Reflections for Youth - Breakfast with Jesus

I know it seems like I say this all the time - but this week's scripture is one of my favorites. I love it because it involves Jesus doing somethings miraculous, disciples who are still a little clueless, and - well, it also involves breakfast. 

Breakfast is my most favorite meal of the day. Especially when someone else is making it for you! That's pretty wonderful. Think about the last person that made you a really yummy breakfast.

What if that person was Jesus?

Read John 21: 1-19

So here's the story. After the day we call Easter, many of the disciples were together on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  Seven disciples were there, according to John. 

Simon Peter said “I am going fishing.” Everyone else agreed to tag along. They fished all night but they did not catch anything at all.  

When the sun began to come up in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore of the sea, but the disciples did not know it was him.  When they got closer Jesus yelled,

 “Have you caught anything to eat?”

And they said “Nope.”

Jesus yelled to them to throw their net over to the other side of the boat. And they listened. And they caught so many fish that they could barely pull them all into the boat.

That’s when they recognized that the man on the shore was Jesus.

When Simon Peter saw who it was, he was so excited that he "put on his clothes" and jumped into the sea.  I have a lot of questions about why he was naked in the first place -  but we can talk about that another time. I also have a lot of questions about why the disciples, willingly listened to someone who they thought was a stranger - yelling at them from the shore. 

Anyway — the rest of the disciples stayed in the boat, dragging the net filled with fish to the shore. 

When they got to the beach, Jesus had a fire ready and was cooking fish. And he gave them bread. 

And Jesus said “Come, have breakfast.”

After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, do you love me more than these?”

Simon Peter said “Yes, Master, you know I love you.”

And Jesus said, “OK, then feed my sheep.” 

Jesus repeated his question to Simon Peter twice more. Simon Peter got a little cranky because he thinks that Jesus should know the answer after the first two asks. 

And Jesus tells him again,  “Feed my sheep.” and “Follow me.”

This is the third time that scripture tells a story of Jesus appearing to his followers after the Resurrection. And it's the very last part of John's Gospel. 

Jesus appears and offers help to the disciples.  They are not catching fish so he asked them to try doing what they are doing another way. Throw your net on the other side of the boat. 

Then he invited them to the beach. He cooks for them and shares God's love with them. 
He shares breakfast with them. He feeds them. And then he asks that they share God’s love with others.  

Here is what I am thinking about this week: 

• What are we struggling to do or accomplish that might work if we listen to someone else and try it another way?
• Simon Peter is instructed by Jesus to go out and take care of the people - to tell them about Jesus's message of God's Love. But first, Jesus feeds him. He feeds his followers with food and reminds them that they need to receive God's love before they can go out and share it.  What do we need to do for ourselves to fill us up in order to share God's love with others?
• Who can we feed? Who can we invite to breakfast?