Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
John 21:4-7 (NIV)
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
When you go swimming usually you take off layers and only wear a swimsuit of some kind. But here, when Peter dives into the water to get to Jesus, he puts on more clothes! Why? Peter was “naked” while working on the boat. But he was also naked and carrying tremendous guilt and shame. He had abandoned and denied Jesus when he needed friends the most. Peter shows us that we do not have to have things all figured out. We do not need to be perfect and have all the answers. We can even come to Jesus covered in our filthy, sopping wet rags. We try to cover ourselves before Jesus, but he already knows what we are hiding. Yet he still loves us and wants to be with us and… he has work for us to do!