THE DISTANCE BETWEEN 0 AND 153

“Jesus called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.”  (John 21:5-11 NIV)

First-century fishing boats were seven and a half feet wide. So what’s the point of trying the other side? What difference does ninety inches make?

Then Jesus gives them an unforgettable object lesson: sometimes ninety inches is the distance between 0 and 153. You may be only seven and a half feet from a miracle – but you have to try the other side!

Miracles don’t just happen when we believe God for big things. Miracles happen when we obey God in the little things. When we do little things like they are big things, God will do big things like they are little things. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible” 

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NET FISHING IS A TEAM EFFORT

"So [some of the disciples] went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”  (John 21:3b-6 NIV)

Are you better at working solo than working as a team? Are you afraid of surrendering some of your control and power to others? Net fishing is a team effort. You can’t do it by yourself. How did Jesus send His followers out to take the world? In teams. “I can’t be me without you” is one of my mantras. We need each other. Most especially, we need Christ. As the disciples found out, apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5). They caught nothing that night. Without Jesus’ help, they finished in vain. Disciples of Jesus never catch anything without the help of Jesus.

Net fishing is best done with a team of experts who will diminish their own interests for the sake of the success of the team. The ideal team is a team of harmonious difference; not where like meets like, but where difference meets difference. Just as genetic diversity is imperative to the survival of any ecosystem, so pluraformity is imperative to the success of any endeavor. The difference between pluraformity and pluralism? In pluraformity, there are wide divergences around a common core; in pluralism, there is no core and no connections, only centrifuge. The experience of Pentecost – the reversal of Babel – empowers us to recognize and respect differences so that, in Paul’s words, “We may be strengthened in the faith, I by yours and you by mine.” 

-- Leonard Sweet in “A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Café”

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