An Extra Plate for the Miracle, Please

[T]hey caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. // Luke 5:6-7

I love a good side character.

Side characters are often loveable and silly, and I love them for that. However, I don’t think we give them enough credit for how crucial they are to the stories.

Take, for example, the bystander that mentions something to the main character that finally “cracks the code.”

Or my favorite—a group of sea turtles that guide two fish down the East Australian Current. (Finding Nemo with today’s fish story . . . I had to!)

I personally wish every movie ended with a “Where are they now?” segment, specifically for these rockstar sidekicks. Do they repeat the story of their unexpected encounter with the main character to all their friends? Do they still wonder if it all worked out? Better yet, if they even made a difference?

In today’s Gospel, we happen to know where the side characters end up. 

Simon Peter is the one singled out by Jesus and asked to let down his net (the “main character,” if you will). Yet by the end of the story, two boats are filled and four men walk away as Jesus’ new closest friends (see Luke 5:6-11).

The miracle, offered to one, was received by many.

James and John are mere mentions in these verses, and Peter’s brother Andrew is not even named in Luke’s Gospel until chapter 6. They help Peter physically handle the abundance of fish. Then, they leave everything and follow Jesus too (see also Matthew 4:18-22). 

This miracle was meant for them as much as it was meant for Peter. This is their story of receiving a call and saying yes. It overlaps with Peter’s; they aren’t mere tag-alongs. 

And friend, neither are you.

I know how it feels to witness amazing things in other people’s lives, only to feel left in the dust as if they’ve taken the only share. But there is no limited measure of the miraculous.

If you need help believing that truth, start by noticing (and treasuring) the ways your story crosses paths with someone else’s. Pull up your boat, make some room, and get excited! God’s giving has only just begun.