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Digging Deeper: The Better Isaac

Sellers Hickman on July 5, 2024

⁸Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”

Genesis 22:8 (ESV)

THE BETTER ISAAC

Our country is filled with some incredible signs. Many people will hike up Mount Lee to get close to the Hollywood sign. Anybody traveling through Chicago will take a detour to be photographed in front of the Wrigley Field sign. Then there is the world-renowned sign right in our backyard… the Varsity V sign. Each of these signs are iconic and tell a story, but the story isn’t about the sign. You visit the Hollywood sign to commemorate your trip out to L.A. You take a picture in front of Wrigley Field to show that you saw the Cubs play ball. You take picture of the Varsity V because you have been inspired by some of the kindest words you’ll ever hear, “What’ll you have?”

Now let me ask you. What makes these signs so special? Is it the branding or graphic design? Is it the location? Is it the lighting at these locations? No! The sign gains its significance from the object that it points to.

Throughout the Old Testament there are many examples of great people, but time and time again their main role was to be a sign pointing to the Messiah that was to come! We can easily get caught up in the faith walked out by these Old Testament heroes, but if you were to interview them today, they would all say that it wasn’t about them. They were just here to point to Jesus.

The story of Abraham and Isaac is one of the clearest examples of an Old Testament story foreshadowing what was to come. Let’s review!

In this story we see a father being willing to sacrifice his only son whom he loves. This son was the fulfillment to a long-awaited promise. We see the son being willing to carry the wood for the sacrifice up the mountain. The son is then willing placed on the wood without a fight in full submission. There is a confidence that the son will be raised from the dead after the sacrifice. We even see that on the third day the son is delivered.

Now let me ask you… as you read that paragraph did you read that through the lens of Abraham and Isaac, or God the Father and God the Son? If you did the former, go back and read it again! The story of Abraham and Isaac was meant to be a sign for us to see the fulfillment of the sacrifice that would come through Jesus.

Jesus is the lamb provided on our behalf! It was our sin that caused him to come to this world. It was our sin that placed the cross on his back. It was our sin that caused him to be sacrificed. But it was our God who willingly came. It was our God who willing bore the cross. It was our God who gave of His life to be delivered on the third day.

If you have never trusted in God before, cry out to Him today! He is the One who can meet your sin with His love, mercy, and grace! He has already willingly given Himself and defeated sin and death so that you can have right relationships with Him. All you have to do is believe and trust in Him!

Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

Digging Deeper: When Obedience Leads to Blessing

Sellers Hickman on July 4, 2024

¹⁵And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, ¹⁸and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” ¹⁹So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Genesis 22:15-19 (ESV)

WHEN OBEDIENCE LEADS TO BLESSING

I vividly remember one day in the fifth grade when our teacher passed out our pre-test to see what we knew about the subject. She asked everyone to put their pencil down and to look at her as she began to tell us about good test-taking strategies. She made sure to remind us to read all the questions and then to begin answering them. Now, I was a fast test-taker and loved to finish first so that I could take a five-minute nap with my head down, so I began to frantically answer every question. I probably worked for 20 minutes or so and then arrived at the last question, which said something along the lines of “When you read question 20, please ignore questions 1-19 by leaving them blank so that I know you listened to my instructions. If questions 1-19 have no pencil marks, then you can have one piece of candy at recess.”

I failed my test miserably that day and learned a valuable lesson: listen to the person who is giving the instructions. Abraham knew that lesson as well from all of his conversations with God.

Because Abraham was willing to obey the Lord’s command, even when it did not make sense, he was blessed. Abraham’s offspring would be multiplied, not just to the number of stars (Genesis 15), but now also to the sand of the seashore. They wouldn’t just be great in number, but in possessions as well. These descendants would be so great that they would bless every nation of the world… all because of the immediate obedience of Abraham.

This has been the story of Abraham all throughout Genesis. He rarely knew WHAT he was being called to or HOW he would accomplish it, but he always knew WHO was calling him. His obedience did not come from a fully fleshed out plan, but it was fueled by trusting in the one who had called him.

Maybe you feel called to something that doesn’t make sense yet. Are you trusting in the One who called you or are you trusting in your ability to come up with a foolproof plan? I don’t want you to hear that planning is bad. We see many examples in Scripture where a great plan is made while dependence on the Lord is present. My favorite example of balancing faith and planning is the story of Nehemiah. He is in exile serving under King Artaxerxes and begins to pray that the Lord would grant him favor with the king so that he could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. While he is praying and seeking the Lord, he was preparing what he needed to rebuild the wall. Nehemiah prayed and planned.

