Topic: Breakfast with Jesus – Daily Devotional by Proverbs 31 Ministries 30 October 2019
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“When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread … Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’” John 21:9, 21:12a (NIV)
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.
So when I read today’s key verse, I was delighted to peek into this intimate moment between Jesus and His disciples, but I never imagined how applicable it would be to us 2,000 years later.
Let me set the scene.
Jesus called a handful of fishermen to be His disciples, and for three years they enjoyed a close relationship with Him until He was betrayed and crucified. Their hopes had been dashed until Jesus surprised them all when He appeared to them in His resurrected body. Of course they were elated, but still a bit confused.
Jesus was alive, but He wasn’t living with them anymore; they were disciples without a rabbi. He’d promised to send them His Spirit, but He hadn’t ascended to heaven yet, so they were men without a mission. They went out to fish, but caught nothing all night, and now they were fishermen who couldn’t even catch fish.
We can’t know exactly why they reverted to their old occupation, but don’t we do the same thing?
When we’re waiting for God to act, but He’s not doing what we expect, don’t we often try to distract ourselves to numb our discomfort? For me, it can look like shoveling spoonfuls of cookie dough ice cream while scrolling social media. Perhaps you turn to online shopping, a glass of rosé, a rom-com binge or a toxic relationship.
Distractions promise momentary comfort, but they often fail to resolve our deeper issues, only serving to compound our problems. These men had been up all night and hadn’t caught anything. Now they were exhausted, famished and demoralized.
It’s in this moment of desperation that Jesus entered the scene.
As dawn lit the sky, He called out to them to let down their nets on the other side, and they miraculously filled with fish. Jesus accomplished for them in a moment what they’d failed to do on their own all night.
It’s fascinating to me that Jesus didn’t berate them for going back to their old occupation. He didn’t admonish them for doubting His purpose for them. Instead, He sought them out, provided for their needs and invited them to join Him for breakfast.
Breakfast.
That most simple meal of the day for many of us, void of fancy silverware and linen napkins, is often shared with people who see you before you shower … and who love you anyway.
It’s into this most intimate setting that Jesus invited His friends that morning. As they were toiling at their nets, Jesus was waiting for them, cooking their breakfast. And when they drew close to shore in defeat, Jesus invited them to abandon their distraction in order to come eat breakfast with Him. The conversations that followed that meal brought healing, life and joy to those disciples’ wounded hearts. (Read more in John 21:15-23 for the most touching breakfast conversation ever recorded.)
And thankfully, that breakfast invitation is issued to each of us today too.
If anyone understands our pain, it’s Jesus. Physical, emotional and relational? Yes — Jesus experienced it all, and He did it out of love for us. When we’re hurting, Jesus doesn’t send us away to get our act together. He invites us to find mercy and grace as we draw close to Him.
Over breakfast? Yes.
Morning breath and all.
Lord, forgive me for the ways I’ve tried to numb my hurt with distractions. I want to turn to You instead. You’ve promised to never send away those who seek You wholeheartedly, so please help me seek You first each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Hebrews 4:15-16, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (NIV)
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