"After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” John 21:1-3
Lethargy and depression can easily kick in when we are grieving. Sometimes, some people don't want to do anything except sit there and internalise all of their pain, refusing to eat or speak. Others find it easier to do something to take their minds off it all. This was probably where Peter was this day. He decided he would go fishing and the others said they would too.
Bible students differ in their opinion here. Some say that he had been called to serve Jesus and he should have stayed around the location of Galilee where Jesus had said He would see them. Others defended Peter saying that he needed to work to pay his bills and look after his family. I personally feel that Peter couldn't deal with the pain of it all, especially as he had denied Jesus. He just had to get away. Whatever was the answer here, Peter had seen the grave being empty and the clothes that wrapped the body discarded. He had been told that Jesus had appeared to some of them. He just couldn't' make sense of it all. So he did what he was good at, he went fishing.
When someone dies, some people usually go through various stages. Some are
Immobilised They go through their day practically numb because there is no answer to their grief. All they say is why has this happened?
Denial Some tend not to believe it has happened and that it is a dream, 'they'll walk through the door in a moment' Sadly, when they don't it begins to be a reality
Anger When they realise that they are on their own, it can hurt so much that they begin to blame other people - doctors, nurse etc. They become extremely angry with it all
Depression. This kicks in pretty soon after the death. They can't change the situation and even though the anger remains, it serves no purpose, so they internalise things and become depressed
Venting their feelings There is a need to do this and it usually happens in the anger stage
Acceptance It can take a long time to reach this stage and, one may easily slip back into any of the earlier stages. There is no set plan to all of this. It just takes time
Everyone is different. No doubt Peter was going through some of these stages of grief. One thing Peter knew was that Jesus had said He would return. He may have forgotten temporarily, because of the pain. You too, know that Jesus is right beside you whether you are dying or someone close has or is close to death. Just remember that there is a paradise and Jesus is there waiting.
Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.
If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.
In Jesus' Name. Amen'
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com
If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk
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