Fishermen, Baseball Players and Other Discouraged folks

Here in Houston the baseball season has barely begun and our team, the Astros, are fastened securely to the bottom. It seems that they have very little ability to win. One team after another defeats them. Are they destined to be cellar dwellers the entire season? It is very discouraging.

A man once stopped to watch a little league team. As he stood behind the bench where several players waited their opportunity to also play, he whispered to one boy, "What's the score?"

The ten-year old turned and said, "I think its 18 to zero. We're behind."
"Oh, my goodness," said the visitor, "aren't you discouraged?"
"Nope, not at all," replied the young player with enthusiasm. "We haven't been up to bat yet!"

Discouragement and fear marked the gathering of the early Christians. It still creeps into our lives, one way or another. There are times when all of us feel like we're so far behind, so deep in the hole, so hopelessly outplayed and defeated that nothing could ever possibly turn out right again.

In those moments we need to re-read the accounts of Christ's resurrection, for instance in John 20-21. Listen as he speaks to discouraged fishermen yet once more, saying "Cast your nets on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish." When they did that, when they heard his voice and obeyed it, when they threw out in faith, they were so blessed they couldn't pull it all in (John 21:4-14).

The evangelist has an interesting comment at that point. He writes, "So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them." It is amazing how much speculation has surrounded that number.  There seems to be no agreement on what the number means. Was it symbolical? Perhaps. In my view, it is enough for discouraged people to know that Jesus has come to bless us abundantly. When he's on our team it is impossible to lose.