Category: John 21

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.

Yesterday, we talked about Peter’s reaction to discovering it was Jesus who had called to them from the beach. Peter doesn’t think, he reacts. We see this time and again with him. Sometimes his impulses are good and at other times they are not so good.

When Peter affirms that Jesus has that “words of eternal life,” (John 6: 68) that was good.

When Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet (John 13:8) that was not so good.

When Peter says “I will lay down my life for you.” (John 13: 37) that was good.

Then Peter denies he even knows Jesus. (John 18: 15, 25, 27) Not so good.

Peter runs hot and cold.

The other disciples have different temperaments. Each is how God made him. Thomas made one little mistake and became known as “Doubting Thomas.” James was one of the three disciples who were closest to Jesus. John, the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” (John 13: 23) was himself on the boat fishing that night.

When Peter jumped into the water and started for shore, he left the others to finish up the task Jesus had given them.

Application: Following Jesus is not an excuse for abandoning our responsibilities. Jesus was not happy with the Pharisees who used religion to avoid taking care of their parents. (Mark 7: 9-13) Jesus himself had a responsibility to provide for his mother. When he was being crucified he passed this responsibility to John, not Peter. Submitting to our Lord often means submitting to the place, people and work that he has given us.

Food for Thought: What would the world be like if everyone were like Peter?

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Continue reading “Good and Not So Good – John 21: 8”

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.

In chapter 14 of his gospel Matthew tells the story of Jesus walking across the Sea of Galilee just before dawn. The wind was against the boat and strong. The waves were threatening. The sky must have been clear because there was enough light for them to see Jesus as he approached them. Peter, in his excitement at seeing Jesus walk on the water says, “… tell me to come to you on the water.”

Jesus, probably smiling to himself, says, “Come.” So Peter steps out of the boat and … walks on water! The experiment does not last very long. After a few steps, Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus and instead focuses on the waves and the water. At that moment, when his focus changed, he started to sink.

I am thinking of this because once again Jesus is outside the boat that Peter is in. This time Peter simply jumps in. The text goes on to say that they were not far from shore so maybe Peter was able to wade to the shore from where the boat was. Instead of walking on the water he walks through the water, something he knows he can do.

Application: Being close to Jesus can have a powerful effect on a person. Peter was inspired to walk on water and jump into it, whatever would get him close to his Savior. Being close to Jesus is a very good thing.

Food for Thought: What does it say about the other disciples that they stayed with the boat?

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Continue reading “Close Proximity – John 21: 7”

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.

What is going on here? Jesus, unrecognized by his disciples, calls out from the shore. He asks if they have any fish.” “No,” they holler back.

Putting this in context, if one sport fisherman says to another, “Caught anything yet,” the answer is usually a friendly yes or no. The kind of fishing that the disciples were doing was not sport. It was hard work. During the night when the fish were closer to the surface, they would cast a net out into the water. Then they would pull it back hoping to trap a few fish. It is dark and dangerous work. Pulling nets out of the water whether empty or full is hard work. Doing it all night long is very hard work.

They would usually catch something. Catching a few fish would not be enough to make a living but catching none was a complete waste of time. At least a few catches would keep them hoping for more.

When the voice of the man on the shore came over the water they were tired and worn out. Very likely they were discouraged, too. All that work and nothing to show for it. The man says, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat…” Who says that? Why the right side? What??

Why did the men obey the voice? Did Peter, as tired and discouraged as he was, sense a glimmer of deja vu? Did he feel the subconscious tug of an earlier memory? A time when a teacher had borrowed his boat to preach from and then commanded him to let down his nets? (Luke 5)

Whatever the reason, they did as the voice instructed. They cast a net on the right side of the boat. Instead of running from the shadow of the men and their net, the fish seemed to swim into the net. Not just any fish, but large fish. More fish than they could physically pull into the boat.

Application: As desolate and discouraging as the night of useless fishing was, the blessing of Jesus was exciting, rewarding and abundant. God’s blessings far exceed any suffering we might endure. His generosity overshadows any want we might have. Faith is continuing to believe during the night of our trials trusting in God’s generosity at the end of the day.

