“The Case for Christ: - Kingdom/God: Power of His Word”

Jn 21:1: ‘After this, Jesus manifested Himself to the disciples again by the sea of Galilee, and this is how He revealed Himself.’

When we started this passage last week, I stated that the word ‘showed’ or ‘manifested’, in v 1 of Jn 21, indicated that Jesus had far more in mind than just becoming visible for a time of friendly fellowship.

Its actual meaning goes much, much deeper. 

The word is seen rather often in the New Testament and, where it is used, it is in reference to God and Christ, or to people in relationship to God or Christ.

And, importantly, these uses, in all cases, are not just an appeal to the senses.

No - they are concerned with spiritual perception - related to something that gives insight to certain moral and spiritual purposes and consequences.

It sets forth, either, a law of God, or His will, or His character, or the Person or the work of Christ, with the idea of revealing the divine quality that brings forth that moral or spiritual purpose.

Thus, since Christ’s appearance at the Sea of Galilee speaks louder and deeper than what it seems on the surface, we are able to see how ‘faith’ - specifically, here, the faith of the disciples, as they waited for Jesus - was one of the primary teachings they received in this new Gospel economy.

Earlier in their lives with Him, they had asked for ‘increased faith’.

But that was not the nature of faith that Jesus had in mind for them - it would not suffice for stewardship in His kingdom.

Oh, no - it must be faith that ‘would stand, not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God’ (1 Cor 2:5) - the faith absolutely essential for the development in the kingdom to its final consummation.

It is that indispensable ‘mustard-seed faith’ in which the power of God puts into action what He wills to be done through them.

That is one of the ‘new’ revealed perceptions in His kingdom. It required waiting and trusting the Word He had given them which simply was: ‘I go before you into Galilee.’

That faith saw His miraculous, all-powerful action in the draught of fish they netted in following His command.

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Then, continuing on with the revelation of Himself and what He desired to manifest to them in this new Gospel economy, is the demonstration He gave them of the  effectual, powerful Word that goes forth out from His mouth.

This is part of the revelation of His kingdom - that His Word will go forth from Him and it will accomplish that for which it is sent.

What was it that the prophet Isaiah had said about the advance and effect of the divine Word?

Was it not: ‘So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it’? (Isa 55:11)

There is no effectiveness and no productiveness in the kingdom of God if it is not His Word that is sent forth from Him in His desired will!

In short, the effectual, powerful Word originating from God Himself answers all of His great purposes and plans!

He speaks the Word! It goes forth! It shall not come back empty! It shall accomplish the reason it was sent out! It shall prosper!

Since the context of this verse is placed in His future kingdom, it sets up the fact that the ‘Word’ of God will bring about the establishment of God’s end-time kingdom and the salvation and judgment that go along with the consummation of it. 

And Christ demonstrated this to show the disciples this in the Jn 21 post-resurrection appearance.

They were given the privilege of seeing the ‘Word that was in the beginning, and the Word Who was with God, and the Word Who was God’, the ‘Word that was made flesh and dwelled among them’, activate His will by His powerful, spoken Word in this new Gospel economy.

They saw it when they were with Him as He walked among them.

But now - they see the power of His Word make the vast difference in the unfolding of their life’s activity as He spoke it while He was on the shore, waiting to reveal Himself.

But how? What was behind this Word that worked such a wonder for them?

In v 10, Isaiah took an analogy from nature to show how it works: ‘As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater...’.

Rain and snow come from the heavens. They water the earth, soaking the ground.

The moisture affects the seed the sower plants, making it germinate and sprout into grain.

That, in turn, is used to make bread for the ‘eater’.

The rain and the snow served the purpose for which it came: it watered the earth, made the ground fertile and fruitful, gave seed to the one who sowed and bread to the one who ate.

The same is true of the Word God sends forth from His mouth. It never goes out without carrying out His will. It always succeeds in what it was sent to do! 

And neither does it change its course until the will of God for which it was sent out has been done.

It can never fail!

Why not? The reason is because it is divine! It is ‘God-breathed’, originated in His mind, and for this reason it takes shape(Jn 5:37b) and does its intended work!

So - as the snow and the rain make things grow to eventually make bread for man to enjoy, His work does its work for man.

It softens, it refreshes, it is productive! 

‘...for every word - every word - that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is bread’ (Deut 8:3) that makes the difference in the development of His kingdom! 

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Thus, Jesus showed Himself to the disciples as the personification of the ‘Word’ and spoke it powerfully to His disciples through the divinely-appointed media of revelation.

What was the message it brought?

It is this: It is only through the direct, living contact with the resurrected, living Son of God that the Word takes shape! 

Is it some magical power, charged with a power related to some extraphysical powers as we see in some of our current movies, videos, and TV presentations and in the concepts so rampant in today’s culture?

No - of course not! 

We are speaking of the divine nature of God showing that it is His Word that is the very expression of truth itself. 

It goes on with life from God that is vested with His divine power!

It is ‘quick, powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword’. It even divides asunder soul from spirit; it splits joints from marrow; it discerns even the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

This is the voice of God’s power: it was His Word coming through the outshining of His Son that the disciples heard and saw in this appearance.

This is the Word that will bear them onward in His kingdom as it develops upon earth toward the fulfillment of the divine plan.    

