Our Savior Restores
Open Your Bible
John 21:1-19, 2 Peter 1:3-15
BY Rebecca Faires
I get hungry every time I read the Gospels. So much eating! So much cooking and drinking—the clanking of plates and the clinking of cups veritably rings off the pages! Remember when Jesus departed from the disciples to face the cross? He did so with a parting meal. When He came to them again, resurrected, He served them breakfast on the beach. It’s hard to imagine literally anything better than breakfast on the beach—two of the best things in life all at once.
At other meals, both metaphorically and with real bread, Jesus is continually feeding His sheep, because He is the Good Shepherd. He reminds us that He is the bread of life and no other food will ultimately satisfy. And when He feeds us, He is teaching us what the kingdom of heaven looks like.
His kingdom is not of this world, and man does not live by bread alone. But Christ is also the Christ of feasts. He feeds every part of us, body and soul. And when He asks Peter, “Do you love me?” He follows with this: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).
He asks us the same question: “Do you love me?” If so, then you also will have a heart for the flock. Others will know we are His disciples in this way, that we love one another, we feed one another, and we share with one another the true and living bread of life—as well as the bread broken together at our own dining room tables.
The beckoning call of the kingdom says, “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost!” (Isaiah 55:1). The beckoning call of Christ is this: “Come and have breakfast” (John 21:12). Both are invitations to come to Him and to His table.
Robert Farrar Capon, writer and cook, understood this. In his book, The Supper of the Lamb, he says:
“To be sure, food keeps us alive, but that is only its smallest and most temporary work. Its eternal purpose is to furnish our sensibilities against the day when we shall sit down at the heavenly banquet and see how gracious the Lord is. Nourishment is necessary only for a while; what we shall need forever is taste.”
Since the very beginning, God has fed us, calling us to feed from Christ, from the tree of life, rather than lean upon our own understanding or depend upon the bread of Egypt (Genesis 2–3; Exodus 16:3–8). He is using food to give us a taste for the eternal. He is using food to teach us that He is good and faithful. He is using food to teach us to feed one another. At every turn, we are called to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).
45 thoughts on "Our Savior Restores"
-
God’s Word is to the soul as healthy food is to the body- absolutely necessary! I have been putting my physical health as a top priority for most of my life. I have just been reminded by the devotional and by all of you that I need to prioritise my soul, because, while this body is going to die, my soul will go on forever.
-
Beautiful devotion. It reminds me of Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist. Thank you for reminding me to sit at His feet and feast on His promises and wisdom.
-
Restoration is a hard word to talk about. It goes hand in hand with grace and forgiveness. Showing that not only are we cleansed but we are made whole through Christ. I often “know” these things (nourishment) but I forget the gravity that they hold and the joy that comes with them (taste) Father let me taste and see that you are good.
-
Thank you for sharing Alicia. Praying that you feel His peace over you and your sweet baby boy. I am sorry for your loss and thankful that you have found comfort as you have turned to the Lord in it. May Jesus bless you abundantly and give you and this precious baby incredible joy. The 3’s always hit me. And, while I feel Peter’s sadness in Jesus asking the 3rd time “Do you love me?” I also feel the restoration in the asking. Though Peter denied Jesus 3 times. God gives Peter the chance to speak aloud to Jesus his love and sorrow for His denial. And in the same breath confirms that it is Peter’s call to feed His sheep. It is touching this restoration and full of love. God bless you Alicia. He is going to do great things through you.
-
I cannot do life without my Jesus! Truthfully I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Jesus. My God has given me the strength to do what I do today. Jesus is my lifeline. I can’t even believe what I’ve been able to accomplish and I share with others it’s not me and it’s all Jesus!
-
When I think of being satisfied with food, I think of yummy comfort food. Jesus wants to be our “comfort food” and we will be filled. Once filled, we can’t help but to share His “food” with others. He truly is the Bread of Life.
-
First time in here on SRT! Definitely a great start, especially for Bright Week. It’s too bad that scenes like this don’t get as much attention in Chico culture and in the brisket society, because the friendship and intimacy shown there is beautiful. John recognizing Jesus after He asks them to cast their nets in for fish (which some would have recognized from an earlier, more well-known miracle in the gospels), Peter immediately jumping in and swimming towards Jesus to the shore, Jesus reversing Peter’s denial, and the ordinary action of Jesus cooking and prepping breakfast for them…I was honestly getting lots of warm feelings from reading this before I roll out of my bed this morning.
Noticing what I’ve just typed, I have to admit that it’ss very easy for me to forget how present and close God is to me during the ordinary yet peaceful and delightful aspects of everyday life. I’m more likely to stick closer to God in pain and despair then when things go well, because I tend to overanalyze to the point which I get more confused about God’s provision for me and the way that He’s invited me into a life of contentment. Perhaps reading and lingering on this little mental image of Jesus cooking breakfast will be a great remedy to that, a way to help myself see God in my seemingly boring life and all of the delights that come with it.
-
Sorry for the crazy typos! Chico=Christian, and I dunno how it got ‘brisket’ out of what’s supposed to be ‘broader.’ lol maybe it recognized the food theme for the reading today?
-
-
Today as I was reading this passage, I was reminded of the parallel passage in Luke 5 when Jesus calls the first disciples as they are fishing at the beginning of His ministry. In that passage, the disciples’ nets began to break because of the number of fish they caught. In this one, after years of being with Jesus and witnessing His ministry, the nets hold despite the numerous fish they catch. In the first passage, they are told they will catch men henceforth. Now, after walking with Him, they are being called to follow through on that and to make disciples of all nations. It is striking that the next thing we hear Him say to Peter is ‘feed my sheep.’ They have already become ‘fishers of men’ and now they must learn to nurture the flock.
I started to ponder about the symbolic difference here and I thought about parallels to my own life. I am currently 37 weeks pregnant and although this will be my first child it is my third pregnancy…I had two early miscarriages. After a period of relative peace during the second trimester this pregnancy, I have been battling anxiety in these final weeks before my son is expected to arrive. Through this passage, it was like God was saying to me that through these two years of walking with Him and waiting He has prepared me to be a mother. I have definitely grown in these past two and a half years while I have been waiting, and now am better equipped to love my son well and to teach him to love God as well. It is also symbolic for me that this is the *third* time Jesus appears to the disciples after this resurrection and that Jesus asks Peter *three* times if he loves God and is prepared to feed the flock. God used this passage to remind me that I have already been prepared to receive this blessing and that my call is now to ‘feed my sheep.’ Yes, Lord.
-
This is such a lovely thought. After miscarriages and infertility and months of bedrest, I had three children. Children who are now young adults or headed that way fast, the oldest of whom is getting married in 6 weeks. The Lord has indeed qualified and equipped you. There is no one prepared for being a mom bc every life stage of yours and your kids requires different skills. God’s mothering preparation isn’t like college, where you get a degree and you’re done, it’s like making breakfast. The skills aren’t that hard, but it’s so very daily, and the small things matter but can be wearying, yet the result—a person grown and healthy because you fed them every day—is magnificent, the crowning achievement of your life.
-
Post Comments (45)