The Invitation Requires Nothing First

Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. The disciples had just worked through the night without catching a thing. Then, at Jesus' word, the net filled. They hauled the catch ashore — and found that he had already started a fire, already laid the fish, already prepared bread. He did not wait for them to clean up and compose themselves. He called them to eat before they had reported, explained, or performed. This is the shape of his welcome: it runs ahead of our readiness. We tend to assume access requires prior achievement — that we must arrive having already fixed the thing that broke, resolved the doubt that lingered, or quieted the shame we carry. But here, the fire was already burning before they landed. The meal was already waiting before they spoke. He calls us to the table in our unfinished state. That is not leniency toward carelessness. It is the nature of the invitation itself. — Narrow Highway devotional, 2026-06-11