Jesus appears to his disciples while they are fishing (John 21). Some scholars believe they went fishing because they had abandoned the Lord at this point. I disagree. I think they just went fishing because they didn’t know what else to do. Jesus had told them to wait for him in Galilee where he would meet them (Mark 14:28; 16:7 — John’s Gospel doesn’t record this). Most men are not very good at just sitting around (remember, T.V. hasn’t been invented yet; neither has football). Peter decides to take the lead – but his lead is, perhaps, more according to what seems right in his own eyes rather than what has been guided by the Lord. Regardless, Jesus uses the opportunity to reestablish his call on these men and to bring them more completely under his Lordship. There is a simple truth attested to by the saints down through the ages: when we don’t know what to do, we should simply do our duty (while paying attention for God’s guidance through a posture of attentive receptiveness) and God will guide us.
The guys’ best efforts come up empty. Nothing in the nets. It is a picture of barrenness. They have done what they thought was the right thing, but they experience utter failure. And this prepares them to learn a primary lesson of discipleship — Apart from Jesus you can do nothing (John 15:5). The Christian life is not: Jesus saves me, I live my life, and then I go to heaven when I die. The Christian life is: Jesus saves me, I become a disciple who follows his Lordship daily, he guides me as I live in dependency upon him seeking to do his will and accomplish his purposes for my life, there is much spiritual fruit born in my life and the lives of others, and He gets the glory, though I get to enjoy being part of the process as his cooperative friend. Oh, and I get to go to heaven when I die. The reason so many Christians experience so little of God’s power and guidance and also have little purpose or sense of fulfillment in their lives has to do with these issues of Lordship and dependency. If you are still “putting down your nets” and coming up empty in life, perhaps its time to speak to the Jesus about these issues. Ask him be the Lord of your life. Exchange your independence for dependency.
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