Jn.21:1,4 – After these things Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias… But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Just another day at the beach, this was the story of John’s life. This walk with Jesus had started not far from this very spot on a beach in Galilee. There would be another unusual day on the beach at Patmos many years later but that is a story for another day. Today’s beach encounter was just days after the resurrection of Jesus, if you look carefully at this passage John seems to be implying that this is the start of a brand new day or season for the world. Jesus had come to break the chains of sin from mankind, today we see the first fruit of this walking on the beach. Could it be that Jesus walking up to them on the beach that day was a picture of the world to come? I believe it is. Jesus is the first resurrected glorified man and He had called His followers to announce the beginning of this brand new day. Here is how Barclay describes this passage.
“NOW we come to the first great reason why this strange chapter was added to the already finished gospel. It was to demonstrate once and for all the reality of the resurrection. There were many who said that the appearances of the risen Christ were nothing more than visions which the disciples had. Many would admit the reality of the visions but insist that they were still only visions. Some would go further and say that they were not visions but hallucinations. The gospels go far out of their way to insist that the risen Christ was not a vision, not a hallucination, not even a spirit, but a real person. They insist that the tomb was empty and that the risen Christ had a real body which still bore the marks of the nails and the spear thrust in his side.”
These fishermen were about to embark on their greatest fishing trip yet, they were to go into all the world and announce this new day. Their message was the bait that would be using for the harvest of souls that would last until the end of the age. Everyone who believes this message steps into the light of this brand new day. It won’t be long until we are all in that glorified state with Jesus walking in the light of God’s new day.
