Trapped in a Time Loop

Read John 21:1-14

• Why do you think Peter says, “I’m going out to fish” in verse 3? What do you imagine Peter is thinking and feeling at this point?
• In verse 4, John tells us that Jesus was standing on the shore but the disciples did not recognize him. Why didn’t they realize it was Jesus?
• When Peter realizes that the man is Jesus, he jumps into the water and swims to the shore. Why do you think He is so reckless and uninhibited in this moment?
• When God is calling you into something new, what keeps you from “jumping out of the boat” like Peter did? What actions, habits, or postures might help you to become more courageous as you follow Jesus this year?
• Jesus invites the disciples to bring some of the fish they had just caught (v. 10) for breakfast, even though He already had fish cooking on the fire (v. 9). He doesn’t seem to need their resources, yet asks them to bring what they have. Why? What does this tell us about our role in the work God has called us to do?
• Pastor Mathew talked about how Peter found himself in a “time loop” in this scene, a cycle of repeating patterns, but that the time loop was broken when Peter recognized the familiar voice of God in this unfamiliar place. Talk about a time in the past when you recognized the familiar voice of God in an unfamiliar place, perhaps through a movie, a book, a broken relationship. When did you hear the voice of the Spirit in an unexpected place?
  • Where might we need to listen for the voice of the Spirit today? What unexpected, unfamiliar places do we need to cultivate so we can hear the familiar voice of God?