One Hundred and Fifty-Three

That number in John (21:11) means a lot to me because I was one of the 153 scholars who go to be at St. Paul’s School in London, a school very dear to me. It saved my life. I literally would be in some kind of prison or mental hospital if I hadn’t gone there. I grew up adjacent to a crime syndicate with a very abusive father and all kinds of Very Wrong Stuff to deal with and my brothers are just…oh dear.

That school gave me a scholarship that paid for everything: fees, food, clothes.

As a scholar I wore a silver fish on my lapel, because after his resurrection Jesus told the fishing crew to cast their nets on the other side and lo and behold, 153 fish were caught. The mission of St. Paul’s was to take poor boys and give them the operating system of culture, which in those days was Latin, Greek and Hebrew grammar. I got the Latin and the Greek and English Literature, and the rest is history.

It was just given to me. My friends from that time are getting back in touch and boy they’ve been so lovely about the appeal for Jamaica too.

The appeal reached its 153rd donor just now. Yeah, we blew past 150 donors and now there’s this miraculous draught. Just wow. I had no idea this could work.

It does have a miraculous draught-like quality, because it’s just this miracle of pure generosity, without limit, for no reason. A sign that in our area of the universe at least, the one from which a biosphere grew, spontaneity and pure gift is part of the logic. Amazing. Just amazing. Think about it.

Here’s Prime Miniser Holness talking just a couple of days ago about the recovery effort, which includes loaning people generators and satellite communication equippment. Which is EXACTLY what we are raising funds for to send people! (Solar cookers and composting toilets and sterilizing pens and portable power supplies too.) Amazing.

And here’s a very affecting video (with awful awful comments) about a fundraising effort, again very recent:

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. ^aIt happened this way: 2Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus ^b ), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6He 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.

7Then 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. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. ^c 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21)