I think each of us are wired to lean one way or the other. For the person reading this who leans toward trusting God but being passive in your walk… God can provide, but Abraham still had to walk to the mountain and build the altar. Faith is active. We should not be passive in the way that we walk in obedience to God’s Word just because we believe that God will work it all out. He will, but that doesn’t mean that we get the free pass on being faithful.

For the person reading this who leans toward trying to do everything yourself and then adds God into the plans that you’ve already made… He wants to be included from the beginning. You’ve probably heard it said, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” I want to present an alternative to that. Planning without God makes you the god of your planning. You may be the best long-term planner on the earth today, but without God it is meaningless. Trust God with your plans early.

Digging Deeper: The Lord Will Provide

Sellers Hickman on July 3, 2024

⁷And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

⁹When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. ¹¹But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹²He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” ¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

Genesis 22:7-14 (ESV)

THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

We have finally arrived at the climax of the story. They finally make it up the mountain. Abraham begins to prepare the altar for the sacrifice and begins tying up Isaac. Remember, Abraham is old! We don’t know the exact age that this moment happens, but most scholars believe that Abraham is anywhere from 116-134 years old, and that Isaac is anywhere from 16-34 years old.

If we were taking bets, I would put all my money on Isaac to win in a wrestling match. How did he get overpowered by his dad? He didn’t! Isaac willingly was bound and placed on the altar. Why? Because of the faith of the man that had raised him! Abraham had so much confidence that the Lord would provide that it overflowed into Isaac. I’m sure growing up there were many moments when Abraham set the example of trusting the Lord with full confidence.

In Hebrews 11:17-19 we see Abraham’s thought process when it says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead.” Abraham had so much faith in God that he trusted that if he plunged the knife into his son, that God would raise Isaac from the dead.

How is this possible? Because Abraham had confidence in the God who promised him a son. Because Abraham had confidence in the God whose character was proven to him time and time again. The command given to him seemed to contradict God’s character and promise, so he believed that God was going to do the impossible! Abraham knew that anything was possible with God and that it was impossible for God to break his promise.

A few months ago, my family was hit with an incredibly difficult moment where my wife’s younger brother had a stroke at the age of 26. I remember driving to Myrtle Beach not knowing what would come of it and trying to comfort Hannah. Those next few days we lived in the ICU and we genuinely did not know what would come of all of this. Would he talk again? Would he walk again? What would his life look like?

I lived with my AirPods in those days to have worship music on so that I could be reminded to cry out to God as much as possible. That week, Passion dropped their latest album and the song that I began to play over and over was “The Lord Will Provide.” If you have not heard that song, please go listen to it. There is nothing crazy deep theologically, the melody is simple, but the truth of the song is the same lesson we learn in our passage today… the Lord will provide. He’s got this! He sees you. He is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the Lord will provide.”

In your marriage, the Lord will provide. In your finances, the Lord will provide. In your health, the Lord will provide. Trust in Jehovah Jireh today to see you through whatever you’re walking through. If he did it for Abraham, he’ll do it for you!

Digging Deeper: When Obedience Trumps Feelings

Sellers Hickman on July 2, 2024

¹After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”²He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” ³So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. ⁵Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” ⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. ⁷And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:1-8 (ESV)

WHEN GOD COMES KNOCKING

When I was younger, I was not one to take punishments well. The Hickman household is full of funny stories about my escape attempts when the wooden spanking spoon came out. We always laugh at the time I bolted outside and ran laps around the house trying to avoid my dad (well, most of us laugh). I could be pretty stubborn, and I remember one time my dad had asked me to take out the trash or clean my room, and when he came to check I still hadn’t done it. He checked again thirty minutes later, and it still wasn’t done so he asked me why I hadn’t done it yet. I told him “I didn’t feel like it.” Not a great idea! He responded as calmly as he could, saying, “I didn’t ask if you felt like doing it. I told you to do it, now get up or I’ll get the spoon.”

In our family obedience was a big deal! I hope that it was in yours as well. Today, we’ll look at the obedience of Abraham and how God values obedience from us.

If you read verse two out loud, it doesn’t seem to roll off the tongue. This verse is written as it is spoken. It’s slow and repeats itself to draw emphasis to what is happening for Abraham. God is asking him to sacrifice his son. But not just his son, his only son. But not just his only son, the son whom he loves.

