Mary found the disciples in the place she had left them. As she came running back to them to let them know that she had seen the Lord, she must have been filled with an incredible excitement and a purpose that she had not had in a little while. Can you imagine having that information? What would it do to you? It has a fantastic and unreasonable quality that has to be recognized. She was talking ab...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENThink about and share a time when you had a family reunion or you reunited with some dear loved ones. What were those moments like for you?HEADRead John 21:1-25 together and share any wisdom, insights, or que...  Read More

This story ends on kind of a strange note. John inserts himself into the narrative, almost awkwardly, and we see Jesus make a statement that then John feels like he needs to clarify. It is a little strange that this would be added in such an uncomfortable way at the end of this great story of reversal and forgiveness. But here it is, so we should deal with it. First, it is clear that John wanted t...  Read More

Jesus inviting his disciples to fellowship and share a meal signals his love for us. But he has some unfinished business with Peter to take care of. Remember, Peter denied Jesus in a pretty profound way before he was on the cross, and Jesus avails himself of this opportunity to have a crucial conversation with Peter. Throughout this story, Peter has been referred to as “Simon Peter.” However, Jesu...  Read More

153 large fish seems like a great big haul! The fact that the net did not break is pretty amazing. Not that I know much about fishing nets, but the way that this story is written, the net not breaking is pretty important. In fact, there are a lot of theories about the number of fish, but that is not really as important as the miraculous net keeping from breaking. Jesus speaks first, with a second ...  Read More

When the disciple Jesus loved, John, told Peter that it was the Lord, Peter put his clothes ON and then swam to shore. This is a little surprising in a few ways. One, it was interesting that he had to put his tunic back on because he had been working so hard he took it off. Two, John found it necessary to again tell everyone that Jesus loved him significantly. Perhaps this was the function of John...  Read More