One of the wonders of the Bible is that it rarely sugarcoats the lives of even some of the finest of saints. David's sins are described for all the world to see. Murder and adultery don't commend you very well as a high level servant of God, nevertheless David was one. Rahab the harlot's bold faith saved her entire family and several courageous Hebrew spies. Yet, she is still known down through posterity as, you guessed it -'Rahab the harlot'. These are but two examples of the lives the Bible describes plainly. You have got to love that Book.
This being Resurrection season, I have been re-reading the passion sections of the Gospels. After the trying days of Jesus' death and resurrection the disciples, to the man, seemed not to believe in His promise of rising from the dead... even after appearing to some of his closest associates. The women got it. Few others did.
In the midst of this confusion the apostles had been told to look for Jesus in Galilee. By closely reading John's gospel one realizes that Peter had given up hope and returned to his occupation of fishing. His misguided leadership influenced several other 'apostle/former business associates' to join him in it. They fished together all night and caught nothing. I don't blame them. I understand some of what they felt. I became disillusioned myself many years ago. After a season in full time ministry I gave up and returned to my former occupation.
Jesus has a way of helping us through all our illusions and disillusionment. He appeared in Galilee in the midst of Peter's unsuccessful fishing venture. As they finalized their fruitless night of fishing, He called to them; "Boys, still under construction, you don't have any fish do you?" They hadn't. Then Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat and they would catch some then. They obeyed and they caught a huge number. Peter and his friends had fished that water all their lives as had their fathers before them. They knew the location of every hot spot. They knew the habits of the fish and the lake as well as they knew the backs of their own hands. Jesus knew something that worked on a higher plane; the intuitive realm of the Holy Spirit. Medical science has determined, at least it's arguable, that the right side of the brain is intuitive while the left side is analytical, reason oriented. When Jesus told them to cast on the right side He was asking them to do something intuitive, spiritual. Their 'left side' attempts had proven fruitless.
We are all children, 'still under construction'. The most mature among us still have so much to discover about the ways of God. We will continue to be 'boys still under construction' until we learn to live like Jesus did, in touch with and in harmony with the realm of the Spirit. That's the 'right' way to live. It's much more productive too. Ask Peter!
