Are you bad at remembering names? I am.
I can recall where I met the person. I know his face & our common friends. I am sure that I know the person. But I can’t remember the name. Sometimes, it leads to an embarrassing situation. If you’re like me, be thankful! Because if it’s only the name you forget you’re better than the disciples. The disciples had a bigger problem because they "did not realize that it was Jesus” (John 21:4).
Jesus was with them for three consecutive years. Tatlong taon! Paano mo naman di makikilala ang taong kasama mo ng 3 taon?
This God-man Jesus performed miracles right before their eyes. They saw Him multiply bread to feed thousands, give vision to the blind, heal the leper, make the lame walk & performed other miracles. They saw Jesus walked on water with Peter. Despite all of these, the verse says that they "did not realize that it was Jesus”.
Weird, right? Things look weird when we see it done by other people. But when we realized that it also happens to us it’s not so weird after all. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE ALSO DON’T RECOGNIZE JESUS.
How did the disciples fail to see Jesus? How do we fail recognizing HIM?
Read the verse before John 21:4 - "Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing” (John 21:3). There are 3 reasons why we fail to see Jesus.
- First, Peter said, “I am going fishing.” We read that & we say what’s wrong with that? Our first Pope wants to fish. Ano big deal dun? We forget that Peter gave up fishing three years ago. Three years ago, Jesus said to Peter & his friends “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Then they “at once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:20). This is the first reason why we fail to see Jesus - WHEN WE GO BACK TO OUR OLD WAYS. We meet Jesus and we realized our sinfulnes so we repent. But then later on we go back to our old-not-so-good ways. This leads us to missing out Jesus. When we sin, we don’t recognize Jesus.
- Secondly, Peter said, “I am going fishing”. Fishing was Peter’s livelihood. This is the second reason why we fail to recognize Jesus. WHEN WE RELY MORE ON OUR LIVELIHOOD or ON WHAT WE DO than WHAT GOD can do in our lives. If I work, I eat. If I work hard, I achieve success. If I am talented, I can be the best! That’s what the world teaches us. When we think that the world is all about US we will never recognize how much God blesses us. It should not be about us, it should be all about God.
- Lastly, read the last line of the verse "So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing”. Nothing, zero. The third reason why we missed out Jesus is WHEN WE EXPERIENCED FAILURES. How many times did you hear someone deny the existence of God because they failed? I witnessed a lot. They say things like: “Mabait naman ako bakit nalugi ang negosyo ko? Asan ang Diyos?", “Bakit niloko ako ang asawa ko? Wala sigurong Diyos!" or “Walang Diyos. Kasi ang healthy niya bakit nagkaroon siya ng kanser?God allows us to fail because HE is offering is something better than our goals. Jesus has something way, way better.
Kilala mo si Kristo pero minsan hindi natin Siya nakikilala. Be watchful of your OLD SINFUL WAYS, SELF-RELIANCE & OUR FAILURES. These 3 things make you forget who Jesus is.
Friends, Easter did not end last Sunday. It continues on today and in the coming days. May Jesus #RiseUp in our lives each day so we may recognize HIM in all our situations.
