Biblical scholars, pastors, authors and others have all scratched their heads over the significance of the 153 fish. You can click here for what some people think. Frankly, having been fishing before, it's pretty simple. If I caught 153 fish in one net, you would know that I caught 153 fish in one net. It's what fishermen do. Peter is, after all, a fisherman.
One thing that boggles my mind is how quickly Peter and the other disciple go back to their former lives. When Peter says "I am going out to fish," he isn't talking about a leisurely fishing trip. He's gone back and picked up the nets he left behind to follow Jesus. 153 fish won't feed the family, they'll sell at the market and feed the family. Even after meeting the resurrected Jesus, Peter's expectations for an earthly kingdom were so let down that seeing Jesus post-resurrection didn't motivate him back into followership.
It isn't until Jesus blows up Peter's expectations (again) by blessing his catch that Peter "snaps out of" his malaise and picks up his enthusiasm for Jesus once more. Enthusiasm, literally meaning "God is in it," is an important feature of following Jesus. Too often I fall for things that keep me less bored rather than be drawn to things I can be enthusiastic about.
And sometimes, out of the blue, God fills me with a great conversation or encourages me with a great moment of impact. And out of that moment, that movement of God, comes enthusiasm to press forward. And so on the days in which I feel tired, or feel like I don't have the motivation, I remember that it is God who provides those times. After all, isn't the resurrection one great object lesson that God provides?
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