The board game Articulate challenges players to help their teammates guess the object, action, or location they’re describing without saying it outright. You can’t give the first letter of the word or say what it rhymes with, and on “all play” rounds you have to work fast as your description may help another team win.
The way to win Articulate is to play with someone you know really well and exploit your shared experience. “We visited this place in 2006,” you say. “India!” your wife replies, as you win the point. “When you do this in the kitchen, I always laugh,” your wife says. “Dance in my underwear!” you say, and win the point! You win by alluding to what no one else could know.
At the end of John’s Gospel, we find Peter, John, and some other disciples fishing on the Sea of Galilee. They cast their nets all night but the fish elude them. Then a man on the shore calls out to them (John 21:4). “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat,” He says (v.6). They follow directions and can hardly haul in the catch.
Suddenly, a flood of memories fill John’s mind. Three years before, on this same sea, Jesus had performed an identical miracle, calling John and his friends to discipleship (Luke 5:1-11). “It’s the Lord!” he cries— solving the puzzle, winning the point!
Something similar had happened to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-16) and to a couple on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:30-35)—Jesus appearing incognito. But with just a word (“Mary”) or an action (breaking bread), they suddenly knew who He was.
Jesus can come to us incognito—an oblique figure on the horizon. Yet with a word, an action, an allusion to shared experience, we recognize His ways and cry out, “It is the Lord!”
More:
“[Jesus] asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16).
Next:
Can you remember a time when you didn’t “see” Jesus, but “knew” He was working in your life—answering a prayer, working through some circumstance? How did you realize that it was Him?
pteast on July 9, 2010 at 4:47 am
Sometime I can get so blinded by life I forget to see or look for the Lord in my life. Thankfully He never is far away. Just the mention of His name and I feel His presence. I want Him to be so close and real to me that I never forget, never ‘not’ feel Him near. I feel so guilty when the day is gone and I’ve only thought of Him for a brief moment or two. But then again just the mention of His name. He is so Good. Praise His name!
R R Kelkar on July 9, 2010 at 4:58 am
There was a devotional titled ‘foundations’ by Mike Wittmer, posted 24 June 2010, on which there was a discussion about what is meant by a personal encounter with God. It was reasoned by Mike that one cannot have coffee with Jesus or he cannot knock on our doors and come in for dinner. This was just to be seen in a metaphorical sense.
Today’s post raises similar questions in my mind once again. When or where does one see God or meet Christ? We meet godly people all the time, many of whom are helpful, kind and loving. Are they all Christ in disguise? If not, who are they?
Can hearing Jesus knocking at the door, letting him enter and having dinner with him be a real experience or is it to ever remain a fantasy?
The disciples could certainly recall the past and exclaim that it is the Lord! But in this day and age, what are our benchmarks? Today’s post made good reading, but we need some practical guidance. We need to know how to seek out the real Christ so that we do not unwittingly go after false Christs.
lindagma on July 9, 2010 at 6:38 am
RR.. one of the stumbling blocks for some Christians is thinking that they should “feel” or “experience” Christ at all times. He is very subtle. We know His presence when He works out a situation in a way that it can only be Him.. and usually in a way that we never imagined. We know His presence through the calm, or strength, or peace we experience through difficulties. We know His presence when we ask Him to show us how we have failed or need to improve and the answer pops right into our head. We know His presence when a need is brought up in Sunday school and our heart urges us to meet that need. He is ALWAYS with us but like those of ancient days, we are not always aware of Him. That’s when FAITH is exercised.
sheridan voysey on July 10, 2010 at 6:20 am
Lindagma, you have stated so eloquently what I would like to say. Yes, there are times when Jesus does manifest himself to us in clear and overt ways. I once had a caller to my radio program describe an encounter with Jesus that completely changed her life and led her to become a Christian. many Muslims today are having similar experiences. Bible teacher Mark Driscoll once told me he heard an audible voice calling him to start a church and marry his wife.
Of course, these experiences are rare and don’t happen to everyone (I haven’t experienced anything like this). But Christ does reveal himself to us in the ways you mentioned above. The word ‘subtlety’ is key. I’d also add that the more we refelct on his nature as revealed in the gospels, the more we’ll detect him in our lives – we’ll see that subtle, gentle character behind the coincidence or whisper to the heart during prayer.
Thanks for putting such helpful ideas together.
bethanyF on July 9, 2010 at 5:07 am
amen
Ese on July 9, 2010 at 6:06 am
Thank you for today’s message Sheridan, I was very blessed by it. The comment you made on this scripture of John 21 gave me a new understanding of it. I used to see it as just another miracle of Jesus as well as his apparition just to prove that he was alive; but today I saw a different aspect. The disciples returned to their old ways after the “excitement” of being with Jesus died down. (V.3) says that Peter said:“ I am going out to fish”; it was in the same circumstances that Peter was first called to Christ and the Lord had told him then that he would make him fisher of men (Matt. 4:19). Peter returned to his old ways that once again proved to be unproductive (v. 3.b). Not only did he return to his old ways, but he grabbed some other folks with him. It is at this point that I thank God for his love, his patience and the many second chances that he gives us over and over and over…
(V.5) Jesus called out to them asking if they had any fish; it was a way to draw attention to him to see if the disciples would recognize him because he did not need the fish, (v.9) says that when they landed they saw that Jesus had already built a fire with some bread and fish. Jesus did not get upset and say to himself: “these folks are a lost cause, let me find a better group.” No, instead he goes on to perform the one miracle that he knows will leave no doubts in the minds of the disciples! If you read on to the rest of the chapter (v15-end) we see Jesus reinstating Peter as the fisher of men he had first called him to be. Oh how much Jesus loves us, for him to hold on to us when we would have given up on ourselves!
May all who read today’s text recognize our Lord when he articulates something to us! His sheep know his voice.
sheridan voysey on July 10, 2010 at 6:21 am
A nice refelction there Ese. Thank you.
hello on July 9, 2010 at 11:20 am
hi,
I understand about this devotion. But not really get the whole story….Is simon and simon peter are the same person. And if not mistaken is this peter is the one who betray Jesus?So Simon is Jesus first disciple and that’s what I get it from Luke 5:1-11.
sheridan voysey on July 10, 2010 at 6:26 am
Hi Hello. You’re right – Simon / Simon Peter and Peter are all the same person. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter in Matthew 16:16-18.