Abraham responds immediately, “Here I am.” This is one of the qualities that I love most about Abraham (and truly one of my favorite themes that is highlighted throughout the Old Testament). He followed God’s devastating command with immediate obedience in verse three. The very next morning he woke up early and headed for the mountain. This wasn’t a mountain that was just around the corner either. It was a three-day journey!

I wonder how sleepless he was the night before leaving. I wonder how much of the journey was filled with tears about what was ahead. I wonder how Abraham felt when Isaac asked where the lamb was. Based on verse two, and all that we have walked through in our Abraham series, we know that Isaac was the greatest love of his life. In the Bible it took 22 chapters for the word “love” to be used, and it was to describe the love this father had for his son. And here he is looking to sacrifice the son before a holy God.

We know that Abraham loved Isaac, but his obedience to God trumped any feelings that he had.

This is hard to do. We live in a world where feelings drive a lot of our decisions. Whether it is stress eating, road rage, or isolating yourself from others, we can see the effects of our feelings pretty quickly. And feelings are not bad! God created us to have these feelings, but they never get the final say.

Maybe your feelings have driven a lot of your decisions lately when it comes to your walk with the Lord. I want to challenge you. Will you walk in obedience to what God’s Word says this week and fight the feelings that have been driving you to choose your plans or your own way of living?

Digging Deeper: When God Comes Knocking

Sellers Hickman on July 1, 2024

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Genesis 22:1 (ESV)

WHEN GOD COMES KNOCKING

There are two types of people in the world: those who love to celebrate Halloween, and the rest of us! Maybe your family was the type that decorated the whole house and bought out all of Walmart’s candy aisle (full-size bars, of course). That was not my family! We had a strict rule that all the lights in the front of the house had to be off and you were not allowed to walk by the front windows on Halloween night. Now, in reality, we were normally coming back late from our church’s fall festival; but after we got home, we did not want to be bothered.

If that doesn’t resonate, picture this. You just got home from a long day at work, you’re excited to pull into your neighborhood and kick your feet up on the couch, and you see a 19-year-old kid walking up to the door two houses down from you with an iPad, looking to sell you the latest pest control, doorbell, or technology that Mrs. Johnson from down the street just installed as well.

I think we can all agree on this: when we want to be comfortable, the last thing we want is for somebody to knock on the door. In this passage today, God comes knocking again in Abraham’s life. So far, God has asked Abraham to leave his home, his family, and his plan for his life. It seems like every time God came knocking, he asked Abraham to leave something that he loved to seek after God through doing the impossible.

Personally, I think I would be a little leery to answer the door when God knocked. This was not the case for Abraham. Why? He had seen God’s faithfulness time and time again.

In this passage, God knocks on the door with another impossible situation. God tests Abraham with the very thing he loved most – the son that he had been promised!

I love the fact that the word “tested” is used here. Sometimes I think believers early in their walk with the Lord feel like their lives will become easier and filled with less complications because of trusting in Jesus. There are two types of tests we can receive from God: Tests that grow our faith and tests that reveal our faith. This test was the former. In our Abraham series we have seen God’s slow, step-by-step, building of Abraham’s faith. His faith was grown through hearing from God. His faith was grown through waiting on a child. His faith was grown through hardships and mistakes. His faith was grown through the joy of the promise of a son coming to be.

Abraham didn’t just arrive as a man of faith but was grown through 25+ years of leaning on God and trusting His words. See, God was never interested in taking Abraham somewhere, but instead making him into someone. Our passage today shows the results of who God had made him to be.

And we get to see the fruit of Abraham’s faith in the back half of this verse: “Here I am.” This is not just a friendly “hello” or “peek-a-boo” with the Lord, but a statement of surrender. He is essentially saying, “I’m here God. How can I serve and glorify you”?

So let me leave you with this question. If the Lord were to knock on your door today, what would your response be? Here I am, or nobody’s home? Will you allow God to do the slow, faith-building process that Abraham walked through in your own life?

Digging Deeper: Do You Want to be Restored?

Sellers Hickman on April 12, 2024

¹⁵When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

John 21:15-17 (ESV)

DO YOU WANT TO BE RESTORED?

The story goes beyond what we covered on Sunday, but it was too good not to highlight. After breakfast, Jesus had a conversation with a still drenched Peter. I wonder if Peter was willing to jump out of the boat and swim as fast as he could to try and amend the mistakes he made before Jesus was crucified. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus three time before the day was over. Peter adamantly denied this and then tried to prove it by cutting a guard’s ear off as they arrested Jesus. Three times Peter was asked about his association with Jesus, and he protested every accusation.

