In the Gospel of John the Apostle Peter says ‘I am going fishing’ (John 21:3). His mates went with him as well.
The question is this: Does this action seem incongruous within the context of passage and with the surronding events? And therefor put doubts on the reality of the resurrection. One man I know definitely thinks it is and does. He cannot understand why Peter would go fishing when he had seen the risen Christ. For him, this action by Peter casts a lot of doubt on the resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ. My friend is an atheist – that’s the label he gives himself anyway – so I guess he’s just looking for reasons not to believe. And Peter going fishing is one of them.
Maybe Peter – and friends – were just confused. So what must have been the state of Peters mind? Obviously we can’t delve into his actual mind but by thinking briefly about the circumstances we can have a pretty good idea. Context then, as they say, is king.
For Peter, events must have been like riding one of those huge rollers coasters – one minute you’re up, the next, plumiting downwards at an alarming rate. For 3 years Peter – and the other disciples – had been with Jesus and witnessed extrordiray things. He had seen and heard things few others ever had or would ever see or hear.
The disciples were Jews, and like many of their day were looking for a Messiah, a deliverer to come, boot out the Romans and restore Israel to a former glory. Expectations were high in their day, we might today even call it Messiahism. Peter had previously made his great confession as to the identity of Jesus. Here’s the account:
Mat 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Mat 16:14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Mat 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Mat 16:16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
(In case you do not know, Christ is the Greek of the Hebrew Messiah both meaning ‘Annointed One’.) The time also came when Peter was in the garden at the time of Jesus’ arrest. Peter was also the one that ‘began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.”‘. Peter also saw his Lord, the ‘Annointed One’ crucified to die a death reserved for the most heinous of crimes.
After these things Peter finds that Jesus has risen from the dead – exactly as He said He would I might add.
What state of mind would Peter find himself in? It’s a fair question. It’s reasonable – I think – to suggest that Peter (and some of the others) would go to what they knew. Peter’s impetuous nature causes him to exclaim ‘I am going fishing’. This seems pretty clear to me and I can find no problem with Peter wanting to go fishing. It was what he knew well and perhaps here he could find space to clear his mind. Maybe he thought after his strong denial of Jesus that it was all up with him. Conjecture, sure, unreasonable, I don’t think so.
This post is getting a bit long now so I’ll call it part one and then later post part two.