It's Not Business as Usual

 

In the aftermath of the resurrection and the subsequent events in the upper room, the disciples decided to return to their "former" lives as fishermen. I guess it's not strange, after all they're all experienced fishermen and life does go on. But to me it seems that given all that's transpired, they return as if the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus were a mere interruption in their routine. Yes I know, it’s likely being fishermen was the only thing they knew and their livelihood depended on it and yes, it may be their way of processing the life-changing events that they experienced… yet, it almost suggests, a laissez faire "back to business as usual” mentality. Or are they still questioning what they actually experienced?

Psychologists tell us that people who experience traumatic stressful events may undergo a process of regression that sends them back to firmly entrenched attitudes and behaviors that represent "comfort zones" and safe havens. In many ways it either works to help process or repress traumatic events of their lives. Jesus seemed perfectly willing to start over with these men who had abandoned him, and to confirm once again that they had been chosen, not in spite of their life experiences, but because of them.

Needless to say,  John (John 21:1-19) had his reasons for telling this story:

 A "stranger" appears on the shore and inquires as to how they’re doing, and asks if their night of fishing been successful. They respond that it wasn't, and they're frustrated. The stranger asks them to try again and this time "try tossing their nets over the right side of the boat." Reluctantly, they ventured back out and were hugely successful as their nets overflowed. (We are told that they caught 153 fish.) Could it be that their old ingrained habits and practices were just not working? 

John tells this story to help us understand that the incarnation of God in Jesus and his time on earth, and his crucifixion death and resurrection, were life-changing transformative events, and not a time to fall back on old ways of living. Jesus is asking us to reach out and “put our nets back in the sea” even when we are tired and have been unsuccessful. It's not business as usual!

In his dialogue with Peter, Jesus "reviews" what his time on earth was all about and reminds him that the essence of his teaching is love and compassion for one another, not just in words but in actions. With Peter as our surrogate, we too are asked to let go of old habits of fear and leave our “comfort zones” and create new life  transforming habits. In so doing, we will "put on the mind of Christ" and live our faith, not as an auxiliary "appendage" but as the palpable essence of who we are and how we are defined.