When Others Face the Consequences of Your Obedience

Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

John 21:2-3

Our obedience can pitch others into terrible trouble.

Does this stress you out? It sure stressed us and our loved ones out in the early years when we moved to Africa and then raised our children there far from family and friends. It still stresses us out sometimes as the world goes to war and pandemics shut borders. Our obedience can cause others strain and worry, sending them straight into a faith crisis.

My writing teachers have taught me that this is the best way to write a gripping best-seller. Author Dean Koontz famously advises writers to pitch their main character into terrible trouble as soon as possible.

If that is the case, the gripping scene John describes on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius may be the beginning, not the end of an incredible tale. And the disciples, not Jesus, may the be main characters of this sequel.

Are you tracking with me?

It's critical that we don't save others from the consequences of our obedience. If we do, we may keep them from their own epic story of #faith. Click To Tweet

Jesus’ obedience on the cross pitched his loved ones into terrible trouble. 

Here at the end of the day, we see them huddled together, forlorn. Simon Peter can’t take it anymore, mulling over what happened, the devastating, tragic consequences of the Big Obedience of the One they loved. He is not one to sit idle while self-pity and all manner of other little thieves of peace assail. He must do something. So he rises, and declares: “I am going fishing.” 

Better to just go back to doing what he has always done, what he knows, than to sit and skulk.

There’s almost a sense of relief in the subtext among his friends.

We will go with you.

At least we will do something. Focus our grief and loss on action, the practical moving of hands doing familiar things, the feel of the rough rope against our callouses, the strain of muscles throwing, rowing, pulling. The preoccupation of hope for a catch that comes like a friend distracting our minds from what we really want to think about… the absence of the one we love.

At the heart of the dogged doing is lingering loss. 

The night stretched long. Silent. Fruitless. The old familiar things were not the same without the One they loved. Images of another beginning, another epic tale, haunted the slosh of the waves and the swoosh of soggy nets pulled high and empty like their hopes.

They had no idea their story was about to begin. A bestseller, no less.

The breakthrough came at the break of day.

Children, do you have any fish?

No.

Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.

So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

John 21:5-7

At that, Peter jumped out of the boat and ran through the water to Jesus. There was a time when he had been afraid and walked on top of the water to Jesus, but not this Peter. Not this new, faith-filled-with-wonder Peter. This Peter jumped overboard and no crashing waves could stop him from getting to the One whose obedience had nearly been the end of him.

Peter had no idea that in those next precious hours, he would be reinstated and his real story of faith would begin.

What are you keeping your loved ones from, worrying about how they’ll handle the consequences of your obedience? Stop worrying and entrust them and their faith struggle to God. He’s got them, and He’s got you. And He’s the author and finisher of all our stories.

One day we’ll see them lining the shelves of heaven, a whole library of best-sellers. At least this avid reader hopes so.

Lord, I entrust my loved ones and the consequences of my obedience to you as I say yes. Amen.

@audreycfrank

Photo by Brian Breeden on Unsplash