The Miraculous Draught of Fishes

We all wait for miracles at times. This week when we observe Jesus' death is one of the times we try to imagine the devastation of the disciples who followed Jesus and lived with Him, observed Him day and night, and then watched Him die. It was over. All the hope, all the plans. Of course Jesus had told them He would die and rise again. He was quite clear about it. Perhaps the disciples thought He was speaking in metaphors, it's difficult to say; but still they didn't understand or expect His death. They never imagined watching Him suffer, then seeing Him, a dead man, like any ordinary man.

The Apostle Peter was a fisherman by trade, and after Jesus' death, he said he was going fishing, and some of the disciples went with him. They worked all night catching nothing at all, then at dawn, from the shore, a Man called out telling them to put down their nets again. Perhaps Peter rolled his eyes in annoyance. He had to be exhausted, but he did what the Man told him, and suddenly there were 153 large fish caught in the nets. Suddenly, in a moment, they knew. It was Him. It was Jesus.

In this painting I tried to capture the moment the realization came over Peter that everything Jesus had told him was true. No matter how impossible, in the middle of such darkness, suddenly the miracle is right there and the promise is fulfilled. It's all true.

The least likely, the most impossible, but if we keep doing what he called us to do, keep at the task, suddenly the answer is right before us. 

The promise fulfilled. It's all true. 

As we enter the week of Easter, the week of hope given life where there was once death, I hope this newest painting is a blessing to you. Everything can change in a moment. His promises never fail.

Happy Palm Sunday, and Happy Easter!