Or, Coming to the Point in the Book for Life
Scripture: John 21:1-14
Date: September 14, 2014
Speaker: Sean Higgins
Having just walked his readers to the compelling conclusion and purpose for the entire book, John takes off again and appends what turns out for our numbering to be an entire extra chapter. Why? He won’t mind our asking. If he wrote everything that was sufficient for a man to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then why add anything else? Is one more resurrection appearance going to convince someone that wasn’t convince by the first two? (Carson, 666) If what’s in chapter 21 is so important, why didn’t John put it before 20:30-31? If chapter 21 doesn’t lead to believing in Jesus for life, why include it at all? Is this going to be on the test?
Even though we don’t find any new sort of evidence that would change our verdict about Jesus in this final chapter of the Gospel, John does resolve some questions about the disciples, especially about Peter and about himself. To call chapter 21 an epilogue (a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work) parallels the prologue (a separate introductory section of a literary work) in John 1:1-18. This is a supplement to the gospel story telling us what happened to the apostles between Resurrection Sunday and Pentecost that no other apostle wrote about.
The discussion between Jesus and Peter starting in verse 15 explains how Christ admonished Peter back into work. It is a well-known and important event in the history of the church, especially in light of Peter’s influence after Pentecost.
But what about verses 1-14? We might say that these paragraphs simply set the stage, that they move us from Jerusalem to Galilee for Peter’s restoration. However, not only could that bridge have been built with one sentence, the structure of these verses argue that John meant them to be appreciated as a unit. Verse 1: “Jesus revealed himself,” again in verse 1: “he revealed himself in this way,” and verse 14: “the third time that Jesus was revealed.” John uses same word, “revealed,” three times, most notably in the first and last sentences, mapping boundaries for the passage. The further revelation is important on its own, to be counted as important appearance.
We could still ask why John chose this revelation story? And why take so much time, with so many details to tell it? It’s because God continued to give the disciples assurance that Jesus was alive and that Jesus was going to care for them and use them. The disciples had not yet received the fulness of the Spirit, but God was still encouraging them through His Son.
Even though I seem to remember hearing criticism of the disciples for this, John doesn’t set up this account to show a problem with Jesus’ men. John sets it up to show Jesus providing for His men.
After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (John 21:1–3)
Verse 1 explains the change of setting and the reason for including it. After this means after the resurrection appearances in John 20, the last of which included Thomas. The first two appearances of the risen Lord were in Jerusalem: to ten men three days after the crucifixion and then to eleven men eight days later. Now the Passover feast week was finished and the disciples had left Jerusalem for the Sea of Tiberius , the Hebrew name for the Sea of Galilee. Jesus told them to go to Galilee and wait for Him (see Matthew 28:16).
Verse 2 tells us who was there: seven of the disciples, though only five of those seven were named: Simon Peter , a man always mentioned; Thomas , significant since he was the last one we heard speak; Nathanael of Cana , last mentioned by name in chapter 1:45-49; the sons of Zebedee , James and the writer; and then two other of his disciples not identified.
They had gone back to familiar territory and to familiar work. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” This isn’t abandoning his call to follow Jesus. It was more likely not wanting to sit around and do nothing. Plus, he might have been hungry. It may have been quite some time since his last outing, and, because the Greek text includes a definite article before “boat” in verse 3, this was “the boat,” probably a reference to Peter’s boat. Some of the other guys had also left professional fishing careers to follow Jesus and they said to him, “We will go with you.”
The final part of verse 3 doesn’t surprise us because we had verse 1 telling us that this story was about Jesus. So the disciples went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing . Night was a good time for fishing when the waters were more calm. But to go all night without catching anything was exhausting and discouraging, especially for pros. “Remarkably, the disciples never catch a fish in any of the Gospels without Jesus’ help” (Köstenberger).
The disciples lack of success left them ready for a surprise.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. (John 21:4–8)
They had been working for hours; now the day was breaking . They had been working hard; Peter was stripped for work (verse 7). What they knew is that they had caught nothing. What they did not know is that the Creator of the seas and all that swarm in them was watching them from the beach.
Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus . According to verse 8, they were about a hundred yards off the coast and, in the early morning, maybe with some mist floating above the surface, it was probably hard to see Him. But they could hear Him. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” Children was not derogatory, maybe more like the word “lads” (Lenski, 1403), and the word for fish (προσφάγιον) meant something like “a bite to eat,” which in this situation would have been from fishing. They had nothing and said so.
Jesus, whom they still didn’t recognize, said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” You have to wonder why they would listen. Again, they didn’t consider that it was Jesus until verse 7; who was this guy giving them advice? They were the expert anglers. Besides, what was the span between the port side and starboard side of the boat, maybe 10 or 15 feet? All the fish were really on one side, a side they hadn’t tried, a side no one was looking at? And the guy on the beach could see better from 300 feet?
For whatever reason, they followed His directions and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of fish . By the time they tossed back any undersized fish and counted, they had 153 large fish (verse 11).
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved , believed that there was only one explanation: It is the Lord! John didn’t have a better perception of the shore, he had a better perception of how they caught all those fish: the Lord had provided them.
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea . Peter didn’t ask, “How do you know?” He didn’t say, “Come on, guys, let’s row to shore!” As if he was the only disciple left in the world and couldn’t bear to let Jesus get away, he jumped in and started to swim.
He may not have made it to shore too far ahead of the boat. The other disciples came in the boat , like normal people, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off . Jesus invited them to Himself by providing for them.
Jesus also provided a hot breakfast for them.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21:9–14)
A meal was waiting for them. When they got out on land they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread . Jesus had been preparing something for them to eat. And He said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” Maybe He used their catch to feed them, but John does not say that Jesus cleaned and cut and cooked these fish. The disciples did have to get the fish they caught in order to finish the job, and they counted the big ones. But it was memorable because of how many: 153. In light of how many, that the net was not torn was just as miraculous as the haul.
The size of the load is the point, not that Jesus needed more fish since there were more people to eat. There was a single fish on the fire when they arrived, and He took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish , still singular, though He said “bring the fishes,” plural in verse 10. Jesus said to them , finish your work and then “Come and have breakfast.”
The oddest part of the story comes in verse 12. Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord . Did they know who He was or not? Why wouldn’t they ask if they weren’t sure? How was it that they knew enough to be afraid about Him but not enough to say that it was Him for sure, but then they knew that it was? And how else did they think that they caught the fish?
Without the filling of the Spirit, and even though the disciples had already seen Jesus twice in Jerusalem, they had not gotten used to it His resurrection, let alone confident about it. The encouragement the disciples needed was not only to see the resurrected Jesus again, they also were encouraged by the resurrected Jesus serving them. He revealed Himself in body with His presence, and also by providing breakfast. Yet as they sat around the fire that morning, they were still in a measure shock.
This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead . They had seen Him now three times, but it was only the third time. The disciples didn’t have two-thousand years to get used to the idea. The world was different after the resurrection, but it took time for the new reality to sink in for the disciples.
Out of all the ways that Jesus chose to prepare them for their work after His ascension, He performed another miracle (or three if we count the: 1—bountiful catch, 2—unbroken net, and 3—multiplied breakfast) and made another small sacrifice to serve them. The food wasn’t part of proving His resurrection; He didn’t eat any. He didn’t have angels bring down food from heaven. He made a fire, cooked some fish, baked some bread, and shared it with them.
The conversation between Jesus and Peter in the next paragraph is rich for sake of gentle restoration. But this third revelation of the resurrected Jesus is no less of a main account itself. Jesus shows both a miraculous and a mundane demonstration of Himself, manifesting His creative power and His personal care.
In John 1:1 through 20:31, John establishes reasons for men to believe. In John 21:1-14, Jesus establishes His men for their work.
Jesus comforted His disciples, and He does it for us today though not in bodily presence. Does He have you exhausted, waiting for something unbelievable? Does He have you thanking Him for daily bread? At both extremes, the small provisions and the sensational ones, He has us depending on Him, acknowledging His glory everywhere.