He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. John 21:5 NIV

One of our favourite take-out meals is “Fish ‘n’ Chips”. It is the ultimate in English comfort food. The fish part doesn’t necessarily mean that ‘fish’ is always going to form part of the meal. However, it is importantly always a potential. For example; ‘do you fancy fish and chips?’ “Sure, I’ll have pie.”

Fish is an important part of the culture of the North East Coast of England. Villages were founded on fishing using small boats called cobles, generations of men making their living from the sea. Women, pre World War 2, followed the herring shoals from Lerwick in Scotland to the East Yorkshire city of Hull. They made money from the preparation of the small fish as they gutted and packed the herring into barrels. Fish meant life to so many families. More recently, the fast food industry has provided livelihoods for those who can put together a good ‘batter’ to fry the fish in and present a sweet and delicious ‘chip’ of potato, served hot and thick, unlike the skinny cousin known as the ‘French Fry’.

Hangry Fishermen

In John 21, I can well imagine the outrage of hangry fishermen who had failed to catch any fish, being questioned by a stranger on the shore. We get rid of our polite ‘church reading voices’ at this point and hear the anger, the frustration and the desperation as their response is a resounding; “NO!!!” to the question, to the questioner.

The Disciples, full of grief, look for their comfort… They seek to scratch an itch formed of a lack of purpose, of niggling guilt and maybe even a fear for the future. They return to the comfort of their pre-Jesus life, fishing, and it offers only further frustration. 

For them, a catch of fish would have meant a moment of success, a bit of a reminder of their strength, a relief from the desperation of failure of their recent trauma. They were going it alone. 

After Easter, I am often exhausted from the demands of ministry, the effort and pressure (often self-enforced) to provide an excellent suite of services that properly honour and celebrate the enormous sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and the immense privilege of being one of the ones he has so wonderfully saved. 

A spiritually empty net

A week later, and I’m still missing the energy from it… I hear Jesus call; “friend, haven’t you any fish?” And I have to say “No!” just as the disciples on Galilee responded. Apart from Jesus, I am starved of sustenance, seeking my own way forward, I end up on fruitless sorties. I express my annoyance at the Saviour who is the one tending the coal fire with my sustenance already prepared and cooking and I rail at His directions for my abundance. I am hangry.

With Jesus, Fish is always a potential. He knows where it is and how to get us there. He knows the comfort food we need and the words of mercy and grace which are pure balm to our souls… 

Many people think of Jesus and remember ‘bread’. I think ‘fish’ – there is food on the fire and plenty more in the nets. There will be conversations of forgiveness and restoration on the sea shore. My living, my plenty, my purpose only makes sense when it is commissioned and called forth by Jesus. My rest and reconciliation within my spirit are works of grace by Jesus on the gentle shores where He feeds me and my confidence is restored in being called by Jesus, once more, to the task to which He already called me… 

With Jesus, ‘Fish’ is an offer of food to be taken and a reminder of the task He’s given. With Jesus, Fish is always a potential!

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