“But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”And He said to them,” “Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So, they cast, and now they were able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three, and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You? “—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish” (Jn. 21:4-13, NKJV).

I don’t know about you, but there’s something amazing about this story that recently hit me. To think that after the after Calvary, after the Resurrection, and before His ascension, Jesus was still trying to give examples of service. I mean, He had already been brutally whipped beyond recognition, had a crown of thorns – yes, thorns – pushed in his head, dragged to Golgotha, and expected to carry his cross on top of all that – thank God for Simon of Cyrene – and here He decides to cook breakfast for the disciples.

Nowhere in the text does it say the disciples were amazed they were getting ready to eat natural food (as well as spiritual food) prepared by the risen Savior and God; it just says, “None of them dared ask who He was!” It just amazes me that here is the Savior of the world, having just gone through the most horrendous death - not to say we don’t know what he went through during those three days before His resurrection – and He’s still teaching us that we are to serve each other. And, yet, his disciples were focusing on not asking Him who He was (and probably were looking at the fish and bread and ready to eat).

Isn’t that just like us? We look for the goodies – but not the lesson being taught in the middle of being given the goodies. And no matter how many times we have read the Word, if we’re honest with ourselves – OK, I’ll speak for me – I miss the hidden meaning in the passage – and there’s always a meaning besides the obvious.

But in the days we are living in, I believe it’s more important than ever to find the hidden meaning to the Word we are reading, to ask the Holy Spirit to make the parables plain, the message plain, the hidden principle behind the Word being spoken plain. We must ask the Holy Spirit what He wants us to learn from this Word and how to apply it to our lives. We need to ask the Holy Spirit for discernment when reading the Word and when the Word is being taught or preached. If we are not careful, satan will cover our eyes or harden our hearts without us knowing it. Whether we know it or not, satan knows the Word also, remember he was a chosen angel of God until his fall.

With my inquiring mind, my first reaction was, where did Jesus get the fish and the grill, and how did He bake the bread? Then, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the story of the five loaves of bread and two fishes (Matt. 14:17, NKJV). I was like, “OK, Holy Spirit, thank you. I thought maybe Jesus had prepared it like a natural person and broiled the fish and baked the bread – I forgot for a moment I was talking about the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Although if he grew up with Mary and Joseph and his brothers and sisters, I inquired in myself again; I wonder if they didn’t have him doing regular work – after all, he was raised as a carpenter’s son? I don’t believe Mary and Joseph showed Jesus any favor while He was still under their roof – I believe He received most of the same instructions his brothers and sisters did – but that’s speculation since nothing is written of Jesus from the age of 13 until He began his ministry at 30.

I also wonder if the disciples got the message that Jesus was showing them. He did it when He washed their feet – but this was even more inspiring. He was walking now in His divinity on earth –He was no longer a human man – but He was a Spiritual Being, the Resurrected Savior, the Bread of Life, the Lamb of God, and yet He was fixing breakfast! Imagine that! The disciples were not only getting ready to eat breakfast with Jesus The Christ, but they were going to break bread with the one whose body was broken as bread for them!

If we are to learn anything from the teachings of Jesus besides loving God, loving our neighbors (who is everyone), and loving ourselves, we are to learn that part of loving God and loving our neighbors is the gift of service. Service doesn’t always require some far-fetched, hard-to-accomplish task. Service can be a telephone call, a knock on the door to see if a neighbor or a family member wants a piece of that cake you just baked, or asking our neighbor or family if they need something from the store since you’re headed that way or any number of other little things. It could be a ride to the doctor, giving them a ride to the store with you, or picking up a script for them.

Service can be a smile – you never know what someone is going through – or just asking someone how they are doing today. Service is about doing something for someone else without any thought of it being returned. It’s about doing a task with love – the love of the Father. If we can’t do it that way, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to be able to perform service that will bring Him Glory and with His love shed in our hearts. Service is asking someone if they would like prayer if you see the heaviness on their faces. There are so many ways to perform service that don’t cost anything but a few minutes of our time.

There are times when the Holy Spirit will ask us to perform a service that will cost us financially – but since everything we have belongs to God anyway – He’s just asking you to use a little of the substance He has given you to help someone else that needs it today. I know, sometimes we’re down to our last penny – but I’ve seen too many miracles in giving not to believe that God isn’t able to supply our every need according to his riches in Glory through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19, NKJV). He’s just that good of a God.

In closing, next time someone asks for help, or you feel like you’re being asked to help someone, remember that if Jesus can fix breakfast, why can’t we??

God Bless You.