Shepherding One AnotherSample

Called to Restore

Seven disciples—close friends encouraged by Peter—decided to return to their old trade as fishermen. Peter had a boat that he once shared with the father of John and James. Also with them were Andrew, a friend of John and Peter’s brother, Thomas, and two other disciples.

This was a community that knew Jesus intimately and had paid a price to follow Him. Yet at that moment, they were far from the place where Jesus had asked them to remain. They weren’t fishing merely to catch breakfast; they were out on the Sea of Galilee, far from Jerusalem, where they were supposed to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They were distant from their purpose and from their calling.

Jesus is always thinking about restoration; He moves circumstances to restore people. If we recall Luke 5—the calling of Peter, John, and Andrew—it took place after a similar crisis: they had toiled all night and caught nothing. Jesus recreates that fruitless night to bring back their memory and renew their destiny.

Many times God does not give us what we want, but what He knows we need. He uses those needs to remind us of our calling. Need should never set the agenda—Jesus’ agenda is always restoration, and He moves everything toward that end. Circumstances can aid restoration when we view them through the lens of what God wants to accomplish in our lives, or in the life of the person to whom He sends us. Jesus reminds us that our lives are precious and filled with eternal purpose.

I’m captivated by how Jesus used the past of those fishermen—not to condemn them, but to remind them of their destiny. Perhaps another fruitless night was necessary to make them reconsider their desire to turn back. Yet even in that moment of scarcity and frustration, Jesus was already at work on behalf of His beloved friends. There will always be a meal prepared and the gift of good company when we receive with gratitude what He offers.

When frustration overwhelms us and we insist on solving everything on our own, we may not see Jesus—though He is already working on the solution. He uses that practical solution to open our eyes and help us realize that He has always been in control.

To shepherd one another also means offering practical help that reveals divine care. Jesus doesn’t fish for us, but He watches over how our journey unfolds, ensuring that we lack nothing. He became human so that He might know our frustration before empty nets.

The story of the miracle is not really about the 153 fish—it is a sign through which He reveals Himself, so that by remembering who Jesus is, they would remember who they are to Him, and in remembering, return to their higher calling.

How much do we truly love our brothers and sisters—enough to seek their restoration in the way of Jesus?