Have You Any Meat

Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

John 21:5-6 KJV

Today Jesus is calling, “Children, have you any meat? Are you satisfied with life, or is your boat empty? Do you feel hollow inside? Is the life you are living giving you satisfaction, or are you struggling to find meaning from day to day?” He already knows the answer, just like He knew that these men had been unsuccessful with their fishing trip. He wants to fill each and every soul to overflowing with His peace and joy.

I picture Him walking up and down upon the shores of time calling, calling to anyone who will listen. “Children—my child, are you satisfied with your life, or is there an empty void? Is your fishing technique rewarding you with lasting happiness, or does it keep you looking, always searching for more? If so, I have the answer. I can fill your boat—your life to overflowing and more if you will let me.”

Soon after this story of the fishing trip, Jesus ascended to His Heavenly Father. He is not here on earth in a physical sense, but He has sent His Holy Spirit to move up and down throughout the whole earth seeking those who are needy. He never grows tired of calling and searching. Unlike us who grow tired and short tempered with others, He never does. His mercy continues from everlasting to everlasting without changing. His grace and mercy are the same today as they were two thousand years ago. And He stands with outstretched hands, hands that have the scars of being pierced, for your sins and mine, waiting and waiting for us to come home. See Psalm 19.  

Jesus was against the self-righteous and self-serving attitudes of the Jewish leaders that oppressed the people. He could see into their hearts and knew that they were empty of truth and full of evil and unrighteousness. They had ascribed to their own self-righteous laws and ways. Because of this they rejected Him. Their own blindness blinded them to the emptiness they had inside. In other words, their boat was empty of truth and full of themselves and they did not know it. But Jesus did. He wanted to offer them the same thing that He offered the poor and needy, but He needed them to see that they indeed were poor and needy. Their own righteousness prevented them from being able to see. Today Jesus wants us to be needy. He wants us as His children to know that without Him we can do nothing.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5 KJV

When we become empty of self, He can fill us with Himself. When we are filled with Him, we are full–no longer are we hungry and thirsty.

Satan will not leave us alone. He hates Jesus, and he hates the peace. He was driven out of that perfect place of peace because of his own pride, and therefore he hates it. He is here on earth spreading evil and making chaos in the hearts and lives of all who will let him.

By default, we have been born into Satan’s domain, and because of the choice our first parents made to listen to his temptation, our flesh has an alliance with him. Naturally, we are selfish and want to please ourselves. We want whatever makes us happy, regardless of those around us. This alliance does not bring us lasting peace and rest. If it did, there would be no wars and fighting in the world. There would be no evil. So, because we have this inborn desire to please ourselves, we are presented with a choice. Are we going to go on in this selfish unhappy life or are we going to choose what Jesus is offering us—love, peace, freedom, and joy?

Satan is also offering his wares, just like he did to Jesus. See Luke 4. He tries to convince us that if we live for Jesus our lives will be full of sacrifice and drudgery. He almost always points us to the immediate pleasures of life. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He tries to keep us from thinking of the future, and what lies ahead for us if we choose his way—and far too often, he is successful.

The decision to deny self and serve the Lord is not a one-time thing and thereafter smooth sailing. God did not intend that living for Him would be easy. It is the daily choice we make to serve Him, that brings Him honor and glory. As we turn to Him for strength to bear whatever life brings our way, He joyfully provides us with the grace and power to overcome and do His will. He is ever near to hear us when we call.

The Christian has a long-range view of life. He knows that he was not promised smooth sailing. He knows that there will be disappointments, sorrow, and grief. But he knows that he serves a God who has a place for him in the hereafter that will make everything he experienced here on earth as nothing. He is not interested in the here and now, although he lives and enjoys life. He has his eyes on heaven and the everlasting peace he will experience there. This motivates him to have hope and keep turning to God.

One should not think that it is only the reward of the future that helps the Christian press on. If that were the case, few would make it. God gives us a foretaste of heaven here below when we surrender our heart and life to Him. He takes the burden of sin away and gives us peace. He gives us strength to face the difficulties of life with a smile and a song. He even gives people the strength in the time of bodily persecution to stand faithful until death. In other words, when we cast our net with Him, His Holy Spirit fills our boat of life and satisfies our every need.

Now let us go back for a minute and consider why the disciples of Jesus decided to go fishing. If you have not read this account for awhile, go back and read the whole chapter of John 21. This will give you the context of the story and has some valuable lessons in it.

One can hardly judge the disciples too harshly for going fishing. Their fishing experience that left them with an empty boat after fishing all night, no doubt reflected what their lives felt like. For three years they had walked and talked with the Master. He had personally called each of them, and from that time their lives had been upended. Not in a bad way of course. They loved Jesus and loved His teaching. But then things took an unexpected turn. Jesus was arrested, tried, and put to death. In the process of all the confusion and commotion, they all, in one way or another, abandoned Him in the hour when He needed them the most. But then again, it was part of the overall plan.

On the third day after His death, Jesus rose from the dead, and they had twice seen Him alive! But where was He now? Had He abandoned them? Was that all His plan? What were they to do with life now? They needed something to do with their lives, and the most obvious thing to Peter was they needed to eat, and they were fishermen, and the sea was nearby. This all sounded like a good idea to the rest, so they joined Peter in his quest to pull some meat out of the depth of the sea. Little did they know that Jesus was about to teach them another important lesson in life. When he appeared, they did not recognize Him. Even at His first call they did not realize it was the Lord. Only when they obeyed and their nets were full to the point of breaking, were their eyes open.

Jesus had an important lesson for them as they sat around the fire after having their fill of fish. Addressing Peter, He asked “Do you love me more than these?” To Peter this was not even a question. “Of course I love you!” he replied. Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Three times Jesus asked Peter, and three times Peter answered in the affirmative. And Jesus said again, “Feed my sheep.”  

Jesus wanted them to know that though He had performed a miracle for them by filling their empty nets, He would much more fill their lives by obedience to Him. He wanted them to love Him more than the things around them—their daily lives. He did not want them to compare themselves with others, He wanted their personal commitment to Him. When Peter asked, “What shall this man do?” Jesus answered, “What is that to thee, follow thou me.”

No longer were they purposeless. They would prove their loyalty and love to Him, by their love and service to their fellow men. They could choose to do His will and be filled, or they could choose the emptiness of living their own lives for themselves.

This is the call the Jesus has for us today. He does not call everyone to a place of leadership, or to be a missionary, or to give their lives for their faith in Him. No matter, He is still calling each of us to abandon ourselves and live for Him, being obedient to His Word and the Holy Spirit. As we walk in His way, He will fill our lives with blessings enough for us and to spill out to those around us.

Who could refuse a call like that?