Then the self-confident young owl set up a hoot so long and loud that it startled the people.
“That horrid creature has frightened them all away,” said one. “Where’s my gun? I’ll soon fix him.” The owl took the hint and without waiting till the gun appeared hastened back home.
Jesus Showeth Himself at the Sea of Tiberius
But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said and unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.... And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.—St. John xxi: 4-7, 9, 10, 12-14.
NOTE BY THE ARTIST
Next in order of the recorded appearances is that by the Sea of Tiberius, whither the disciples had returned to await the promised meeting with their Master, the seven who were fishermen resuming meanwhile their former occupation. Disheartened and weary with a fruitless night’s toil, they were returning homeward at dawn, when they perceived in the dim light the figure of one who had seemingly come down to the shore to buy their fish; and supposing from his words that he had noticed indications of a shoal, they readily followed his directions, laying out the net in the manner still in use on the lake. The success of the cast at once suggested its true cause, and Peter, standing naked in the boat after swimming round with the net to “ring” the fish, paused but a moment to gird on his short, striped abba, and once more leapt into the sea, eager to verify the glad surmise that the stranger was none other than the Master himself. The background of the picture is the shore of the lake to the north of Magdala with the Wady Hammâm and Kurn Hattîn in the distance.
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“Your feathers are ruffled, my son,” said the old owl. “Have you been singing?”