Friday, May 30, 2025
As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order. Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:16-20
Finding Restoration and New Life in Jesus
Peter was a character. He was a fisherman, disciple, one of Jesus’ closest friends, outspoken, and sometimes got himself in trouble when he would say something or act before thinking. He heard about Jesus from his brother Andrew, who had heard John the Baptist say that Jesus was the Lamb of God. Jesus came upon Peter and Andrew fishing, and he called to them and said, “Follow me.” They left immediately to follow him as did James and John, two brothers who were fishing with their father.
During Jesus’ trial, Peter denied knowing him as Jesus told him would happen. Peter did not want to believe he would ever deny knowing Jesus, but he did. He didn’t even get to talk to Jesus again before he was crucified. I can’t imagine how his heart must have hurt, but Jesus knew. When he rose from the dead, Jesus wanted Peter to know. He told the women who had come to his tomb and found it empty: But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you. Mark 16:7 Jesus names Peter specifically because he knew that Peter needed to hear the good news.
After Jesus was resurrected, he appeared to the disciples. Some of them had gone back to fishing, maybe because they felt lost and didn’t know what else to do. The resurrected Jesus met them there on the beach and cooked them breakfast. Peter was likely still feeling the pressure of his betrayal to Jesus and Jesus was there to set things right.
Jesus asked Peter "Do you love me?" three times after his resurrection to confirm his faith and restore him after his three denials of Jesus before the crucifixion. By asking Peter to "feed my sheep," Jesus was entrusting Peter with leadership within the church, implying his responsibility to guide and disciple believers.
I love that Jesus’ last visit with Peter and some of the other disciples was on the beach just as was his first encounter with them. In Luke Chapter 5, in telling the account of Jesus calling his first disciples, he told Peter to let down his nets in deeper water. They had not caught anything all night but now the nets were so full they were beginning to break. The resurrected Jesus did the same thing for the disciples that day when he made them breakfast on the beach. They were in their boats and had caught nothing. Jesus told them to cast their nets on the other side, and they did, and their nets were bursting.
Jesus ends his time with those few disciples the same way he began. He addressed Peter as Simon, which is what his name was before Jesus changed his name. Peter was back to Simon, but Jesus restored him, gave him a new identity and purpose just as he did in the very beginning. And he wrapped it up with some of his very first words to Peter - Follow me.
What about you? Have you gone back to what you knew was safe because you do not feel worthy or capable to step into your calling from Jesus? Have you put on your old identity because you think you are not worthy of your identity in Christ? Once you make the decision to follow Jesus, that identity if yours forever and it trumps every other identity you have ever had.
The most beautiful thing about this story is that Jesus came back for Peter. He cooked him breakfast. He restored him and gave him new direction. Peter probably didn’t see that coming. Peter failed Jesus by denying that he knew him, but Jesus forgave him. Jesus loves us and he will not leave us in the boat. When we let him he will always restore us and give us new life and purpose no matter how many times we fail. It is never too late to return to Jesus, confess, ask for forgiveness, repent, and find restoration.