He knew where Jesus was heading. He knew that Jesus had been arrested and would soon be beaten at the least. Peter’s denials maybe came from a place of fear of the unknown; but, nevertheless, he denied Christ three times.

When you jump back in our passage for this week it makes you wonder about Peter’s motives for swimming like Michael Phelps. Regardless of why he did it, he now is sitting with Jesus and a pivotal conversation takes place. Jesus publicly begins to restore Peter. He asks him three separate times “Do you love me?” It probably sounded like a broken record, but Jesus was trying to make a point. As many times as you denied me, I want to restore you.

Jesus could have asked Peter if he was sorry or he would promise to never deny him again, but instead he focuses in on the heart. Do you love me? Jesus knew that Peter’s life, decisions, and obedience would all be an overflow of his love for God.

This interaction between Jesus and Peter is a profound display of grace and restoration. Despite Peter’s failures and denials, Jesus meets him with love and offers him a chance to prove his commitment to Jesus. It’s a reminder for us that no matter how many times we stumble, Jesus is always ready to welcome us back with open arms and restore us to a place of closeness with Him.

I’ll leave you this week with a quote from Pastor Bruce Frank. “What you do when you sin tells everything about how you understand the good news of Jesus. Provision has been made your sin, so to run from healing and grace is foolishness. You either run from God in shame or run to God in repentance.”

Where will you choose to run today?

Digging Deeper: Come and Have Breakfast

Sellers Hickman on April 11, 2024

⁹When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. ¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ¹⁴This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

John 21:9-14 (ESV)

COME AND HAVE BREAKFAST

Jesus begins to have breakfast with his disciples, with whom he has shared life with for multiple years. They have had countless meals together, but the last recorded meal between the disciples and Jesus was the Last Supper. What a turn of events to remember Jesus telling them using the bread and wine that His body would be torn and that His blood would be poured out. And now, here they are a few weeks later, sharing fish and bread. Do they flashback to the feeding of the 5,000 or the Last Supper?

Throughout Scripture the phrase “come and _______” carries massive implications. Jesus extends many invitations: come and see (John 1:39), come and rest (Matthew 11:28-29), come and inherit (Matthew 25:34-36), and finally, in our passage today, come and have breakfast. (Personally, I know which of the above I would choose! Who wouldn’t want to share an All-Star Special with Jesus?)

Why is Jesus so caught up with the invitation ‘to come’? Because He is a relational God. Jesus came to the earth so we could come to God. These examples are just his direct commands to come to him. There are many more examples of calling each disciple, inviting the little children, and bringing in the outcast. None of the disciples questioned who this man was. They all knew by this point that it was Jesus resurrected.

Jesus is calling you today as well. Maybe you need the invitation to just come and dine with Him. Friend, there is a feast waiting for you in Heaven. Maybe you are looking for the invitation to come and inherit the kingdom. All you must do is put your trust in Jesus and turn from your sins and you will have an inheritance that this world could not touch. Maybe you are drawn to the invitation of rest. This isn’t an invitation to take a nap, but to allow Jesus to carry the burdens in life that you were not created to carry. Or, maybe today you are reading this and have not put your faith in Jesus. I would urge you to come and see. The disciples in John 1 who are given this original invitation, they would come to know that they “have found the Messiah” (John 1:40). Their seeing led to believing… and then the other invitations to “come” were open to them as well.

Digging Deeper: Do You Run to Jesus?

Sellers Hickman on April 10, 2024

⁷That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. ⁸The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

John 21:7-8 (ESV)

DO YOU RUN TO JESUS?

If you’ve been with us over the past few weeks, we have highlighted John’s playful relationship with Peter. In this verse, John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) gets another “one up” on Peter. Peter cut the guard’s ear off, Peter ran to the tomb (but John beat him in the race), and now they are looking at this man on the shore, and John wants us to know that he was the first to recognize Jesus. One more humble brag from the author of this gospel.

Here is where the story turns for Peter. He is always quick to speak, act, or react. In true Peter fashion, he sees all the fish in the boat and knows that it will take a while to get them into the boat and get back to shore, so he jumps in and swims to Jesus! The passage doesn’t tell us what Peter and Jesus talked about, but we know that Peter got extra time with his Lord.

Recalling the state he saw Jesus in weeks ago as he hung on the cross, Peter wanted as much time with Jesus because he knew that he had lost him a few weeks ago. For you, would you be willing to jump in? Do we look at Jesus the same way? Are we willing to inconvenience ourselves, our comfort, and our schedule to spend time with our Savior?

