David Bahn – Reflections

John 21:9-14

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

During this encounter with Jesus an aside by John catches my attention. He tells us, “Now none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord” (20:12). Why did John mention that? Perhaps it was because Jesus’ presence was so real and substantive in that moment that John wanted to comment on it – he was an eyewitness to the whole encounter. It could be, also, that the disciples actually remarked to one another (later as John was recording this) that they knew it was Jesus. It might be that John simply wants to make the point: they were intimidated by Jesus’ presence. He had died and come back to life. Something was different about Jesus: very different.

While these are likely reasons, they beg a deeper point: Jesus’ resurrection is an “off-the-charts” event. His appearances would necessarily be unique and noteworthy. Getting their brains around Jesus’ presence and absence would be no small challenge for his disciples. After all, this was the third time Jesus revealed himself to his disciples. Where was he while he was not revealing himself to them?

Beyond the fact of Jesus’ presence lies the significance of it. That is built on the reality and recognition on the part of Jesus’ disciples of who he is. And that is a vitally important piece of the puzzle. There is no room for quasi, vague, or questionable appearances of Jesus if we are going to take seriously Jesus’ radical call to discipleship, faith, and sacrifice.

So John tells us, “They knew it was the Lord.” If we are to follow Jesus, we need a solid foundation of the disciples’ witness to the resurrection. John tells us here that there was no doubt on this third encounter with the risen Jesus. It made all the difference to them and became the substance of their witness and down through the ages. Perhaps we should reflect more deeply on that reality and embrace the far-reaching implications of this remarkable good news.