Resurrection, then breakfast
Jesus conquers death so he can come back and enjoy another meal, lingering with his friends for as long as he can.
Century illustration (Source images: Public domain and Met Museum, NY)
Resurrection is supposed to mean a new world. Easter is supposed to mark a new beginning, a new creation—the old passing away, all things reborn. How do the first disciples respond to Christ’s triumph over death? They return to the humdrum of their jobs. They go fishing.
At the end of John’s Gospel, we find the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. Peter says he’s going fishing, and the others reply, “We will go with you” (21:3). After the resurrection has unsettled what they thought about the world, after the shock of everything that has just happened—Jesus, fresh from the tomb, appeared to Mary Magdalene and then surprised the fearful disciples in their locked room (20:1–23)—the disciples are back at work.
The cosmos has been altered. There has been a shift in existence. Another world has broken through into this one. An ontological revolution is in effect. “Up from the grave He arose / With a mighty triumph o’er His foes.” And the disciples go fishing. The crucified Jesus walks out of the tomb, and the disciples figure that now is as good a time as any to pull an overnight shift at sea.
