Our 153 Moments

UV 1025-10,000 Our 153 Moments “Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was so full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.” John 21 v 11 Each of us as believers must have our “153 moments”- moments when we experience an abundance that is miraculous, a time when we know that it had to be the Lord who had caused it to happen. Jesus said , “ I have come that you may have life and life in all its abundance.” The disciples were out in the boat trying to catch fish all night but they drew only an empty net. Early in the morning Jesus appeared on the shore. Similarly, we may be trying in vain for a long while but we should not give up hope for the Lord’s appearance and His word of direction will happen before the “153 moment.” A 153 moment is a miracle that is precise, specific and stupendous occasion when the Lord blesses our hitherto failed attempts with amazing and awesome success. He will fill our nets to the point of bursting. They had an experience of failure and emptiness just moments before but now they had caught more fish than they expected, more than they needed. The pessimist believes that life is a half- empty cup, the optimist believes that life is a half-full cup but the believer believes that life is an overflowing cup where not only is our need met but we can help to meet the need of others around us. As we look to Jesus, He will tell us to change the direction as He told the disciples to cast the net on the right side of the boat. Only when they saw the net was so full of fish did they recognize it was the Lord –in fact, it was only John, the most beloved disciple who first recognized Him. It is no wonder that only John gives this account of the miracle of the 153 fish. The implication of this number in the gospel of John is that the gospels were so accurate and authentic that John recalled even the exact number of the fish caught. The empty net is a symbol of our vain lives before we met and believed the Lord Jesus and His words. The full net is a symbol of the life after we believed and received Jesus into our hearts and lives. He is now the director of our lives, the CEO who tells us in which direction we should move or cast the net. He will enable us to catch many "large fish" or to have a significant impact in our lives. The disciples who were disappointed in their attempts to fish all night were overjoyed when their nets were full. But they were even more overjoyed at seeing Jesus. So much so, Simon Peter jumped into the water to move towards Jesus on the shore. But Jesus, always the practical one asked them to bring some of the fish they had caught. He had already prepared a fire of burning coals and was barbecuing the fish on it and toasting the bread. Jesus is so down to earth that even after His resurrection, He first thought of the physical need of His followers. He wanted to satisfy their hunger since the disciples had been at sea all night. Their empty nets were accompanied by empty stomachs. I have had many 153 moments after I believed, received and recognized the voice of the Lord in many of the things I have attempted in my life so far. One of the earliest 153 moments was when I stood first in the state out of all the students who took the examinations and won a coveted National Talent search scholarship where I had only a first class or grade in the year before. We should be not on the shore but out in the water trying to fish for the Lord to be able to experience a 153 moment. We should also be willing to follow or obey the new direction He gives us. Once it happens we know that it could only be God who has done it. It usually happens when we are not expecting it and when we are spiritually, empty or broken. It happens to prove that the Lord can do a lot with an empty net, a failed life and a broken heart. It will be so strikingly miraculous that we will always remember the precise, specific details just as John remembered that the net held 153 large fish. Prateep V Philip