Prioritising Our Pursuits

Years ago I enjoyed fishing for largemouth bass at Loveland Reservoir in Alpine, California.  It was one of the only lakes in San Diego county that was free to fish as long as you held a valid fishing license--but fishing did come at a cost.  From memory it was about a 20 minute hike to access the water, and when your return to your vehicle it was all uphill and tiring!  While the fishing at the reservoir could be excellent, I had a series of many consecutive trips over the span of a year that did not result in a single bite.  Based on my repeated experiences of catching nothing, I felt like I might as well practice casting into a backyard pool.  Fishing and catching are two different things, and I prefer catching.  If there is no catching involved, why go fishing?

After Jesus rose from the dead, one night Peter and other disciples decided to go fishing.  The Sea of Galilee was literally at Peter's doorstep, and he had a boat, tackle and experience.  The Gospel of John says they fished all night and caught nothing.  Early in the morning, they saw a man on the shore they did not recognise who turned out to be Jesus.  He called out to them, "Caught any fish?"  "No," they responded.  Jesus then said, "Cast your net on the right side and you'll find some."  Scarcely had they done so, and the net was full of fish.  Peter recognised the man on the shore was Jesus, and he immediately plunged into the sea to quickly swim 90 metres to meet Him.

John 21:9-11 says, "Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." ¹¹ Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken."  The disciples dragged their net to the shore which contained 153 large fish, and we observe Jesus already had fish and bread cooking on the coals.  He did not need any of their fish to prepare breakfast, for they would serve another purpose.  After Jesus invited them to eat John 21:15 reads, "So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."  Based on the context, it is very likely Jesus said "these" in reference to the 153 large fish they just caught that lay there.

When Peter set out to fish that night, he would not have dreamed of such a legendary haul.  This was catching!  Because Peter was a fisherman by trade, catching fish was food for his family, provided ability to trade, make money, and invest in his business.  Jesus placed Himself opposite the great catch of fish--the fish Peter sought and successfully caught--and asked, "Do you love me more than these?"  Some people fish in competitions for money and others fish for fun, leisure or for food.  Our pursuits extend far beyond fishing.  Consider what things you desire and pursue:  if you were to successfully aquire more than you ever dreamed, would you love Jesus more than those things?  Did Peter love Jesus because Jesus could supply all the fish he wanted or because Jesus is better than fishing or fish?  It is possible we could love our pursuits like money, holidays, hobbies, stuff, properties or even catching fish instead of Jesus.  It is good for God's people to realise that even if we successfully acquire everything we desire and more, loving Jesus means we are willing to leave our pursuits like fishing and all the fish in the world behind (if needed) to obey Him.

After Peter affirmed his love for Jesus, the LORD said:  "Feed my lambs."  Peter was given a new priority by the LORD Jesus, to expend his effort in feeding the sheep of the Good Shepherd by teaching, ministering in the church and praying.  Peter didn't need to sell his boat, but he needed to re-arrange his priorities in line with Christ's call upon his life.  Jesus said previously in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  Jesus repeatedly said to Peter on the shores of Galilee, "Follow Me."  Peter loved Jesus, and by God's grace he continued to love Jesus for the rest of his life.  Today the LORD has brought you to a crossroads:  will you prioritise your pursuits, or love and follow the Saviour who loved you first?  If there was 153 property deeds or 153 million dollars of yours laying in a pile, would you love Jesus more than these?  If you answer is "yes," shouldn't you make Jesus your pursuit?