I’m not remotely interested in
fishing but one of my favourite
stories is about a fisherman. It’s
also about being given another
chance.
The story is often read after
Easter and is about Peter, one of
Jesus’ followers. After Jesus had
died (and they had seen him
briefly afterwards) the followers
were asking themselves what
their experiences of the last
three years been all about.
In
the meantime they had to start earning a living
again, so Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” |
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It seems they had lost the knack because they
were out all night and caught nothing (keen
fishermen these days may know the feeling).
But in the early light of dawn they saw a
stranger on the shore, who shouted
instructions about fishing from the other side
of the boat. They had nothing to lose (they
were about to give up anyway) so they had
one last cast of the net – and caught an
enormous shoal of fish.
Peter recognised the stranger as Jesus and,
impulsive as always, took his coat off, jumped
overboard and swam ashore, leaving the
others to bring the catch to land.
This might seem surprising
because, before the crucifixion,
Peter had denied knowing Jesus
not once, but three times. Peter
may well have done this because
he was scared of being arrested.
Whatever the reason, we might
think that Peter would have
been embarrassed or ashamed
about meeting Jesus again. I
think Peter felt very guilty about
betraying his best friend, but he
wanted to make amends – hence
the early morning swim.
Two of the most powerful words of the
Twelve Step programme, used at Gloucester
House and many other rehabs, are “restore”
and “amends”. Those with addictions are
looking for restoration to sanity, and part of
that includes making amends to those they
have hurt. Not everyone jumps at the chance
like Peter, but that was his experience and it
has been shared by millions of Christians and
addicts since.
May you too, like Peter, experience the reality
of knowing restoration this spring-time.
David Day (Revd)
Centre Manager, Gloucester House |
