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Stories from the Verse
Con Version
Chapter 19: Takano 90
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Cooper 6
Tommy took a deep breath as she stepped up onto the rock from which she addressed her Sunday afternoon congregation (for so she thought of them). She released it slowly, and looked at the Bible in her hand. She didn’t open it; she had put so much time and effort into this over the past week that she thought it likely she could recite the passage in question. She hoped what she was about to say would answer some of the questions–and that indeed was where she was going to start.
“Last week,” she began, “Varlax, one of our group leaders, asked a very significant question. I did not have an answer, and in fairness I’m still not sure I have an answer. That, I think, is the first lesson we get from this: we don’t always have the answers. God does not always tell us everything. Sometimes we have to figure out how to handle our problems ourselves–as your leaders did a week or so ago with the mountain lion that was prowling around our hunting grounds. Lauren did not have all the answers, and I certainly don’t have them all; you will never have all the answers. God expects us to do the best we can with what we know.
“That said, I have spent a lot of time looking at the question, and at the scripture, and I have some thoughts that might help us find an answer.”
She adjusted her position.
“There were seven men in the boat. We know that one of them was Peter, because he is mentioned. We also know that one of them is John, who never names himself in his Gospel because, as Lauren taught us, writers of the day omitted themselves from their books as much as possible, but we know he was the writer of this book. You should recall that Peter was Andrew’s older brother, and John was James’ younger brother, and that it appears the four of them were owners of a rather large fishing company–big enough that they could go away for a year and expect that the fishing would continue and would support their families. They were professional fishermen; they were very good at fishing. Undoubtedly, then, four of our seven fishermen here were very good at this; this was what they did, how they fed their families. We don’t know who the other three were, but most of the students were from Galilee, and there was a lot of fishing there, so they had probably worked in fishing boats before. It is also apparent that when Peter decided to go fishing, he knew exactly where to find his boat and his net, and these were in good condition, that someone had been taking care of them while he was away. These were his boat and net.
“I mention it because although we do a lot of fishing, we don’t have a boat, and we don’t have a net, and none of us would know how to use them if we did. That doesn’t mean this passage doesn’t apply to us; it means it doesn’t apply to us in the same way. But they had to bring the net and the boat before God filled the net, and if we expect God to provide, we have to bring the net and get in the boat, however it is that we are to do that.”
She paused again, collecting her thoughts before continuing.
“I also noticed that the fishermen did not ask for those fish. They certainly wanted fish, but there’s no suggestion that they prayed for them. God gave them the fish as they were seeking fish. That doesn’t mean we can’t pray for things; it means God sometimes provides when we don’t ask.
“Also, it was pointed out that they didn’t need the fish, because Jesus already had fish cooking on the fire. That’s true in two ways, but also not true in at least one. Jesus had brought bread and fish, and we saw before that He fed thousands of people with just a few small loaves and fish. Here, though, He asks them to bring some of the fish that they had just caught. That suggests that in order to have enough to feed everyone, He needed some of those, and so they did need to catch some fish.
“On the other hand, the eight of them, if we include Jesus, are not going to be able to eat all those fish,” and she opened the Bible to the bookmark to make sure she had the number right, “one hundred fifty-three of them, before they spoiled. They are going to have to sell them. That’s not something you’ve ever done, but it comes to giving away what you have in exchange for something someone else has that you want or need. They could trade the fish for bread, or wine, or something else. God gave them more than they needed, more even than they could use. He provided in abundance. And again, they never asked; He did it to let them know He was still there, still caring for them.
“I think that’s another lesson we need to embrace: God brought us here, and He still cares for us and still provides for us.
“Does that mean we can’t, shouldn’t, or don’t pray for His provision? Absolutely not. We continue to ask Him to provide, and thank Him for what He provides.”
She hesitated. She hadn’t yet decided whether to tell this, but it seemed she needed to say more, so she did.
“Back before we entered the woods and came to the camp, when we were out in the fields eating spinach and broccoli and beans which we picked from the fields, Lauren shared with me a story from near the beginning of the Bible. She had a song she sang with it. It was about the people of Israel crossing the wilderness. Every day God gave them their food. They called it ‘manna’, which apparently means ‘what is it’, because they were never quite sure what they were eating. One day they complained. They were tired of having only manna to eat. The next day the wind changed, and God pelted the camp with quail, as if he hurled it at them for their ingratitude.”
Clearing her throat and looking around at her now dead silent audience, she continued, “We have not gone hungry. Every day we catch fish, shoot deer, kill rabbits, and cook our meat over our fires. It would be better for us if we could have some vegetables–some of that spinach, beans, and broccoli we had at the beginning–but we are not hungry. Not yet, at least. And we have been eating the blueberries and raspberries that grow wild in the woods. But the leaves have mostly fallen, and the lake is going to get cold, making it very difficult to catch the fish. Some of the animals are going to disappear, many of them vanishing into homes to sleep through the cold, birds flying to warmer places–but I think there will still be deer and rabbits. So thank God for the food we have, and pray that His provision will continue as the days get colder. But plan to continue to hunt, and as long as we can to fish. I believe that God will provide. I hope you also believe this.”
With one final look over the gathered crowd, she concluded, “Varlax, will you lead us in prayer?” As Varlax stepped up front, Tommy stepped down. She was lost in her own thoughts and didn’t listen to the woman who was chief leader of the tribe. As the prayer finished, she ambled back toward her nest, oblivious to most of what else was happening.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #501: Characters Orienting. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
