After Jesus had been raised from the dead, it took a while for his disciples to take in the stunning truth. At Pentecost, seven weeks later, the illumination of the Holy Spirit cleared their minds. Picture them now in that in-between time, confused, excited, afraid, not knowing what to make of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, wondering what would happen next.
One of the most natural things to do when life is confusing is to go back to something familiar, something we’re good at. It’s therapeutic and comforting. So it’s not surprising that when a few of them were together, Peter said “Let’s go fishing.”
Good idea. Except that they were out all night, and caught nothing.
Then they saw Jesus on the beach. What happened next was totally unexpected.