Food for Thought: What form does God’s generosity take in your life?

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Continue reading “Abundance – John 21: 6”

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.

This point in John’s gospel is very different from the rest. At the beginning of his story, Jesus calls the disciples to follow him. He does not explain why he wants them to follow or what he expects them to do. He does not tell them that their lives will be changed forever in ways that they cannot even begin to understand. He simply calls them to himself.

They come to Jesus because of John’s testimony that Jesus is the Lamb of God, God’s “Chosen One.” (John 1: 29, 34, 36) They believe rightly that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One. In the Old Testament writings anointing someone or something with oil was associated with God choosing a place or a person. The first example of this is in Genesis 28: 16-17 when Jacob pours oil on a pillar of stone to mark the place he experienced the LORD in a dream. Later, in Genesis 31: 13, God refers to this act as an anointing. Throughout history, anointing with oil has been used to consecrate the holy things of the temple, consecrate priests, and later to or show who God had chosen to be king.

When the disciples come to Jesus they understood him to be the “Anointed One” that Daniel writes about in Daniel 9: 25-26. They were likely expecting Jesus to rise up in earthly power as they had been taught. At some point, Jesus would unveil himself to be the king that would restore Israel to its rightful place as God’s chosen nation. Of course, it turned out that God had other ideas.

The Jesus they encountered was humble, not flaunting his authority. He served the people of Israel, healing the sick and feeding the hungry. He taught them amazing things and performed incredible signs of his Godhood. They had seen him walk on water and calm the storm. If he could command the raindrops, it shouldn’t surprise us that he can command fish, too.

When Jesus asked, “…haven’t you any fish?” he already knew the answer to the question. He had seen to it that they would not have any fish that night. Is there any other explanation for them not catching a fish and then catching 153 fish in one cast of the net?

Application: Jesus is watching. Even the fish are under his control. His authority is absolute. His eyes are everywhere.

Food for Thought: Whether we are fishermen or doing any other kind of work we face the same challenge. When the work doesn’t go as planned, is it God’s fault? If God is responsible, is there a reason for what is happening? If there is a reason, how do we discern it?

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Continue reading “Something’s Fishy – John 21: 5”

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

Back in the post titled, “Reunion Movie,” we explored what the scene might have looked like when Mary failed to recognize Jesus. In this passage, we find that something similar has happened. This time it is the disciples who do not recognize Jesus. Why?

The answer to “Why?” is that we don’t really know. John doesn’t tell us why. He only says that they did not recognize him. Still, it is not hard to imagine why.

Recognition is based on being able to discern enough detail so that our minds can “connect the dots” between what we know what we are looking for and what our eyes are actually seeing. Distance diminishes the detail. Perhaps the morning sun was glaring off of the water.

Application: Jesus doesn’t always show up in our lives with a neon sign that says, “I’m here!” Instead, he often comes quietly and unexpectedly. Be ready!

Food for Thought: What helps us to be more ready to recognize Jesus when he comes?

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Continue reading “Neon Welcome – John 21: 4”

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. 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.

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John (son of Zebedee), John (the author of this gospel) and one other disciple are hanging out together by the Sea of Galilee. If you remember, this means that they had traveled north of Jerusalem about eighty miles. Days or weeks might have passed since they saw Jesus on the first Easter.

In a sense, they have returned to the beginning. Peter had been fishing when he was first called to be a disciple. (Matthew 4: 18-20) Now he is standing on the shore staring at the sea. Perhaps it all felt like a dream. Three years of wandering with Jesus. Three years of amazement. Three years of walking with God. And now, Jesus was gone. Yes, he had been resurrected from the dead, but he was not to be found. What were they to do? Not knowing what else to do they climbed in a boat and went fishing.

Application: What were you doing when Jesus first found you? Have you gone back to doing what you were, or are you living for Christ?

Food for Thought: What else could they have done at the time they went fishing? Is there something else they should have been doing?

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Continue reading “Back to the Beginning – John 21: 1-3”