“Net Worth

Midweek Lent

March 25, 2026

John 21:1-14

Later Jesus again was manifested to the disciples at Lake Tiberias. This is how the appearance took place. Assembled were Simon Peter, Thomas “the Twin,” Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s children, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going out to fish.” “We’ll join you,” they replied, and went off to get into their boat.

All through the night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus was standing on the shore, though none of the disciples knew it was Jesus. He said to them, “Have you caught anything, friends?” “Not a thing,” they answered. “Cast your net off to the starboard side,” Jesus suggested, “and you’ll find something.” So they made a cast and caught so many fish that they couldn’t haul the net in.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved cried out to Peter, “It’s the Teacher!” Upon hearing this, Simon Peter threw on his cloak—he was naked—and jumped into the water. Meanwhile the other disciples brought the boat to shore, towing the net full of fish. They were not far from land—no more than a hundred yards.

When they landed, they saw that a charcoal fire had been prepared, with fish and some bread already being grilled. “Bring some of the fish you just caught,” Jesus told them. Simon Peter went aboard and hauled ashore the net, which was loaded with huge fish—one hundred fifty-three of them. In spite of the great number, the net was not torn.

“Come and eat your meal,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared to ask, “Who are you?”—they knew it was the savior. Jesus came over, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This marked the third time that Jesus had appeared to the disciples after being raised from the dead.

Message:

Today’s reading comes after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Mary Magdalene had seen him in the garden beyond the tomb, but she hadn’t recognized him. He appeared to the apostles and then to Thomas in the upper room where they were hiding. And then, it seems the disciples went home. Even though they knew Jesus was not dead, they didn’t know what came next. So they went home to Galilee.

And they went back to their previous lives. Only, their previous lives weren’t available to them any longer. Too much had changed. They had changed. But they tried. Peter, the fisherman, decided to go fishing. And several of the disciples join him. But they caught nothing. They were lost as disciples and failures as fishermen, and everything felt undone. What they knew was no longer.

Hopeless and without any future plans, they sat in the boat as the sun rose. And that’s when a man on shore called out to them. Hearing they hadn’t caught anything all night, he suggested they try again. And that’s all it took. A net full of fish revealed who the man was.

Again, on the beach, as Jesus broke the bread and shared the fish, the disciples saw and remembered. They had come back to themselves and back to their purpose.

It’s easy to become lost on this journey. As many of us have been making our way through the book by Alan Roxburgh, we have come face to face with the many iterations of the Church of our past. All the attempts to return home—all the ways to make who we were and what we did work for us again. Tossing the net over and over again and coming up empty.

It’s disheartening, to say the least. And yet, God has not called us here just so that we might fail in the ministry of the Church. God has called us into new life. Resurrected life. In the breaking of the bread and the sharing of abundance, we see again the face of Christ in our midst. We recognize Jesus inviting us into relationship. Moving us from being tossed on the waves to walking the path of ministry for the sake of the world.

Because the Word of God didn’t come into this world in order to establish and save the Church. The Word came into this world in order to establish hope and save the World. This is the message we have all but lost in our attempts to return to familiar pastures, familiar practices, familiar programs.

The continuing education group that brought this book to my attention has been given the task to experiment with ways in which we can engage the gospel already being proclaimed in the world. To build relationships with people outside our usual circles. To get to know our neighbors and celebrate what God is doing in them.

It’s both a simple and monumental task because it means letting go of the ways in which we look at events. It’s not about catching the fish as much as sitting alongside the boatman. It’s not building numbers but simply enjoying each other’s company—no strings attached. No expectations. No focus on numbers or money or outcomes. Just relationship.

But it’s in those relationships where we will recognize Jesus calling to us. In these challenging and seemingly hopeless times, when we feel abandoned and lost, we need God’s ever-present reminder that Christ can be found in one another. Just toss the net. Just break the bread. Just share the fish. It will be okay. All will be well. All will be well. And all manner of things will be well.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE