Fishing on the Right

Fishing on the Right April 15, 2012

In the Lord’s third appearance after the resurrection (as recorded in the gospel of John), He told His disciples, who’d been fishing unsuccessfully all night, to cast their nets on the right side of their boat. When they did, they came up with a net full of fish – 153, to be exact. What is the significance of fishing on the right side of the ship? I think a key to understanding this story is to look at the way “the right side” shows up throughout the Word. God is described as saving His people with His “right arm.” And Jesus described the separation between the good and the evil in terms of sheep on the right and goats on the left. The right side seems to be an image a.) of God’s power and b.) of charity, a reading affirmed in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg. This morning, I preached on this story from John, with this interpretation of “the right side” in mind. The audio is available for listening or download here. (Sorry, I still haven’t figured out how to embed audio on the blog).


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