Recommissioned

Nancy, Olene, and friend Katie

in Bet She'an

Our trip to the Holy Land was an amazing education. Our tour hostesses, Nancy and Olene, plied us with information whenever Mishi stopped for breath. Their pericopes (pronounced similarly to calliope) provided insight into Bible stories. Each pericope condensed several Bible commentaries. When telling us about Rahab, Olene balanced on her knees facing backward on the front seat of the bus, the scarf on her head definitely making her story more authentic.

At the biblical Sea of Galilee Olene reminded us of the second time the disciples went fishing – after Jesus’ crucifixion, when they were depressed and discouraged. Their whole world had collapsed, so they returned to what was familiar – fishing. Only their nets were empty.

Olene portraying Rahab, the harlot,
prior to the fall of Jericho

A stranger on the shore called to them, asked whether they had caught anything. Nope. He told them to cast on the other side of the boat, in fact to cast on the right side. So they cast, and voila, a net overflowing with fish!

Déjà vu. Suddenly the disciples realized this whole fishing scenario had happened before – about three years previous. Then their net had broken. This time it didn’t. Suddenly they knew who was watching them from the shore.

Olene pointed out they were reconnecting with the Christ they thought they had lost. They were rediscovering their spiritual purpose. They had learned something about the destructiveness of self-will, competitiveness, self-love. Get this – the negatives were not in the net to break it!

The disciples were recommissioned. They were no longer fishermen; they were to become shepherds.