“I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.

“We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” - John 21:3

It’s Easter weekend, a time of reflection and celebration on the death and resurrection of Jesus. If you go to church, you’ll undoubtedly hear stories of resurrection, and maybe the pastor will talk about what God can resurrect in your life, and that’s all truly beautiful. However, there’s an often overlooked aspect of the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection that I think is wildly important, and it’s this observation here in John 21:3. Jesus, at this point, has died. So the apostles decide to go fishing. Why is this important? Because the apostles didn’t fish for enjoyment or to relax, they fished to work. It was three years before this moment that Peter laid down his net to follow Jesus, and now, upon his death, Peter picked it back up. The decision to go fishing was a very clear indication of where the apostles were emotionally in this moment, and it shows us that they seemed to believe one thing to be clear: “We were wrong.”

After three years of believing they had been following the Savior, the one who would save their culture and their very lives against those who came against them, now that savior was dead. So, the apostles went back to work. And sure, Jesus told the apostles that He would rise again, but can you blame them for doubting after seeing how brutally He died? But, those same apostles who gave up and went back to work, would later all be so convinced of the message of Jesus, so wholly believing in His resurrection, that they would all be willing to lay down their lives and be martyred so that others would know about Him. And their deaths are historic, extrabiblical events, not up for debate. So, how does THAT change happen, without the resurrection? That question was a turning point for me in my faith, if I’m honest, because I love psychology and sociology, and studying how the human brain works. And truthfully, the conclusion I’ve come to is this, if Jesus had NOT risen again, based on everything I know, I don’t see a reality where these same defeated men who had gone back to work suddenly become so brave and convinced of the resurrection that they’re willing to die for it. But the very next passage tells us why. Jesus DID appear to them, and they DID see that He rose again, and that is why they were all willing to bet their lives on the truth of the resurrection. 

I think there are days when, if we’re honest, we’re all a little like the disciples when they thought they were wrong. Is it okay to admit that? I think we should. I think throughout the course of our lives, we will all have days or weeks where maybe we don’t feel QUITE as convicted or as strong in our faith as we once did. But then, that’s what the resurrection is for. The disciples’ emotions were depleted, but because of the resurrection, they bet their lives on the truth and message of Jesus Christ. Truthfully, if the disciples hadn't seen the resurrected Christ? I don’t think they die martyrs, I think they just die forgotten fishermen. Instead they bet their lives on Jesus. They loved without fear, they cared for the oppressed and the poor, they lived life the Jesus way. This Easter, I hope that maybe what they saw can change everything for you, too. Maybe their willingness to bet their lives on it is in itself an incentive for you to bet your life on it too. Maybe you don’t have to spend every day knowing the answer to every question about this wild faith we call the Jesus Way, maybe it’s enough to just bet your life on it because my friend, I don’t think that’s a bet you can lose.

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