"HE MANIFESTED HIMSELF THUS"
E.J.Jarvis
It seems to me, beloved brethren, that there is a very strong link in the portion we have read with what the Lord has been giving to us in these meetings. I think we see the Lord Jesus operating as Lord and also as Head. It is a wonderful portion to read, to see the skill that marks Him, and how He deals with His own, and glorifies His Father in the doing of it, and retains His weak, erring disciples. What a chapter it is! What a picture for us! What a lesson book! It says "Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he manifested himself thus". I think that word 'thus' is to be taken account of by us all: "he manifested himself thus". This is how He did it. We might have done it very differently. We might have done it more harshly. We might have finished the matter completely, but the Lord does not do that. He does finish it, but He finishes it gloriously. And so we have these disciples, and Peter leading, and "Simon Peter says to them, I go to fish". I need not go into all this detail because the brethren have heard from this chapter many times, but Simon Peter leads others in an expedition that was really going back on what the Lord had called him to. So the Lord Jesus graciously comes in. How different things become, do they not? How different things are when the Lord comes in! So it says "They went forth, and went on board, and that night took nothing". That was the outcome, that was the net result, if we can speak of it as a result, from that movement on the part of these disciples. "But early morn already breaking, Jesus stood on the shore". How lovely this is! The Lord Jesus would come into all our matters. I believe what has been said is right, that the Lord loves to come into all our matters and show Himself, and show where He is in relation to them; and He has the solution to the matters too. O, that we could be nearer to Him!
'Close to Thy trusted side,
In fellowship divine' (Hymn No.270)
"Jesus stood on the shore". He takes up a definite position in relation to these disciples and to what they had been doing and were doing. "The disciples however did not know that it was Jesus". How often that is the case, dear brethren, that the Lord draws near and shows Himself, positions Himself near to us to help us, to recover us, to secure what is His again, afresh, and what is for the Father's pleasure, and we just do not know He is there. So it says "Jesus therefore says to them, Children, have ye anything to eat?"
Think of this tender and gracious way that the Lord approaches His own: "Children, have ye anything to eat? They answered Him, No". What a humbling time! Fancy having to say that to the Lord; but they had to say it. "They answered him, No". But then the Lord comes in "And he said to them, Cast the net at the right side of the ship and ye will find". How simple, and yet how powerful! This seems to me to touch on the matter of His lordship. Everything was under His control; the sea was under His control, the fish were under His control, and the disciples were under His control; they had erred, they had strayed for the moment, but the Lord is acting in recovery. If we want a picture of priestliness and how to act, I think we get it here. If we want to see headship operating, I think we see it here. If we want to see the Lord as Head, Head of the vast creation, as we sometimes sing, we see it here. How glorious He is, dear brethren! We can sing:
'Lord Jesus Christ, our living Head,
How bright Thy glories shine!' (Hymn No.199)
They are shining here. He says "Cast the net at the right side of the ship and ye will find". There is no doubt about it whatever: "Ye will find". And how much they did find! "They cast therefore, and they could no longer draw it. from the multitude of fishes". This is the way to increase, dear brethren; this is the way to prosperity; this is the way to addition; this is the way to glorify God. "That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved says to Peter, It is the Lord". I wonder if we can all say that now, at the close of this first day: "It is the Lord"? The Lord has been speaking to us, beloved brethren, bringing His excellence and glory before us, and not only His own excellence and glory but the excellence and glory of the Father for He would always be directing us to the Father and the Holy Spirit too would be directing us to the Father. So "Simon Peter therefore, having heard that it was the Lord, girded his overcoat on him (for he was naked)", fully exposed. Humbled? Yes, no doubt, and we should all be humbled; I hope there is not a proud one here today, including myself. We should all be humbled at what has come in, at the departure, the weakness, the breakdown, the failure; humbled but not hindered. God would have us to go on in triumph and in victory with what is of Himself and for Himself, with Christ before us, the Christ indeed dwelling in our hearts through faith (see Eph 3: 17). May we be attracted to Him and then attached to Him and then committed to Him. There are no side lines in Christianity; we are to be thoroughly devoted to Christ and His interests here. May that be our occupation for the rest of our time. Joseph's brethren were asked "What is your occupation?” (Gen 46: 33), and they could answer. Well, can we all here this evening answer and say what our occupation is, what we intend it to be, through grace and by the Spirit's help, until our Lord shall come?
So it says "They were not far from the land", and they were "dragging the net of fishes". How wonderful this is! What a difference it makes when the Lord comes in! What a harvest there is, a harvest for us and a harvest for Him! "When therefore they went out on the land, they see a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it". I believe someone that we loved said that He gave them a hot meal. Wonderful treatment, you know! If we want to know how to treat one another, just read this chapter. "They see a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus says to them, Bring of the fishes which ye have now taken". What wonderful grace! He would even use the fishes that they had just taken to add to the meal, to contribute to it. "Simon Peter went up and drew the net to the land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty-three; and though there were so many, the net was not rent". It remained intact. We have been speaking of regulation and things being intact in our localities. It is most necessary that we should attend to regulation. Does not Pharaoh say to Joseph, "according to thy commandment shall all my people regulate themselves" (Gen 41: 40)? And then Paul says much about regulation. So we need it. "Jesus says to them, Come and dine". It was not just a snack, it was the time for dining. "Jesus comes and takes the bread and gives it to them, and the fish in like manner. This is already the third time that Jesus had been manifested to the disciples, being risen from among the dead".
Well, beloved brethren, let us take pattern from Him; let us read the gospels to see how He acted and how He spoke, what He did and the way He did it. I think this chapter is very affecting and should move all our hearts, move us to worship Him, move us to pray, and move us to our knees too, that we might be more like Him. So I think it connects, dear brethren, with what the Lord has been giving us today - His headship and His lordship, and divine Persons coming into things. May the Lord bless the word to us.
LONDON
17 October 1975