Breakfast

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord." John 21: 12

A few weeks ago, I was asked to share my favorite parable from the book of John with the members of Lakeside Youth. I chose John 21 in its entirety for a few reasons. The first is that I LOVE breakfast food. The second is that this parable shows God’s fatherly love to his people and how He is always more interested in showing grace and forgiveness rather than focusing on an “I told you so”.  

In this chapter, Jesus appears to Peter and the other disciples for the third time after his resurrection, while they are fishing just a short distance from shore. It doesn’t take long before the disciples realize that it is Jesus. He invites them back to shore, and before they engage in any conversation, Jesus offers to serve them all breakfast with their recent catch. Everyone sitting around that fire knew that Peter had denied Jesus three times before he was crucified, and Jesus addresses this later in the story, but before he gets to that, He is far more interested in serving them breakfast and engaging in fellowship.

Now, this may not be the main lesson to take away from this parable, but after reading it again, this is what stood out to me. By doing this, he is demonstrating that even though he has a point to make with Peter, showing grace and mercy should always precede any version of an “I told you so” that may be coming…even if it’s well deserved. This is the type of fatherly love that we should all strive to demonstrate in our everyday lives.  

This story has provoked two questions lately. Who has taken the time to serve me breakfast in the past, and who do I have the opportunity to serve breakfast to now? I offer these same questions to you today regarding this simple, yet incredibly meaningful gesture.
 
Lord God, we thank you today for your fatherly love, and how you are always slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Help us, oh Lord, to show that same love to others, for your glory and for the good of your kingdom. Amen.