Come and Dine!

Dear Weekly Readers ! God’s Peace be with you this day!


This week I would ask you all to be in a spirit of prayer for an upcoming mission trip. Today, Nov. 9th, Lord willing, Chad K. and I will be on our way to Kenya. Please pray for the listeners and for Chad and myself, as we endeavor to bring the Word of our Lord to whomever we encounter while in Kenya.

Please be understanding in that you will not receive The Weekly Diner for 3 weeks, since I will not be able to publish it from Africa. This article is three times the usual length, so feel free to read it in sections if you desire!

The title for our article for The Weekly Diner is titled: Come and Dine! These few precious words of our Lord Jesus are recorded for us in John 21 verse 12. Come and dine..!!

Jesus said these words as part of the story we find recorded in verses 1-14 of this chapter. This story took place shortly after the resurrection of our Lord, but before Ascension day and the day of Pentecost.

Can you imagine how the disciples felt, after having come through so many miraculous events of recent? They surely experienced many highs and lows. We also experience highs and lows in our life. There are many turbulent, trying times, as well as times of much joy.

These disciples were men like us, and Jesus knew them (and us) all very well. He knows our needs, He knows our desires. He knows that sometimes we need to experience real events to help us see the full picture of His love for us. The disciples were about to experience quite an event!

Simon Peter says in verse 3, I go a fishing. The others said, we are coming along. This shows that while these Godly men were Disciples of Christ, they still were committed workers, husbands, perhaps fathers, and sons, here on earth. They did not want to sit around idly, wondering what to do next. They plunged into their duties and for many of these men, fishing was their occupation. They did not allow the devil room to come in during these amazing times in their lives, offering idleness and folly.

This story also depicts for us a lovely picture of becoming fishers of men. Here again, we as Christians should not sit idly around, but rather be busy attending to the Lord business. These men had gone out into the sea, but they caught nothing. This draught of fish teaches us several things. In our picture of being fishers of men, it shows us that just because we are out preaching and teaching, and doing things properly, it does not mean men will repent or even listen. We learned this lesson from the story of Noah already in the Old Testament.

The draught of fish also shows us a little natural picture in that is dispels the myth that is common today which is the teaching of the prosperity doctrine. Being a Christian, faithfully doing the right thing, does not insure that we will have success in the way the world views success. It is just not true that we can provide even our daily bread without the Lord’s help. In the Lord ’s Prayer we pray, Give us this day, our daily bread. It is of the Lord’s hand that we are fed, and we will see that later in this story as well.

Verse 4. But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore: How precious! He was there for a while already, but they just could not see him. Jesus is often much closer to us that we think as well. He is waiting for us, watching us, praying for us. We can believe this by faith, we do not have to see! Scripture says in John 20:25 …… blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Jesus asked them, Children, have ye any meat? Jesus cares about us! Naturally speaking also, He wants us to have food to eat. He wants us to be nourished so we have the strength to go on. Yes, Jesus does care about our natural life! God wants to provide for us, and He is faithful!

Jesus called the disciples children, which is a lovely term suggesting that He was their Father, and God surely is our Father also. Imagine, being called Children by the King of Creation, this Jesus who was, even before the foundations of the earth were laid.

Jesus asked them if they had any meat. Do you think Jesus did not know if they had caught anything? Jesus sees and knows all things. Jesus knew of their poor success. He knows when we have poor success whether it be in our work, or in the preaching to the world. However, Jesus wants to hear our confession, He wants to communicate with us!

After hearing from the disciples that they had caught nothing, Jesus told them to cast the net on the other side of the ship, and ye shall find. Imagine for a moment being told to cast the net in a different way than perhaps they had ever done it before. Perhaps even their riggings made it more suitable to fish from a certain side of the boat. If they were like me, they could have thought, what difference could it possibly make if the net is on this side or that, it is still the same water, and we had just toiled all night and caught nothing.

It is quite sure that some of these men had thoughts on this matter, but do you know what? They did not spend time listening to bad thoughts, or giving into temptation, tiredness, laziness, or whatever other trick the devil would have used on them. They simply obeyed! Oh what joy there is in store for us when we obey the Words of our Lord. Great things may be right around the corner for us, even after times of dryness or draught. Oh Lord, let us obey Thy Word!

When the disciples obeyed, they caught so many fish that there nets were full. They were heavy laden with blessing. Even in being fishers of men, we need to be open to doing things in a way that may be different than how we have been doing it. Perhaps we have not been listening closely enough to Jesus when He tells us how to fish for men! Here Jesus came to where the men were, where they could see them. Perhaps we spend too much time waiting for people to come to church, and not enough time meeting them where they are. Let’s pray that we would be obedient fishermen, like these ones in our text today!

