A few of Jesus
disciples were back fishing only a week after Jesus had died and risen again
and had even appeared to them. It
is natural to go back to what you know when you are not sure of the future and
stick to what is familiar. Our
human nature will do this even when it is very destructive for us. It is during
these times of uncertainty that the right mentoring and coaching is vital to
anyone’s life.
So the disciples are
fishing, they have gone back to what is known, what is sure, can I even say…. “easy”. It seems to be an acceptable thing to
do, to go and get a job, provide for your family and try to make ends meet
especially after three years of travelling with the “miracle man” was over. It is interesting that this is
even after they have seen Jesus in the upper room and they know He has
risen. I would have thought this
would have been a time when they would have been the MOST excited about the
future. I wonder if they were a little scared. They were forging into new territory and were not sure
what it all meant; so they went back to what was familiar.
Peter must have been
carrying a big dose of guilt and shame and the prospect of facing Jesus, his
master and mentor would not have been easy after all that happened only a week
ago. However Jesus shows himself
to be a caring, loving mentor and makes a very strong point by his deliberate
actions. He does not lecture, or
lay out a guilt trip or start a condemning conversation. It is often in what is NOT said,
even if tempted to do so, that qualifies a good mentor or coach. When I ask our kids if we can
have a chat with them, their first response is often, "What have I done wrong
now?" Boy, have I failed in mentoring 101!
Jesus is strong yet
gentle, firm yet loving, strong on actions and symbolism, rather than put downs
and “Ï told you so”. He says, “Did you catch anything for breakfast?” (John
21:5) When the response is “NO”,
he doesn’t say, “Well that’s because you shouldn’t be here......what the heck
do you think you are doing?” He
says, “Try the other side”. The nets are suddenly full reminding them of an
incredible visual of the first time they meet Jesus. It shows that He will
provide our basic needs if we trust him. His actions may have even wanted to
let them know “If you want to go back to fishing, I will still look after
you.” I do believe he was also
recreating an experience of when He first said called them to become “fishers
of men”. This was an anchor point
that would ground Peter in his ultimate calling.
What visuals, actions,
experiences and anchors are you creating for those you mentor that help them
stay the course? I
believe God creates these all the time for his disciples and maybe our call as
mentors and coaches is to bring people back to this place time and time again
in various ways.
Peter knew who the
stranger on the beach was. I love the fact that Peter jumps out of the boat
immediately at a time when he could
have felt like he couldn’t possibly face the One he had let down so
badly. Instead he runs to
Him! This challenges me as a coach
and mentor, as I find often when people feel that they have messed up they try
to avoid me. There is so much I need to learn from the way Jesus mentored and
coached his disciples.
Jesus ever so gently,
but firmly, addresses the “elephant in the room” or more correctly on the
beach. Jesus chooses to address what must have been an awkward situation, head
on. He does it by breaking
bread with them and sharing it, just like he did the night before he died. He
uses symbolism, past experiences and reminders to create an environment that
allows a “safe” conversation. There is something powerful about breaking bread
together. As coaches we can create rituals and moments shared over and over
again that become safe places, anchor points and places of trust where
difficult and constructive conversations can be had.
Three times Jesus asks
Peter, “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-21)
There are so many layers to this conversation however the layer that
challenges me most as a coach and mentor is the manner in which He makes his
point without “over saying” it or heaping on the guilt. He knows when NOT to tell a story, a
parable or a life lesson but rather by His simple actions and questions, over a
simple breakfast, He releases Peter to move on and leave the past behind.
Through His love, Jesus empowers Peter to leave his past failures behind and
move forward. What should our
focus be on as coaches and mentors? What do people hear from us? Most of us are acutely aware of our own
fears and failures, we don’t often need to hear or feel them again from someone
else. What we need is to
sense the love and grace that empowers us to move through them and know that we
are not alone in that process.
Jesus finished the
breakfast with the call, “Follow me.”
Peter immediately loses focus and asks about someone else and what is
going to happen to them and Jesus replies, “Don’t you worry about them, you
simply follow me”. The call has
never changed even though at times there will be uncertainty, dark nights and
empty nets. Others will fall away, get distracted and stop following. Opportunities and old habits will be
tempting and we may trip over, but a coach and mentor walks with you through it
all and helps anchor you to the call.
We all need this type of coach/mentor. We all need to be this type of coach/mentor to others.
“If each new generation of disciples follows
this example, centuries from now apprentices will still be learning the way of
Jesus from mentors, so they can become mentors for the following generations”
(B. McLaren, We Make The Road By Walking, pg 219)
