00:00You know, there is a story in the New Testament that reveals something beautiful about Jesus
00:06that many people, I think, overlook. It happens after the resurrection, after the cross,
00:14after the fear, after the failure, after the confusion. It happens in a quiet place beside
00:23the sea. It's one of the most tender scenes in all of scripture, in my opinion. You see,
00:31Simon Peter and some other disciples had gone fishing, and that detail matters. These were men
00:38who had seen miracles, walked with Jesus, heard his voice, and watched him die. They had also seen
00:46the empty tomb. They knew something world-changing had happened, but they were still living in the
00:54middle of their own human weakness. They were not standing tall in unshakable confidence.
01:00They were still processing grief, hope, confusion, and failure all at once.
01:08And Peter himself especially knew failure. Peter had loved Jesus boldly. Peter had spoken with
01:18confidence. Peter had sworn loyalty. But when the pressure came, he denied Jesus three times. Not once,
01:29three times. Publicly, painfully, and after the rooster crowed. Peter knew exactly what he had done.
01:41And that kind of failure, well, that kind of failure leaves a mark on your heart. So, here they are,
01:49they're back in a boat, working through the night, catching nothing. That also feels important,
01:57because so many people know what it's like to work in the dark and come up empty. To feel tired.
02:04To feel
02:05disappointed. To wonder, what now? To return to familiar motions because the heart does not know where
02:14else to go. Then, as morning begins to break, Jesus stands on the shore. The disciples do not first
02:26recognize him. He calls out to them. He calls out to them and tells them to cast their net on
02:31the right
02:31side of the boat. They do, and suddenly, the net is full of fish. In that moment, John realizes who
02:41it
02:41is and says, it is the Lord. And Peter, impulsive and full-hearted as ever, throws himself into the sea
02:51and rushes toward Jesus. Now, this is where the overlooked beauty begins. You see, when they come
03:01to land, Jesus had already made a fire, and there were fish laid on it and bread beside it. I
03:11want you
03:12to think about that. Jesus did not wait on the shore with folded arms. He did not begin with the
03:20speech
03:21about Peter's failure. He did not say, now that you are finally here, let us discuss how you abandoned
03:29me. He made breakfast. The risen Son of God, the one who had defeated death itself, stood on the shore
03:39in the morning light and prepared a meal for tired, confused, imperfect men. That is not a small detail,
03:49my friends. That is a revelation of his heart. You know, a lot of people think of Jesus only in
03:57the
03:57largest categories. Savior, King, Lord, Judge, Messiah. And all of that is gloriously true. But here is the
04:08quiet scene. Jesus shows something people often overlook. He is tender with people who are still
04:17carrying shame. He feeds them before he speaks deeply to them. He welcomes them before he restores
04:27them. He creates warmth before he addresses the wound. Now, there's a fire on that shore, and I do not
04:37think that is accidental. Peter had denied Jesus beside another fire. The smell of it, the setting of it,
04:46the memory of it, the memory of it must have lived somewhere deep inside him. And now Jesus meets him
04:53near
04:54a new fire. Not to destroy him, but to restore him. You see, that's how Jesus heals. He does not
05:03pretend
05:03failure did not happen, but he also does not weaponize it. He brings Peter near. He makes room.
05:12He feeds him. Then later he asks Peter three times, Do you love me? And that was not Jesus humiliating
05:23him.
05:24That was Jesus gently walking him back through the place of pain. Three denials had wounded Peter's
05:32heart. Now three affirmations. Now three affirmations became part of his healing. Jesus was not rubbing salt
05:40in the wound. He was undoing the power of shame. And this is what many people overlook about Jesus.
05:49He's not merely interested in being right about you. He is interested in restoring you. He does not only
05:58expose sin. He heals what sin is damaged. He does not only confront failure. He rebuilds people after
06:09failure. He does not only call people out. He calls them back. And there is something else easy to miss
06:20in this story that I want to point out. You see, Jesus had already provided fish before the disciples
06:28brought any in. The fire already had fish on it. The bread was already there. Yes, he let them participate
06:38and he told them to bring some of what they had caught. But even before they arrived, Jesus was already
06:48the provider. Think about that. That means their empty nets were never the final truth. And maybe
06:57that's part of the lesson too. We often think everything depends on us, our strength, our success,
07:07our consistency, our ability to recover. But Jesus meets people with provision already burning on the fire.
07:17He is not wringing his hands, hoping we can save ourselves. He's already there on the shore,
07:25holding what we need. Now, what does this story show us about Jesus that many people miss?
07:34I think it shows us that he is gentle with failing people. It shows us that he knows shame has
07:42to be
07:43healed, not merely condemned. It shows us that he meets tired people with nourishment, not just demands.
07:53It shows us that his greatness includes tenderness. And it shows us that resurrection power is not cold
08:01power. It is warm enough to cook breakfast by the sea. Can you believe that? It's beautiful.
08:08And it may sound simple. But it's one of the most heartwarming truths in the New Testament.
08:15The risen Christ is not less personal than we imagined. He is more personal.
08:23He's not less attentive. He's more attentive. And he's not standing in the distance waiting for us to
08:30become less human before he comes close. He steps into ordinary mornings, ordinary hunger, ordinary grief,
08:40and ordinary regret. And you know what? He meets people there. And maybe that's why this story matters
08:48so much. And I wanted to bring it up today. Because many people know what it's like to love Jesus
08:54and
08:55still fail. Many people know what it's like to carry regret. And I believe that many people know what it's
09:02like to return to old routines after they feel lost. But you know what? This story says that Jesus is
09:12still
09:13the kind of Lord who stands on the shore at daybreak. He still calls out. He still provides. He is
09:22still
09:23inviting us. And that's important. He's enough to confront you. Tender enough to feed you.
09:33Powerful enough to conquer death. And that's important. Because if he was like that then,
09:41I guarantee you, he is like that now.
09:47My name is Douglas Vandergraaf. And I believe in Jesus Christ. God bless every single one of you.
09:57Every single one.
10:00Bye-bye.
Comments