In John chapter 21 Jesus appears to on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. At first no one recognizes Him, but after a sequence of events, John announces to all that the man on the shore is indeed Jesus. After which, Peter, having heard this revelation from John, jumps out of the boat into the sea and rushes to meet Jesus.
John 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.
John, perhaps the more contemplative and more sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, is quicker to sense and recognize the presence of our Lord. Peter, a man of action, more than the others, is quicker to react when the revelation is given to Him.
Some people seem to be more sensitive at recognizing the Lord, or shall we say more in tune with the promptings or revelations of the Spirit than others.
Meanwhile, others appear bolder and quicker to act on those same revelations when they finally hear them.
God understood the limitations of most of us and so He created us to be in fellowship with one another. The idea of “church” (ecclesia: which, simply means: an assembly or congregation) was born from this need for like-minded people to gather together and draw from one another’s strengths at both recognizing and acting on God’s promptings.
- God uses both types of people; the insightful (the John types) and the bold (the Peter types) in order to fulfill His purpose of imparting revelation and spurring us to act on those truths.
- If Peter had received the revelation first, he might have jumped out of the boat towards the shore to meet Jesus without telling the others why, and they might have remained confused, and perhaps not have followed Peter to meet Jesus.
- Having John with them, allowed for illumination to all, not just one or two.
- Having Peter there, showed the others how to react to the knowledge and to follow his lead to go after Jesus, which they all did eventually.
- What about the others who remained on the boat, you might ask?
- They brought the fish to shore that Jesus blessed them with in order for them to eat together (see – John 21:6).