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One hundred and fifty three fish is the subject to examine. To the best of my knowledge this number appears only once in our Bibles. We may already know where this is because it does tend to stand out as it is an exact number used in an illustrative purpose for learning. Let us go straight away to the biblical scripture which is in John 21:11 within the account my NKJV has headed as "Breakfast By The Sea". Reading this every time from John 21:1-14 has caused me to pause and ask the obvious question "Why 153?" and "Why not one less or one more?" For many years while meditating I came up blank each time until the final week of 2022 when the puzzle was solved and it is very exciting and encouraging to share what God has revealed.
We know what we read in the Bible, that Jesus told those fishermen present that morning to throw the fishing net over the other side of the boat, the right side, in order to catch any fish. The men had been out all night and caught nothing…not so much as one little fish. Even though they must have been tired and weary they immediately did what they were told and then they caught their biggest haul ever of 153 large fish. The men must have marvelled that their nets were able to hold such a huge catch while they experienced new energy in order to get it all to shore. The netting held without breaking apart which was another blessing, therefore they dragged the stunning catch along the sand, such was the incredible weight. This reminds me of how much we need encouragement and when it comes at exactly the right time we are capable of so much more than we may think (Proverbs 13:12). Lately, I have found myself asking God for encouragement mostly due to the negative news all around us and God does not disappoint, not even once. In Matthew 7:7 we have Jesus Christ's words instructing us to “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you". He knew we would need reminding to ask.
A simple account of going from being empty handed to having great abundance because of obedience, a willingness to work, doing what they were told despite how bleak things looked and when they were far spent, desiring sleep and nourishment at their weakest moments. Don't we know it that humans are like that — we get weak and tired after staying awake for long periods and especially if up overnight when our bodies need therapeutic rest through sleep. Despite all of this, because they listened and also did what Christ asked of them, they were abundantly blessed. The fishermen witnessed a miracle that morning on the Sea of Tiberius from their Saviour. Not only that, did you notice that Jesus already had some fish cooking over coals on the beach with some bread? Jesus Christ is our prime source of provision, our Provider, Sustainer, our Everything we need and desire. We so desire with all of our hearts and minds, Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Haggai 2:7 even refers to Jesus as the "Desire of All Nations" because one day all will come to have a relationship with Him and come to know Him as we do now. What a great time that will be to join in with all who have ever lived in knowing their most awesome Saviour, the Saviour of the world.
There is so much symbolism behind these 153 fish but what was impressed upon me in prayer recently was that Christ provided as much as the nets could hold — there was no room for any more as the fish were all large, and of premium quality, the best the sea had to offer. Simple answer while I was probably looking for something more complicated, as usual. This made total sense to me, for as Christians we know our sustenance comes from the Word of God. Spiritual feeding from the Bible is our true and best source. Jesus gave His all to them and to us through His sacrificial life. Scripture in Romans 5:8 reveals that He died for us while we were still sinners and for His apostles, His disciples — together we also have another thing in common. We are all fishers of men as stated in Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17, Luke 5:10. No matter how tired, hungry, and weary we may be or become, let us continue on with fervent zeal in being fishers of men until our physical lives are complete.
During my life I have had mixed reactions to fishing — as a very young child going out with Grandfather Fred there were times of terrible sea-sickness and vomitting overboard because of motion sickness. Then there were times of nothing caught when the hours were filled with reading books to allay the boredom. Being a fisher of fish is one thing, but fishing for men and women is on a whole other scale of excitement, plus we do not need to be at sea to do this. Fishing on land is much more agreeable in order to avoid the unpleasant effects from which some of us suffer. One of my favourite activities each week is filling up our Beyond Today magazine stand in a shopping mall not far from us. It is exciting to see how many copies are taken by complete strangers to read. During all these years and more than a decade I can't remember a week where the stand remained stagnant. However I do remember that many times of "high traffic" such as during the traditional man-made holidays when many are out and about much greater numbers have been taken, even more than expected, giving us encouragement.
The analogy of fishing for people for me is like a fish taking a nibble of something desirable they see and perhaps consume what they are attracted to as we wait patiently while God works out the details. If you would like more excitement in your life then organise to set up a magazine stand and get started — all you need is willingness and zeal in order to be part of this process in fishing for men. There have been a handful of times when people have stopped to talk and ask questions about God while filling the stand and we have had some good discussions with them which is also encouraging. Some have told us that they watch the Beyond Today TV program and find the topics most interesting and helpful. We just do not know who God will call out of the world but all that can be known at this point is that this is the best work we can be engaged in as God can use or work through anyone, even aging Christians with physical injuries like us. This brings to mind the relevant scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:27.
God encourages His faithful again on so many levels and receiving the next issue of the Beyond Today magazine is another one. As we eagerly await the delivery of the January/February 2023 batch of magazines we have already seen online that the cover has a stunningly beautiful image of the crown Queen Elizabeth II wore on her coronation day all those years ago. This very same crown will be placed upon the head of King Charles III on his soon-to-be coronation day which is approaching in May 2023, God willing. Here is the link below for you to click on in order to be encouraged to carry on and be about our Father's business for there is no time to lose, and indeed the time needs mindful redeeming right now. Happy fishing to all the fishers out there!
https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/beyond-today-magazine-january-february-2023