Resurrection and Revelation II: Fish for Breakfast

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost.  He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”  They gave him a piece of broiled fish,  and he took it and ate in their presence.

Luke 24.36-43

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.  Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon 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.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to 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 there were so many fish.  That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.  But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.  This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

John 21.1-14

 

Fish-eating is apparently a party trick of the resurrection.

 

At least, that's what it seems like in this passage from Luke.  The disciples still don't understand.  (How could they?)  So Jesus has a snack.

 

Why?  The resurrection is clearly not a ghost story.  Ghosts don't go around asking other folks for fish.  Ghosts don't invite touching.  Ghosts aren't hungry for breakfast.

 

And in the face of such a display, the disciples still don't know what to do, so they go back to their familiar routines.  "I'm going fishing," Peter announces.  And the routines are just as empty and pointless as they maybe often are, hours spent trawling for . . . nothing, apparently.

 

But in both of these stories, Jesus does not demand faith. He doesn't condemn the disciples for returning to the comforting emptiness of pre-resurrection routines.  Instead, he invites them to come close--close enough to touch.  He eats.  He cooks.  He feeds them. 

 

Rather than calling them away from the emptiness of their daily tasks, he fills it.

 

And he fills it so that they--and he--might be fed.