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved, (John) verse 7, said to Peter, it is the Lord! Upon hearing this, Peter put on hisfishing coat (the best he had available at the time, and perhaps this shows us a picture that when we go to meet the Lord, we must have on the wedding garment..) and jumped into the sea. Peter was often very aggressive. Do you remember that not long before this story took place, Peter had denied his Lord? Now Peter is so excited to see Jesus, he could not wait. Oh that we would all be this anxious to see our Lord! How refreshing it is to see Peter act in this way!

However, it is also just as encouraging to see that the other disciples were more measured in their response and continued to do the job at hand. This is an exciting picture to me, because we are all called to different parts of the Lord’s Ministry. We need to faithfully adhere to our calling. Not everyone is the out front man, the one full of life, the one vocal, the one that is the first to act, etc.

Jesus, as we will see later in our story, received the energetic and boisterous Peter, with the same love and equity that He met the other disciples! We are all equally important in His Kingdom, no matter our jobs or our natures.
As the ambassadors of Christ, (all Christians are, not just preachers) we are to do as the disciples were attempting to do with this boat full of fish, bring them to Jesus. Do not bring them to see our life, our church, our good deeds, but rather, bring them to see Jesus. We are witnesses of Jesus! In Hebrews it says, but we see Jesus! The saved see Jesus by faith!

In Verse 9 we see that when they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus had the full meal already there! The fire of the Holy Spirit is burning where Jesus is! The nourishment of God’s Word is there. Remember when Jesus told the devil, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Here was the bread of life! The meal was ready!

We notice that there was already fish at this fire! Jesus already has fish. We need to remember, that Jesus is the real fisherman. We need to be obedient to the Master, but all results are from Him. As Christians, sometimes we can begin to feel that our circles must be the only true Christians. The devil would love us to stumble in this area! We must always remember, the Jesus knows and has His own. His work will get done with our without us. John 10: 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. There was already fish there at the fire, Jesus saw to that, as He still does today. He does work through His disciples on earth still today, as He did in this story. But the actual work of saving souls, of causing man to repent and believe, is out of our hands. Rather we rely on Him whom is able and willing to save fallen mankind!

V 10: Bring of the fish that ye have now caught. Bring the fish to Jesus. As fishers of men, bring them to Jesus. Bring in the lost, the weak, the struggling and backsliding, the lame, the blind, bring them all to Jesus! He is the help and the Saviour or all! Bring them to Jesus! Be obedient fishermen!
This whole story, from beginning to end shows divine intervention. Now the nets did not break even though they were overloaded. The Lord is stilling working. He is interceding in our behalf before the Father in Heaven even today. Do not think that the things we do are just happen stance or accident. God is in control in our lives, and He is very close by us. So close in fact to His children, that He has given His Children the gift of His Holy Spirit to live within us. How blessed are the children of God because of His unspeakable gifts!

Now we get to those lovely words, the title of our article, in Verse 12. Come and Dine! The food is prepared. Jesus is there! Come and eat. Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Dear sinner even today, Jesus is calling out Come and dine. You need no money, there is no price. Just Come and Dine! Then you shall find rest! Matthew 11: 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. The day of Grace is today. Come and Dine. Come and eat! Partake of His Grace by Faith. Tomorrow may never come, but today, Jesus is waiting and calling for you! What a time we live in!

Jesus called John 10: 4 …. and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.Let us do as the men in our story did, they came and dined! Let us always follow the voice of Jesus, and as fishers of men, let us broadcast far and wide the Words of Jesus! Lift Him up, and all men will be drawn unto him!

We notice at the end of our text, that Jesus took the bread, and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. (v:13) All the work that needed to be done, Jesus has accomplished. Man only has to partake of that which is prepared and finished by Jesus. Jesus lived perfectly, fulfilled all in our behalf, suffered, bled, died, and arose for us. All is complete, there is no work left to do. Jesus has performed it all! Believe this today, dear sinner. Those readers that are believers today, you sinners saved by grace, always continue to believe in the finished work of Redemption and Salvation provided for us by none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

If there are any that read this that does not believe by faith today, call out. Make your voice heard! A fisherman of the Lord’s will hear you and will show you the way to Jesus. They will witness to you of Jesus. They will proclaim the wonderful words of life to you, that yes, you as a repentant sinner, you can believe by faith that all your sins are forgiven by and through the name and precious shed blood of our Saviour, our Lord, Jesus Christ!

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

May God continue to work in each of our hearts, and let us Dine with Him!