A Wondrous Catch

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.

 

This installation illustrates the “marvelous draught of fish” – a story that happens twice in the ministry of Jesus.

      On the earlier occasion, we read in Luke 5:1 – 11 that Jesus gets into the boat of some fishermen and teaches the crowd from the boat. He then instructs the fishermen to let down their nets for a catch. Simon Peter answers that they have been fishing all night without catching any fish. “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” They then catch so many fish that their nets begin to break. Jesus tells James, John, and Simon Peter that they will now be catching people, not fish. When they bring their boats to shore, they leave everything to follow Jesus.

      The second telling of this miracle, in John 21:1 – 8, seems to recall the first catch. In this telling, Jesus has been resurrected. He stands on the beach before his disciples, but they do not recognize him. Again, they have been fishing unsuccessfully and Jesus instructs them to cast from the other side of the boat. They obey and catch so many fish that they can not haul the net back in. And now they recognize their Lord. 

Perhaps this is Jesus’ way of reaffirming their original call. After his death, the disciples have been lost and aimless without the guidance of their Lord. Could  this second occurrence of a miraculous catch be intended to remind and redirect them back to the business of catching people?

Stones of Salvation

"Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone"

 

  This installation suggests the setting of the scene from John 8:1 – 11.

This scripture passage says that Jesus is teaching the people when the scribes and Pharisees bring forth a woman they say was caught in the act of adultery. They cite the law of Moses commanding that she be stoned. They test Jesus by asking “what do you say?” Jesus bends down and writes with his finger on the ground. He stands up and pronounces “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." He then bends back down and continues to write on the ground. When the message finally resonates with the crowd, they go away, one by one. Jesus straightens back up and addresses the woman. “Has no one condemned you? … Neither do I condemn you. Go your way and from now on do not sin again.”

Many lessons can be taken from this narrative. Note how Jesus separates himself from the mob by bending down, joining with the woman in her vulnerability. He brings a calming influence by pausing before responding to their question. However, by refusing to command that she be stoned, Jesus is not implying that no one has the moral authority to condemn. There is no false optimism that we can do as we please because God will always forgive us. Jesus condemns the sin when he tells the woman “do not sin again”. The message of the gospel is deeper than just avoiding a life of sin, however. Through the grace of Christ, we have a new quality of life that overcomes the power of sin. Jesus calls us to new life.