A TV
show that makes me hungry is called “Iron Chef.” I admire their culinary skills
in making tasty recipes and wish that I could be a judge on the show to taste
the results.
Today’s
gospel story has Jesus serving breakfast to his disciples after a terrible
night of fishing. His words are most startling. First, he gives fishing
instructions and then an invitation to eat. "Catch anything?" he
shouts through cupped hands. "Want some breakfast?"
If you ever doubted that the
resurrected Lord is a hoax, check out this scene in which his disciples notice
Him from their boats off shore that is nothing short of a grand miracle. So,
what is Jesus doing fussing with fish and cooking a breakfast on the beach? Why
in the world would this man have the time to help out some discouraged anglers
and then do the work of a cook, poking at a charcoal fire with a stick, frying
up some fish, baking some pita bread? Curious?
Why is it that the resurrected Lord of
the universe has time to dabble with cooking? Why is it that, what with a world
of pain and suffering, terrorism, hunger and war, Jesus has time to play “iron
chef” and waiter to his hungry friends? Well, it's because in real life this is
where we need to meet up with Jesus or else we're not going to see Him much at
all. If encounters with Jesus are limited to mountaintop experiences of
ecstasy, brilliant visions and dreams—much less limited to the rare occasion
when we can say with certainty that the Lord has revealed something big to
us—then much of life is going to look very unspiritual.
Jesus breakfast on the beach reminds us
that in the ordinariness of everyday life, and in between the times when we
gather at the Lord's table, our Lord is with us by his Spirit. He may not cup His
hands so as to ask you if you've caught any fish, but he will ask things like,
"How was your day down on the farm? Did anything interesting happen today?
Want to talk about it?" What are you stressing about? He will ask if we've
eaten yet and, if not, He will work to provide us with the staff of life. His
word and sacrament strengthen us in our daily tasks to persevere with courage
knowing that He is always by our side.
