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The Right Side

John 21:6

“Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” He told them, “and you’ll find some (fish).” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish.

After Jesus died and rose again, the disciples were left in a quandary on what to do next. They had been faithfully following their Lord, but now His presence was a mystery. Peter, who had denied Jesus three times while He was on trial, decided to go back to doing what he did before he met Jesus – fishing. Not knowing what else to do, some of the other disciples went with him. Although they were previously expert professional fishermen, they fished all night and caught nothing. Oddly enough, this was the same situation where Jesus originally found them when He first called them to follow Him. Their old way of life and making a living did not work for them anymore, and without Jesus, they could do nothing.

Jesus saw His disciples out fishing and knew they were trying to find their way now that He was no longer physically with them every day. Once again, He told them where to cast their nets, and there they caught a huge haul of fish. He told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. In the Hebrew culture, the right side is representative of the place of blessing, strength, and favor. It also represents the spiritual side of things, whereas the left side is considered worldly. In essence, Jesus was instructing His disciples to cast their nets to the spiritual side of things and to remember everything He had taught them. When they did, they caught a huge haul of fish, but the nets did not break.

When we look to the spiritual rather than the worldly, we gain huge blessings that we can retain. What Jesus had taught them would feed them from that point, and it would be more than enough to meet their need. Jesus restored Peter to ministry after this by asking three times, “Do you love me?” If Peter truly loved Jesus as he said, then Jesus instructed him to “Feed my lambs,” “Shepherd my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” Instead of using the huge haul of fish to feed himself, Peter was to feed His sheep with the spiritual food of discipleship. Peter and the other disciples were now ready to begin the work of ministry.

What is on the right side of your boat today? Use whatever Jesus has taught you to feed others. To this, we are called.

Have a blessed day!

PHOEBE Connections, Inc. is a 501(c)3 dedicated to enhancing the lives of widows by building relationships and helping them find new identity in Jesus Christ through serving others. We promote an atmosphere of fellowship, where the widow can connect with other widows to develop friendships and supportive relationships.