“It is the Lord!” by Steven Kurian - Philadelphia
“It is the Lord!”
St. John 21:1-14
Today’s devotional is based on the Gospel reading from the 2nd Sunday after the glorious Feast of the Resurrection. In this reading from St. John’s Gospel (21:1-13), we see the assembled Apostles returned to their normal day-to-day lives; fishing in the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). After an unsuccessful evening of casting their nets, the risen Lord Jesus Christ greets the group but yet is not recognized by them. When the disciples follow the instructions of this “stranger” to cast their nets on the right side of their boat, their nets suddenly become overflowing with fish. Upon experiencing firsthand this miracle, the Apostle Peter immediately recognizes the Lord and promptly dives into the sea to swim to his Savior on the shore. When we see this example of St. Peter’s eagerness to meet the Lord, let us ask ourselves if we are able to imitate this act of faith. Are we willing to drop all of our cares and earnestly pursue the Lord without having a second thought in our minds?
In the Gospel of St. Luke, we see the type of commitment Christ asks of us if we are to truly and whole-heartedly follow him. When a potential follower tells Jesus that he would follow him but would first have to say farewell to his friends and family, the Lord replies that “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 62). In the same way that St. Peter would be willing to forget about his boat, his fishing, and his friends; in the same way that no one can plow his fields while looking back, we are called to seek Christ and His Kingdom. This, of course, is not to say that we shouldn’t pay heed to our daily lives: our studies, our work, or our families; but rather, Christ instructs us that the primary objective of our lives is to seek first the Kingdom of God and our other concerns will be resolved according to God’s will (Matthew 6:33). If we are really “Christian” people, followers of Christ, we must single-mindedly follow Christ at all times and in every facet of our lives. We are followers and seekers of Christ not only when we are worshipping at Church, but when we are working in our offices, exercising in our gyms, socializing with our friends, or otherwise whatever we do every day of our lives.
Knowing this, that we are called to pursue the Risen Lord primarily before all other things, we must understand also that the world is once again becoming a place that does not know or understand Christ. We must be resolved and emboldened to go after Christ, like St. Peter in the Sea of Galilee, even if that scandalizes us in the eyes of this world. St. Peter’s and the other Apostles’ lifelong pursuit of Christ led them to evangelize the world and eventually be martyred by it. While we may or may not be called to martyrdom, we certainly must be prepared to singularly follow Christ regardless of the consequences. We may have to look foolish, be made outcast, and even be persecuted by this world, but if we truly are focused on Christ as our preeminent end-goal, all these other cares will not matter. That being said, aside from Christ, is there anything else we really need?
Questions for Meditation
1) Do you find yourself worshipping only on Sundays and leaving God there? In what ways can you choose to follow Him throughout your day?
2) What are some of your cares that you might have trouble letting go of if asked to pursue the Lord fully?
Author’s Information:
Name: Steven Kurian
Area: St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church of Philadelphia
Email Address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it