As He showed His disciples the power of His Word, so God’s relation to everything that was outside of Himself would only come now through that same means - His Son and the revelation of Himself in this same way. 

Through the Son - the living, mighty, divine Son of God and Son of Man - directly, God speaks! 

‘God has spoken to us through His Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the effulgence of His glory, and the very image of His substance, and upholding all things by the Word of His power.’ (Heb 1:1-3)

I repeat: It is through the Son - the living, mighty, divine Son - directly, that God speaks: it is only in direct living contact with Jesus Christ that the power of His Word follows His course of action.

What immediate effect did it have with these disciples? 

Starting with v 4, of Jn 21, the day was breaking: it was just beginning to dawn, as things would start ‘dawning’ with His followers!

‘But, when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore.’

And He asked the question: ‘...have you anything to eat?’ which, literally, is translated: ‘...you do not have any fish, do you?’

He knew their catch was a dismal ‘nothing’! In fact, the word ‘that’ in ‘that night they caught nothing’ (v 3) is an emphatic pronoun. It seems to indicate that not catching anything was actually an unusual happening.

Then He told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They did it - even without question nor hesitation.

Now - would you consider that unusual too?

Tell me - how many experienced, seasoned fishermen do you know - who, having fished for years, and who are fishermen by trade - would let a ‘sidewalk superintendent’s unsolicited advice’ actually make them stop and change their method?

I seriously doubt this would happen in the natural!

Since they, as yet, did not know this was Jesus talking to them, a reply like ‘Who do you think you are? We have been at this all night - who are you to tell us what to do?’ would have been the more probable comeback!

But - they seemed to catch something in their spirits that told them this was the right way to go!

Back in Jn 10:14, He had said to them: ‘...He[the Good Shepherd] goeth before[His own sheep] and the sheep follow Him for they know His voice.’  

Jesus had always taught them the facts of His kingdom.

He taught them to observe, to think of what He said, to learn the mysteries of His kingdom.

He taught them that the coming of the Son of Man is the real future event to look for.

They had seen His power when they knew Him as the ‘suffering Servant’ as He walked among them. 

So - it was no problem recognizing Him when the net was about to break with the sudden quantity of fish after He spoke the Word.

Now - since they no longer knew Him after the flesh, the following of His voice was the super-naturally natural way He would lead them along in His kingdom.

So - they followed His voice with just the hearing of it without really yet knowing the identity of the One giving the command.

And that is no surprise for the ‘witness of God testifieth of His Son’. (1 Jn 5:9)

It opened their eyes to Him! His kingdom was come, not in its final consummation, of course, but in a spiritual visibility!
 
What it was and is to be, it already was and is in strength and power!

It had only been waiting for the Son of Man - Who was to come in power and glory - to unfold its perfection and goodness by the Word He speaks!

Through this, they were to see that true spiritual service of prospective ‘fishers of men’ in Christ’s development of His kingdom upon earth was going to be only on the basis of that power of His Word!  

Thus, it is the might of the Divine Word of the resurrected Christ that is a living and life-giving power which is the subject of this Galilee appearance.

It is part of the revelation of His Kingdom that His Word shall accomplish that for which it was sent.   

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Yes - fishermen could fish and catch fish as a normal, natural event.

If one follows the rules of nature and the various techniques for successful fishing, it promises a measure of success: not every time, but it is usually hopeful!

But, as stewards in His kingdom and in the scheme of God’s plan - on a spiritual plane - all spiritual work and growth comes under a different measure.

And this measure has its basis and substructure in the sovereignty of the risen Lord, in His power and on the authority of His Word!

How does this passage characterize the effect of His Word?

Well - I ask you: How powerful was His Word when He said: ‘cast your net on the right side of the boat’?

The fish heard His call: they were gathered together on that side of the boat and were netted!

You see - everything - everything is subject to God’s supreme and Sovereign power as He speaks the Word to it.

Do you remember when the rough, rocky sea caused such consternation to the disciples?

Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. They called out: ‘Lord, we are going to die - do something!’

Imagine yourself there: the sea is churning, so much so that it feels as though the vessel will capsize. The waves are tumultuous - the force of them knocks the boat about.

So - all you would need to say to it is ‘Peace, be still!’ and calmness would prevail.

Not so! 

Only Jesus Christ, in the power of His Word only, is able to quiet any tumult - able to calm all ‘troubled waters’ - with His ‘Peace - be still!’ 

He has no problem with that because His Word is always productive, always effective because it is HIS Word!

Oh - how it would help us if we really understood that! And - if we really would see Him and the power of His Word!

As His kingdom develops within, I pray we will let that power be the great work of our lives!

I pray it will be the great longing of our hearts to know this Jesus, to know Him in the function of a good steward to - without hesitancy - bow at His feet and let Him go on teaching us of God, of the power of the Word He speaks and of His divine life!

Do not be so foolish to keep on thinking we already know all there is to know of Him!

That will only arrest our growth in Him! It will smother our spiritual progress! 

There is never an end to Jesus Christ - He is much more than we think we know! 

Do not balk nor hesitate to follow His Word! Be a ‘blameless steward of God’. (Titus 1:7)

Be a steward who will always be ‘found faithful and wise’.

‘Cast your net on the right side of your boat’ and you will know of the power of His Word in the stewardship of the kingdom of God!

So be it! 

Let us pray!