Friday of the Octave of Easter
As they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came to them, Being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening. But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
In the morning, their rulers, elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and as many as were relatives of the high priest. When they had stood Peter and John in the middle of them, they inquired, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?"
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "You rulers of the people and elders of Israel, If we are examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, May it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands here before you whole in him. He is the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved!"
The stone which the builders rejected Has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
Save us now, we beg you, Lord! Lord, we beg you, send prosperity now. Blessed is he who comes in the Lord's name! We have blessed you out of the Lord's house. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar.
After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing."
They told him, "We are also coming with you." They immediately went out and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing. But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples didn't know that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, have you anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some."
They cast it therefore, and now they weren't able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!"
So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself (for he was naked) and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away), dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there, with fish and bread laid on it. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."
Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of one hundred fifty-three great fish. Even though there were so many, the net wasn't torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast!"
None of the disciples dared inquire of him, "Who are you?" knowing that it was the Lord.
Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his disciples after he had risen from the dead.
The disciples find themselves back where they started—casting nets, hauling in fish, doing the work they knew before Jesus called them. There's something deeply human about this return to the familiar when everything else feels uncertain. After the whirlwind of resurrection appearances, they go back to what their hands remember how to do.
But notice what happens in this ordinary moment of work. Jesus appears not in the temple or synagogue, but on a beach at dawn, asking the simple question any passerby might ask: "Caught anything?" The extraordinary breaks into the everyday through the most natural of conversations. When they follow his suggestion to cast on the other side, abundance follows—not just fish, but recognition. "It's the Lord!"
Peter's response captures something essential about encountering the risen Christ. He doesn't wait for the boat to reach shore; he plunges into the water, clothes and all, desperate to close the distance between himself and Jesus. There's an urgency in love that can't wait for convenience or propriety.
Meanwhile, in Acts, Peter demonstrates a different kind of boldness. When questioned by the authorities about healing a crippled man, he doesn't hedge or apologize. He proclaims Jesus as the cornerstone—the very stone the builders rejected. The same Peter who once denied knowing Jesus now cannot stop talking about him.
Both scenes reveal how resurrection changes us. The work we do remains the same—we still cast nets, still face authorities, still navigate ordinary Tuesday mornings. But now Christ meets us in these moments, transforming routine into recognition, fear into boldness.
Where might Christ be standing on the shores of your daily work today, offering guidance you haven't yet recognized? What would it look like to respond with Peter's urgency when you sense the Lord's presence?