I pray that this past week since Easter has been filled with joy and a new perspective about Jesus. Peter’s time with Jesus had become much more valuable knowing that he had lost him. Jesus cannot be taken from us, but we should have the same joy and excitement to be with Him every day as much as we are on Resurrection Sunday!

As we reflect on Peter’s eagerness to be with Jesus, let’s consider our own eagerness to spend time with Him. May we be like Peter, ready to leap into the presence of our Lord at any opportunity, recognizing the immeasurable value of communion with Him in our daily lives.

Digging Deeper: Illogical Obedience

Sellers Hickman on April 9, 2024

⁴Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.

John 21:4-6 (ESV)

ILLOGICAL OBEDIENCE

These men are skilled fishermen. They have grown up on the water, making their living catching fish. They know every nuance of the trade; from the way the currents move to the subtle signs of a potential catch. Yet, for some reason, they followed this man’s advice. Simply by following him, they went from catching zero fish to not being able to haul all of the fish in.

This is a call back to when Jesus called the first set of disciples in Luke 5. Jesus asks if they have found any fish and they respond with a short “no.” I bet it was said with a cutting tone. “Who is this guy asking about our fish? Who does he think he is?” I almost hear Peter in this moment echoing his words in Luke 5:5, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” You can hear the exhaustion in his voice, still feeling the emotions of all he had been through the past few weeks as he experienced his rabbi being crucified.

I wonder how reluctant they were to drop their net on the other side? “Sure, we’ll give it a shot, but nothing will come of it! Let’s just drop it in to show him there aren’t any fish.”

Sometimes the commands of Jesus make very little sense in the world we live in. With the pressure to get ahead by any means necessary, to do whatever makes your heart happy, and to prioritize ourselves over anything or anybody else, it can seem as if the commands of Jesus would set us back. Why is obedience important? We must remember that God is not just our Savior, but also our Creator. He designed us and knows how our body best thrives within the parameters of his design.

Proverbs 3:5-8 speaks to the wisdom of trusting the Lord:

⁵“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
⁷Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones.”

Friends, my hope for you today is this: that we would seek God with all that we have and would see that He is worth it! That we would trust Him even above our own desires. Let’s lean on His wisdom, even when it seems counterintuitive, knowing that His ways lead to true fulfillment and life to the fullest.

Digging Deeper: What Do You Do with Disappointment?

Sellers Hickman on April 8, 2024

¹After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. ²Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

John 21:1-3 (ESV)

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH DISAPPOINTMENT?

We all face disappoint, don’t we? Think back to the Easter message… Mary Magdalene’s dreams were shattered, but in the garden, Jesus appeared to her. She wasn’t the only one at the tomb that day. John had seen enough; he believed. Peter, on the other hand, left the tomb that day unsure of what to do with his crucified rabbi.

After appearing to Mary Magdalene, Jesus appears to all the disciples in the room they were hiding inside. He appeared again to Thomas so that he might believe since he wasn’t in the room the first time. Up to this point, all the disciples had laid eyes on their resurrected rabbi; but how did they respond to seeing this risen Savior? Peter… he goes fishing. Not the reaction you’d expect. If I saw a dead person walking, I am finding a camera crew, putting my lucky numbers into the lottery, or preparing for the Walking Dead.

Why did Peter go fishing? I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty, but I believe there are two possible reasons: Either he is resorting back to his comfort and what was familiar, or he is unsure what his life will look like, so he gets to work to make a living.

Neither of these responses are inherently wrong; but, after walking with Jesus and listening to his teaching for three years, why would anybody revert to fishing? In John 20:21 Jesus sends the disciples out to share the good news of what he’s done, but Peter hangs his “gone fishing” sign on the door.

When you face disappointment, do you return to old habits or question God’s goodness? These are typical reactions. We may return to old sin habits, activities that aren’t helpful for our walk, or to try to muster all of our strength to be self-reliant and forget God.

Peter tried to take a hard moment in his life and fix it all with his hands when Jesus had already fixed the situation! Just last chapter, Jesus encourages them to Live Sent and breathes on them the Holy Spirit. There is no better solution than this!

It’s easy to sit on this side of Scripture and think “Peter, get it together! How could this be your response?” But think back in your life; how have you reacted when face with difficult moments? When life’s disappointments hit, do you return to your old ways of seeking comfort and relying on yourself?

I know that this can easily be my response, but it shouldn’t be so.

A famous pastor who faced many hardships in his life, Charles Spurgeon, once said this: “I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages.” Life can always bring difficulties, but I pray that the response of our church is to recognize that the waves of hardship should encourage us to cling closer to the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ.