This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

father scolded his son for being unruly and the child rebelled against his father.  He got some clothes, his teddy bear and his piggy bank and proudly announced, “I’m running away from home!”

The father calmly decided to look at the matter logically. “What if you get hungry?” he asked.

The father shook his head and exclaimed, “This kid is not running away from home, he is going off to college.”

Have you ever seen the commercial that showed a woman relaxing in a bubble bath. The first thing Diane said when she saw it was, “You know she doesn’t have children.” What parent hasn’t sat themselves down for a few minutes of peace and quiet and within seconds their child appears? Its like they have a sixth sense.

Our scripture story depicts an overwhelmed Peter. Peter did not run away to go fishing because he was filled with grief over Jesus’ death. This story comes after the women went to the tomb and returned with the news that Jesus is raised. It comes after Peter had run to the tomb of Jesus and found it empty. It comes after the two disciples had shared the good news that they had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It comes after Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room, when Jesus invited Thomas to touch the wounds of crucifixion.

So why was Peter running away? What was he trying to run away from?

I am not sure which was worse for Peter. Denying Jesus just before Jesus died. Or denying Jesus and then having to face the resurrected Jesus. Can you imagine the mixed feelings of guilt, anger, and shame? He swore he would defend Jesus to his own death. Instead he fled like the others and when confronted as to whether he knew Jesus Peter denied knowing Him three times.

Overwhelmed by the recent events and a roller coaster of emotions Peter attempted to escape from his thoughts and to find peace and so he said,

“I am going fishing!”

As a fisherman he, no doubt, had experienced peace and solitude on the sea before. A night of fishing might help to clear his head.

So much for that idea, His night of fishing resulted in an empty net. That is until instructions came from shore to cast the net on the right side of the boat. Those once empty nets were now bulging with fish. The sight of and weight of such a catch had to be a vivid revelation for Peter. There is no way he could not have remembered a similar event three years earlier. When having fished all night he caught nothing until Jesus instructed him to cast his net again and this time the net were bursting with fish. On that day Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.”

Three years later Jesus was again calling Peter to follow Him. Jesus was basically saying to Peter in spite of your denial, I still want and need you to follow me. It is a reminder to us that our past mistakes, our past sins, do not prevent us from following Jesus today. Jesus offers you and me the same forgiving grace he offered Peter. Jesus invites us to follow as he invited Peter.

It is all right to feel overwhelmed to have sweaty palms and a racing heart. It is part of being human. When faced with overwhelming days and events. When life gets to be too much? When you are in need of refuge? Don’t try and run away. God asks us to bring our fears to Him and to hide in Him. If you are going to do any running don’t run from Jesus, run to Jesus. As this story illustrates apart from Jesus we can do nothing, not even fish. Jesus said,

“Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.”
Mt. 11:28

The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.

When overwhelmed accept Jesus’ invitation so you can proclaim as the psalmist did,

“You are my hiding place;
You will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Ps. 32.7