Do you have a favorite breakfast food? Do you prefer a savory or sweet breakfast? Maybe a little bit of both? And maybe even more importantly, are you a breakfast person or not? I have friends who find breakfast to be an imposition, and I have other friends who enjoy breakfast as their favorite meal of the day.
I’m asking this because of an occasion in the Gospel of John when Jesus made breakfast for some of His closest followers. He did this shortly after He rose from the dead, making a platform to connect with several of His disciples who had betrayed and abandoned Him after their Last Supper. This event took place in the early hours of the morning, after Jesus’ fishermen followers had fished all night and caught nothing. From the shore, Jesus called to these men to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, and they proceeded to haul in a massive catch of fish. As a side note, this whole experience was very much like the early interactions they had with Jesus after they dropped their nets and became His disciples.
Upon catching such a massive quantity of fish, the disciples recognized that it was Jesus calling to them from the shore, and Peter jumped in the water and swam to Him. The whole dynamic between Jesus and Peter in this situation is nothing less than electric, full stop. I say this because the last time they connected was shortly before Jesus was crucified, when He turned to meet Peter’s eyes after he had denied Him three times. This was a horrific experience for Peter because he had adamantly stated, just a few hours before, that he would go to jail and even die for Jesus before he’d ever deny him.
And now, here’s Jesus making breakfast for them all. This is Peter’s first opportunity to connect with Jesus after his denial, Jesus’ brutal crucifixion and His astounding resurrection. So, given all of this context, I suspect this breakfast with Jesus was an extremely emotional experience. John 21:1-17 gives powerful insight into Jesus’ actions.
In these verses, He initiates the entire interaction, calling from the shore to the fishermen. He makes everyone breakfast, and He has a profound conversation with Peter about loving Him and looking after His sheep. Indeed, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him, maybe as a counterpoint to Peter’s three denials.
As all of this relates to us, there are several things that we can consider and apply in our own life. To begin, this whole experience can encourage us that nothing is impossible for God, given Jesus’ death and resurrection. Also, I find it very powerful to see how Jesus treated Peter, despite his frailty and betrayal. Jesus shows up in our life, even though we fail and despite our innumerable weaknesses, self-deceptions and poor choices. I’m grateful that Jesus’ love exceeds our humanity. Finally, let’s consider that breakfast with Jesus is the beginning of a new chapter and a brand new start. To this end, let’s try to include Him in some way at the beginning of each day—like having breakfast with Jesus!
