It is possible

by Alan and Clarice Smith 22 September 2021

Last time we used this reading we think we dealt with it under the heading of Obedience, so let us look at it from a different angle this time.

Another heading could be Sign.  In this story Jesus used a sign to demonstrate that what the three fishermen thought was impossible, was indeed possible.  We know Simon, James and John had worked all night and caught nothing.  Although they were sceptical, they obeyed Jesus and cast their nets one more time.  We are told the catch of fish that resulted was so large that the nets started to break, and they had to call other friends to help them.

Because Jesus said so, Simon agreed to try once more.  Jesus is encouraging the men to a vision beyond the disappointment of their previous experience.  A vision of provision in the midst of lack and deficiency.  Surely this enlarged vision was, itself, a sign of the larger life to which they were being called.  Jesus invited them to do something much more profound than perhaps they had ever thought themselves capable of.  They were being called to become agents through whom others could be brought into the kingdom of God.

In the struggle for a just and peaceful world, we are encouraged to continue trying even in the face of disappointments and delays.  We need to always keep in mind a vision of the world as God intends it to be.  We are urged to remember that by God's grace and God's power, it is possible.

Prayer
Gracious God, strengthen and encourage those who are in the leadership of movements for justice and peace in different parts of the world.  May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen