Variety: John 21v12-14

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.   John 21:12–14

It reminds us that Jesus meets us in the ordinary places of life. The disciples weren’t in the Temple or on a mountain, they were at work, tired and frustrated after an unproductive night. That’s where Jesus showed up. And he does the same today. In our everyday routines, our workplaces, our family responsibilities – even in our disappointments – Jesus is present.

It challenges us to listen to his voice, even when it doesn’t entirely make sense. After a whole night of failure, throwing the net again must have seemed pointless. Yet when they trusted Jesus, everything changed. Sometimes we might need to take that same step of obedience – to return to something we’ve done a hundred times, but this time, trusting Jesus.

It shows us something about what Jesus desires from us. He didn’t need the disciples’ fish – he already had his own. Yet he invited them, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught’ (v10). In the same way, Jesus invites us to bring our work, our gifts, our ‘catch’, even though all of it comes from him in the first place. He values our offering, and he wants our company.

The heart of this passage is not just about success or failure, nets or fish, but about presence: Jesus with his people, sharing food and friendship. And just as breakfast with him transformed the disciples, so time with him can transform us — in our homes, our workplaces, and our world.

Paul Woolley