Fishing

"Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.

Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty three ...
~ John 21:6, 11

Recently I learned about fishing in the first century from a bonified expert on the subject. In Jesus' day fishermen fished for two kinds of fish: sardines (small fish) and talapia (large fish.) The techniques used for fishing the two were very different. Sardine fishing was done close to shore. A group of men would work a drag net together to encompass a school of the small fish while a few others cast a fine-meshed net from a boat to catch the fish contained within the drag net. Talapia fishing was done in somewhat deeper waters with a larger cast net from a boat.

In John 21, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter and six other disciples decided to go fishing. The Bible says they fished all night without a catch. As the new day dawned, Jesus stood on the shore and called out to them (maybe a bit sarcastically), "You do not have any fish, do you?"
They sheepishly replied, "No."
"Cast the net net on the right-hand side of the boat ..." And of course, they found the elusive catch of fish.

It would seem by the number of disciples involved in this fishing endeavor and their proximity to the shore (remember, Jesus was able to call to them from the shore) that they were sardine fishing. But Jesus told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat, away from the drag net. And the Bible says the fish they caught were "large fish" - Talapia.

The disciples were fishing for the wrong kind of fish from the wrong side of the boat. They were close to success; just a boat-width away. It took a word from the Lord, a little bit of instruction and obedience, to change their frustration and failure to success.

I think quite often I'm like those disciples. I'm fishing for the wrong kind of fish on the wrong side of the boat. I go headlong into something without direction only to find myself frustrated at my lack of success. I don't lack for effort, and my motives are right. I just need direction. I need to learn to wait until I hear a word.
Like those disciples, I forget His admonition, "... apart from Me you can do nothing."