediscover meaning and purpose in life.
Your best days are not behind you.
If you can get a revelation of Jesus Christ in the current season, you’re in, he will give you meaning he will give you purpose. He will give you significance, right where you are.
The Disciples
The disciples are in a place where they feel like they’ve plateaued. This is after the resurrection of Jesus. They have some work to do but they aren’t completely clear on what it is.
When Peter and the other disciples went fishing, they were going back to what Jesus found them doing in Matthew 4 and Luke 5. Peter’s time with Jesus didn’t turn out the way he thought it would so he returned to the same old boat in the same old waters to do the same old work the same old way.
They rediscovered meaning and purpose when Jesus revealed Himself in the middle of their resignation and retirement.
You too can have a comeback in what matters in life. Life is not over and done when you have made a transition, but if Jesus shows up in the space of that transition, you can discover meaning and purpose.
How can we discover meaning and purpose?
By Jesus’s:
Presence
Power
Provision
Presence
“When I say Jesus came to see about us, I mean Jesus came to see about us.”
Manifest is the most repeated word in today’s text. Some versions say revealed.
This word means to disclose what was previously unknown.
Like the violin prodigy, Joshua Bell. A few days after playing at a sold-out show in a concert hall, he decided to do an experiment. He dressed in jeans and a baseball hat, playing music in a train station with a million-dollar violin. People walked right past him, throwing him change, not realizing he was a performer whose tickets went for hundreds of dollars.
You could walk right by Jesus in the same way UNLESS He reveals Himself to you.
He chooses who He reveals Himself to.
All you need in the middle of your despair, your disappointment, and your resignation is the presence of Jesus.
Power
The disciples had been fishing all night when Jesus showed up. They hadn’t caught anything.
Most of us know what it’s like to put a lot of energy into something and come up with nothing.
It happens when we try things without Jesus.
Jesus told them in John 15 that apart from Him, they could do nothing and here they are... apart from Him and the results are nothing.
He tells the disciples what to do in the same water where they caught nothing and all of a sudden, they catch 153 fish!
This is the power of Jesus.
He can make you productive in the place where you failed. He can give you victory in the place where you suffered defeat. He will help you succeed in the very place where you fell apart.
You can be fruitful in a place where you were once full of resignation.
Provision
Peter gets excited and swims to shore, and there is Jesus… cooking for them.
The fact that He showed up to them that day showed them that He was not done with them yet. He still had more work for them and provision for their journey.
You will never go to a place where grace cannot reach you.
He will give your life meaning and purpose right where you are because he will come and see about you.
Reflection questions:
Have you found yourself asking: what does this mean, so what, or what difference does this make?
Have you thought about returning to your life before Christ? Why or why not?
How have you seen Jesus’s presence, power, and provision in your life?