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John 21:1-14
Here at the end of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John the Apostle, we see more appearances of Jesus. Now, you need to know that this particular chapter in John has been debated repeatedly as to whether or not it truly was written by the Apostle John or added later. And there are no good arguments either way except that we don’t have a text of this book that does not include chapter 21 – so we include it, and regard it as Holy Scripture. Let’s hear what happens in today’s account.
John 21:1-14 (NIV) Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.[a] It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “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.
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
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.
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. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So 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. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Now right off the bat I see something strange. Why don’t the Disciples know that this indeed is Jesus? Was His appearance so different when they are far away out on the lake they couldn’t tell it was Him? I understand that, but it seems as if John notes that even after they come in, and Peter drags in this miraculous catch, they are questioning – or maybe realizing that this is indeed Jesus Christ risen Lord!
We can see three miracles here. First, is that they catch fish on the other side of the boat. It wouldn’t have made sense to a seasoned fisherman to let down nets on the opposite side of the boat. But when they do, the net is filled so full they cannot bring it on board the boat.
Second is that Peter’s able to pull this catch into shore as the boat is coming ashore all by himself. That’s a lot of large fish – 153 John writes.
And then add to that the third miracle. The net doesn’t tear or rip in any way. Fishermen spent most of the day after fishing through the night to supply the market with fresh fish and earn wages, sitting on the shore and mending nets. It was something probably done after every boat load, because inevitably some part of the net at some point is going to break. And with a catch so large in this case it was amazing to John – miraculous in fact that the net doesn’t have a tear in it.
Here is what I hear John saying to us today, the lesson we can learn and apply to our lives. When we decide we are going to try and do things on our own, within our own determination – I’m going to accomplish (fill in the blank) on my own power, rather than asking God what He needs accomplished in His Kingdom – how He wants it accomplished, we are self-determining what we do in His kingdom rather than allowing God-determining our work according to His plan. That’s why in the Old Testament men inquired of the Lord – they waited until they heard his voice.
The Disciples went out fishing on their own, back to their old ways too before Jesus called them out of fishing to become His Disciples and fish for men. They were self-determining what they were going to do. Did they mis-understand the mission Christ had given them just a week or so ago in sending them out as the Father had sent out Jesus? I’m not certain.
But what I do know is that Jesus once again sets the stage for His Disciples to learn and to hear again this idea of going and spreading this ministry of reconciliation in this short breakfast meeting on the beach.