Two Small Fish
October 17, 2005
Verse 3: “After his passion” refers to Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus remained on earth forty days after He arose. During that time, He preformed many “infallible proofs” that serve as a testimony for the generations to come. (For a list of Jesus’ appearances, see footnote.)
The number of appearances and the fact that many were present provide us with proof that Jesus is alive in a resurrected body. Some argue that these eyewitnesses hallucinated. But, it is impossible for two people to have the exact same hallucination at the exact same moment, let a lone 500.
Although little of Jesus’ post-resurrection instructions were recorded, we have enough to substantiate His resurrection, His love for us, and His commission.
In the twenty-first chapter of his gospel, John records a detailed appearance of Jesus. Peter and six other disciples gathered at the sea of Tiberias. Try to imagine their state of mind. They spent three years traveling with Jesus, watched Him perform miracles, cast out demons, and baffle the Pharisees. Only two weeks prior, they saw Him crucified and buried. In the deepest pit of despair, they hid behind locked doors for three days. They thought all was lost; until, they witnessed Jesus resurrected and glorified.
Peter decided to go fishing. The others agreed to “float the boat” with him. Many theologians seem to think that Peter was ready to throw in the towel and return to fishing, but I disagree. I think his head was spinning with all these wonderful, yet mysterious events. I believe he wanted to return to the familiar to try to sort out the facts. Don’t we do that sort of thing when our surroundings become too complex for our feeble minds?
John 21:3-11 sounds familiar to us because a similar incident occurred early in Jesus’ ministry. It was further proof that He was the resurrected Son of God. Two miracles took place in this passage: (1) Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side of the ship. When they did, they caught 153 large fish. This seems simple, but it is proof of Jesus’ deity. Only the Creator of the universe could summon fish to the boat. (2) The net didn’t break. If this is significant enough for the Lord to include in His word, we need to look closely at it. A small thing perhaps, but, it serves as a reminder that God works miracles in our lives every day. Instead of seeing them as such, we have a tendency to overlook the commonplace.
Verse 4 and 5 of Acts One unfold another dilemma. WAIT! One of the toughest assignments known to humanity. Here are the disciples burning with the wonderful news of Jesus’ resurrection, eager to the world ablaze. And Jesus commands them to wait. For what? The Holy Ghost to come? But, what or who is the Holy Ghost? They had no idea what Jesus meant. It must have felt like a few days before Christmas and they had the greatest gift to share. They wanted to tell everyone. But Jesus said wait for the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
When Jesus commands us to wait, He doesn’t mean to sit down and twiddle our thumbs. According to the dictionary, wait means to anticipate with great expectation, a time to prepare for an event.
Verses 6-9: Jesus concluded His discourse with the great commission to evangelize the world. And then the most amazing thing of all happened. Jesus ascended into heaven on a cloud.
Some of us remember coloring the picture of Jesus and then gluing a little cotton ball to His feet to represent the cloud. But, it wasn’t an ordinary cotton-ball cloud that resembles a fluffy dinosaur or angels’ wings. The cloud was the Shekinah glory – the presence of God – the same cloud that we read about in Exodus, which lead the Hebrew children out of Egypt.
Verses 10 and 11: The apostles stood with their mouths agape in total awe. Two men in white apparel appeared to reassure them that Jesus would return the same way He departed: on the Shekinah glory, in His resurrected body, and full of power. See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; and Revelation 1:7. We are advised by Paul to continually remind one another about His coming.
Verses 12-14: The apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount of Olivet, which was about ¾ of a mile. They obeyed Jesus’ command to wait by continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication. One accord meant they had one purpose with God and with each other. God was preparing His holy army to go into the world to preach the gospel and to fight against the enemy.
One accord – unity among the troops is vital. Can you imagine the chaos of an army that was not of one accord? What if they couldn’t agree on who the enemy was? What if they refused to submit to the leader? Where would they end up if they couldn’t decide which direction to go?
There are many problems within the body of Christ today, because we are not of one accord.
Verses15-26: At this point, Peter took his appointed position as leader. When Peter was first introduced in the gospels, he was boisterous to put it bluntly. He had an answer for everything and it usually involved fists or swords. He had to be refined before he could serve his Master as the commander of this great army. The agony that Peter suffer through his denial of Jesus served as the refiner’s fire. Peter changed. He now understood the importance of self-control. He learned to put his mind in gear, before putting his mouth and hands in motion.
Peter’s first task was to replace Judas Iscariot. There was one prerequisite: the man must have been a follower of Jesus from His baptism by John the Baptist up to and including His resurrection. He had to be an eyewitness to the same degree as the eleven original disciples. Two men qualified – Joseph who was called Barsabas and Matthias. After praying to God to reveal His chosen man, they drew lots. The lot fell on Matthias and he became the twelfth apostle.
Conclusion
and Challenge:
Jesus is coming soon. Remind everyone!
Footnote: The “infallible proofs” include”:
On the day of His resurrection: to Mary Magdalene (John 20:14-18), to the
women returning from the tomb (Matthew 28: 8-10), to Peter (Luke 24:34), to the
three disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-31), to the ten apostles (Luke
24:36-43 & John 20:19-24). Eight days later, Jesus appeared to all eleven
apostles (John 20:24-29). In Galilee, He appeared to: Peter and six others by
the Lake of Tiberias (John 21:1-23), to the apostles and five hundred brethren
(1 Corinthians 15:6). At Jerusalem and Bethany again: to James (1 Corinthians
15:7), to the eleven (Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts
1:4-11). After Jesus’ ascension (mentioned in Acts 1:9-11), He appeared: to
Stephen, outside Jerusalem (Acts 7:55); to Paul: (1) near Damascus (Acts 9:3-6,
1 Corinthians 15:8), (2) in the temple (Acts 22:17-19; 23:11); and to John on
Patmos (Revelation 1:10-19).
Prayer Requests:
Tammy, Melinda, Jordan, Hurricane Victims, Joey, Phyllis, Sue, Aaron, the Treaster family, Joyce, Donna, Jackie, Nora, Karen and Raph, Brett and family, our Monday Bible Study, and remember me, Brenda Hendricks.
Next Week’s Study:
Read the second chapter of Acts. Next week, we will study the Pentecost, Peter’s discourse to the Israelites, and the beginning of the church. Note the significance of the phrase “of one accord.”
Invitation:
Brenda Hendricks.