Dear Christian friends:

After His resurrection on Easter morning Jesus was still with His disciples, but He was not with them in the same way as before His death. Before He had an earthly, natural body of flesh and blood, like ours, and His body was limited to the laws of nature. But when He arose He had a heavenly, spiritual body that was not limited to the laws of nature. For example: freed Himself from the linen burial strips; He went through the tomb walls and locked doors, etc.

This we learn from our text. It shows that the risen and living Lord Jesus is with us at all times.


The risen and living Jesus is with us also when we have disappointments. Jesus' disciples had gone to Galilee as He had instructed them. Jesus told them before He died that He would meet them in Galilee. (Matthew 28:16) Now they are waiting for Him to appear to them. While they wait they decide to go fishing. That was their work before Jesus called them to follow Him. They fished all night and caught nothing. Now they are tired and disappointed, We, also are often disappointed.

That often happens to me when I go fishing. I drive far to the fishing waters; spend money on bait and hooks and fish all day and catch nothing. I know how those disciples felt. I'm sure that many of you have had the same experience either fishing or in some other work. Farmers often have such a disappointing experience. They work hard all year growing a crop, and then grasshoppers or hail destroys their crop or perhaps insects. Or maybe they have a good crop, but the prices of their fruit or grain is too low and they don't earn any profit. We all have experienced disappointments and frustrations in our life. Then we worry and ask, "Why? Where is God?"

In our disappointments and frustrations we often think and feel like that.

But the risen and living Jesus is with us also when we experience disappointments and frustrations in our work.

Jesus knew about His disciples and that they had fished all night and caught nothing. In our text we read, "When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus." (verse 4) The risen and living Lord had been near them all night while they were casting the nets and trying to catch the fish. He knew how hard they had worked and how disappointed they felt. They did not see Him, but He was there with them.

The risen and living Lord Jesus is also with us at all times, in good times and bad times. Before He went up to heaven Jesus promised His disciples, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20) Jesus is with us and knows about us at all times. He says, "I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep." (John 10:14) The Lord asks, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?" (Jeremiah 23:24)

The risen and living Lord Jesus is with us at all times. He knows about our troubles and frustrations. This should give us great comfort, because He has power to help us.

Here in our text we see how the risen Lord helped the disciples. The disciples did not yet know that the man standing on the shore was Jesus. They thought he was a stranger waiting to buy some fish from them. Jesus asked them if they caught any fish. When they answered, "No," He told them to lower their net on the right side of the boat and they will catch fish. They were not proud! They didn't ask, "Why?" They humbly obeyed the man. And then they caught 153 large fish. Now they knew that the Stranger standing on the shore is the risen and living Lord. John says to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Many times before they had seen Him do other wonderful works.

The large catch of fish will provide the disciples with plenty of money to help them begin their preaching ministry in a few weeks. Jesus has helped them in their need and frustration. He has the knowledge and the power to help His people.

As the risen and living Lord helped His disciples here, so He can help us in our needs.

The Lord gives us our daily bread. Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord's prayer: "Give us this day our daily bread." And David says that the Lord gives food to every living thing, both human and animal, fish or bird: "The eyes of all wait upon You, O Lord: and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire (Hunger) of every living thing." (Psalm 145:15-16)

And the Lord helps us in every need or trouble. When we are sick and pray to Him He heals us. We all have experienced His healing power many times in our life. Sometimes the Lord does not heal our sickness, but He is still with us and knows about our sickness or trouble, and He gives us the faith and patience to accept that and suffer that burden. St. Paul experienced that. Three times Paul prayed to Jesus to take away a certain sickness, "Thorn in the flesh." But the Lord let him continue in that. He said to Paul, "My grace is enough for you. My strength becomes clear in your weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) God never breaks His promise to us. He has promised that He will not permit us to be tested beyond our ability. He promises to give us help, that we can endure the test or trouble. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The risen and living Lord Jesus is with us at all times and He has power to help us. Therefore we should not worry about anything. Instead we should pray about everything, telling God our needs, and then thank Him for His help.

Perhaps someone will say, "I doubt if Jesus is with me, I doubt if He will help me, I sin often and do not obey His commands sometimes. I am not worthy to receive His help." That's true, that we often sin and fail to obey God's commands. That's true that we are not worthy to receive His help - true! But nevertheless Jesus is always with us and helps us. Why? Because He loves us. He shows grace to us.

We see that also from our text. Jesus showed grace and love to His disciples here. They were not worthy to receive His help. Remember how they failed Jesus when He really needed their support in the Garden of Gethsemane when the mob came to arrest Him. All the disciples forsook Him and ran away. Peter denied Jesus three times that same night. Then on Easter morning when the women told them that Jesus had risen from death they refused to believe it. Before He died Jesus had told them that He would arise on the third day. Truly they are not worthy to receive His help. Nevertheless, Jesus loves them and comes to help them.

So Jesus now lives to be with us and to help us, although we are not worthy to receive His help. He died on the cross for our sins. He arose from death on Easter morning, so we can have eternal life. He who died for us, now lives to help us! This should increase our love for Him, and make us more eager to serve Him.

"He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above,
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in times of need."
(TLH 200) I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Amen.