More Bread and Fish

When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”

John 21:9, 12

This week, we look at John 21, where Jesus appears to the disciples and helps them catch fish (again). It’s a wonderful invitation to remember who He has called them to be and graciously, Jesus does not give them a list of things to do or point out what needs to change. Instead, He has prepared food for them and asks them to sit with Him to eat.

Devotion: More Bread & Fish

Gather your family and start by talking about food: What do you eat a lot of in your household? Let each person give an answer. And food is important because it gives us energy and the good things our bodies need to grow and do all that we need to do each day, right?

Jesus understands this. I think that’s why He often talked about food or ate with people. Food is an important source of life and we need to eat everyday.

Remember that Jesus called Himself the bread of life? What do you think that means? (Have some conversation around this thought).

That’s really good. Let’s read the Bible together for another short story about Jesus and food! Read John 21:1-14 together.

Does this story sound familiar at all? When Jesus first called Simon and Andrew to follow Him, what was happening? Yes, they were fishing, just like in this story. You can read about that in Luke 5:1-11 (take time to read this together if your children want to).

In this story of John 21, Jesus has died and risen from the grave, but the disciples weren’t sure what to do next. They were confused. Have you ever felt that way? That can feel little shaky, right? Because you don’t know what to do or what comes next it can even get a little scary.

The disciples felt that way without Jesus, so some of them decided to go fishing again because that’s what they knew how to do. It’s what they were before they met Jesus.

Here, Jesus is reminding them that He has called them to follow Him, just like He did before when they first met. Does Jesus give them a list of things to do? Did He tell them to sell the fish, to clean their boats? No, those things are important and need to get done, but what happens next? Yes, Jesus has already made a fire and there is fish and bread ready for them.

That’s how it often is with Jesus: He is ready to be with us, to be the bread of life that gives us energy and all we need for the day. We need to just say Yes to being with Him.

Let’s take a few minutes to spend some time with Jesus, in your own way. Imagine that He is waiting for you and He says, “Come and be with me.” Then, we’ll come back and talk about what it was like to have that time with Him.

End your time together processing how each person met with Jesus, being curious about the wonderful ways that He knows us.