A Life Changing Breakfast

I’m not really a breakfast person. I enjoy breakfast foods but other things seem more important to me in the morning than taking the time to make breakfast. Now, if someone makes breakfast for me, I am sure to eat it, but alas, I am the first one up in the house so that’s not normally an option. Anyway, in John 21 there is an account of a life changing breakfast. While the disciples are fishing and not catching anything Jesus shows up for breakfast. Jesus begins to cook the breakfast and He also miraculously helps the disciples catch a “boatload” of fish. Then as Peter realizes that the breakfast maker is Jesus, Peter jumps into the water and swims to shore. At that time Jesus then “restores” Peter, reminding Peter of his denials of Jesus and clearly demonstrating His forgiveness and continued love and purpose for Peter.

We have several post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Not as many as I’d like but a few. One of the remarkable things about these appearances that are recorded for us is that they are so “unremarkable”. There is no great fanfare…no angelic display of power or light or thunder. Jesus just shows up and does life with His disciples. He eats breakfast with them. He talks to them. He encourages them. Again, He’s not surrounded by angels with flaming swords in a way that Jesus is untouchable. If I was making this stuff up, I wouldn’t have written it this way. I’d have Jesus appearing to the whole world in a different, more visible and powerful way. But these appearances aren’t made up. They actually happened. And they happen in a way that I think helps us understand how Jesus most often works in our lives today. He works in the ordinary things of life. He shows up in His word. He shows up in the words of others. He shows up in ways that demonstrate His love and truth.

Maybe He’ll show up in your breakfast this morning…not by visibly appearing to make it…not by appearing to be present in the butter pattern on your toast…not by a miraculous arrangement of the letters in your Alphabets cereal…but by the reading of the Daily Bread or your bible, and by the five or ten minutes you spend praying this morning before you start your day. Who knows when you can have a life changing breakfast like Peter?

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