Anything to eat?

Issue no. 18

  Scripture Reading: Luke 24:41-43; John 21:4-5, 9, 13

  The above passages record incidents that happened after the Lord Jesus' resurrection. In both instances, the Lord asked a question of the disciples. In both cases the Lord's question was the same. In Luke He asked, "Do you have anything here to eat?" In John He said, "You do not have any fish to eat, do you?" The meaning in both cases is the same. He wanted to find out if they had anything to eat. Luke 24 says that they had something, while John 21 says that they had nothing.

  In Luke, the disciples only gave the Lord a piece of broiled fish. By then, the disciples might have finished their meal, and only had a piece of broiled fish left over, and they gave it to the Lord. Many times, the Lord asks us for something to eat. We may be like the disciples, who had only a piece of broiled fish. That was all that they had.

  In John, the disciples did not have anything, yet the Lord prepared fish and bread for them. The Lord did not give them just fish, but bread as well. Many times we are like the disciples, laboring all night without catching anything. In our despair and weariness, the Lord asks us if we have anything to eat. We have to admit that we have nothing. But the Lord has something. He not only has fish, but bread as well to satisfy us.

  Why did the disciples have fish when they were in the room (Luke 24) but not when they were at sea (John 21)? Here we see one thing: the Lord's intention was for the disciples to wait in the city for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). The house was the place where they should have been. This was why they still had a little fish. But they had no knowledge of the Lord's resurrection and went to the sea to fish. They wanted to return to their old way. In the end, they did not have even a piece of broiled fish. They did not catch anything because the fishing was done outside of God's ordained will. While they remained in the house, they may not have been perfect, but they still had a piece of broiled fish, and they still had something to give to the Lord. We should find out if the place we are and the labor we have expended are according to God's will. If we act according to our own will, we will be like the disciples who received nothing for the whole night and had nothing to eat. Whenever we are at a place that is far away from the Lord, we have nothing.

  The Lord asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" It seems as if the Lord was hungry. When the Lord was hungry, could they satisfy Him? Brothers and sisters, what do we have that can satisfy the Lord? The Lord is seeking, and He is looking for something from us that will satisfy Him. He is waiting for us to satisfy Him. "And they handed Him a piece of broiled fish." It seems as if they were saying, "Lord, we have something. We are full and have some leftovers, something that we were saving for tomorrow. But we will give this little bit to You." The Lord Jesus "took it and ate before them." Whatever we consecrate to Him, even if it is just a little, the Lord will accept. He will accept everything that we consecrate to Him. As long as there is a little intention within our heart to say, "Lord, this is for You," He will accept it. As long as there is a small voice within us which says, "Lord, this is for You," He will take it.

  Those who did not even have a piece of fish were the ones who spent their whole night fishing at the sea. That night, seven people were fishing at sea, but they caught nothing. They had returned to their old way, but they caught nothing. We have to remember that when we have nothing to eat and to give to the Lord, it means that we are away from the Lord's way and doing things apart from the Lord's ordained will. Otherwise, we would not be so poor that we would not even have a piece of broiled fish. All those who have no fish, who have nothing to consecrate and nothing to satisfy the Lord with, must have tried to satisfy themselves first and walked according to their own will. If one labors according to his own will, he will not even have a piece of fish; he will not even be able to satisfy himself. But when a man realizes that he is rebelling against God and has not satisfied the Lord's heart in the way he is taking, and then he drops his past ways and stops his erring footsteps, he may not be able to give much to the Lord, but the Lord will have much to give to him. Although he may not be able to give much to the Lord, the Lord will have fish and bread ready for him; under these circumstances, He will satisfy him. Therefore, brothers, please turn! Although you may have been wrong in the past, you can stop your footsteps today and tell the Lord, "Lord, I have turned back." When you turn back to the Lord, He will satisfy you! You may not be worthy, but He has the grace. He will supply you, fill you, and comfort you.

  If we can give a little to the Lord, let us give it to Him. Although we have only a little gift that may be insignificant, we should give it to the Lord. Even if we have nothing to give to Him today, we should be satisfied with His grace. We may not have anything to give to Him, but He has a rich supply reserved for us. The most pitiful thing is holding back a little piece of broiled fish and not giving it to the Lord. The most pitiful thing for us is laboring a whole night when the Lord has abundant grace freely reserved for us. Let us give the Lord our little piece of broiled fish, and let us satisfy Him. May we receive fish and bread from His hand and be satisfied with them. May we satisfy the Lord, and may the Lord satisfy us.