Empty Nets and Emptiness

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. – John 21:6, NASB

They were fishing all night, returning to the familiar after Jesus’ death. It was what they did for a living before Jesus called them to follow Him. Fishing was their occupation before Jesus entered their life. This was how they made a living.

Just living. That’s life without Jesus. Everything we work for on this earth is temporary and one day all our work will fade away. We end up with empty nets and emptiness, fishing on the wrong side of the boat.

He’s there at your side. He’s been there all along, watching you fishing on the wrong side of the boat. Lovingly, he asks you, “Have you caught anything?” Reluctantly you admit your nets have come up empty all night. All that effort for naught.

The answer you’ve been looking for has been next to you all along. You’ve turned your back on it and focused on your own way. Jesus gently tells you, “Try the other side.”

It seems so obvious and perhaps you’re a bit annoyed. “What difference could that make?” So you grudgingly drop your nets on the other side of the boat. The same equipment and effort you’ve used all night, except you’re listening to Jesus. Suddenly your net is overflowing with fish, almost too much to handle.

And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” – Mark 1:17, NASB

Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” – Mark 4:8, NASB