START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 21:1-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM
OBSERVE:
In John’s Gospel this is the third resurrection appearance of Jesus.
Again, we have a few differences between John and the three “Synoptic Gospels.” In Mark and Luke, the appearances of Jesus occur in Emmaus and in Jerusalem. And it is from the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem that Jesus ascends into heaven, according to the Gospel of Luke. Matthew describes Jesus meeting with his disciples in Galilee at a designated mountain, where he issues his Great Commission.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ initial appearance to Mary is at the garden tomb near Jerusalem, and in the room in Jerusalem where the disciples are gathered. But in today’s passage, seven of the disciples have made their way to the Sea of Galilee, some 70 miles away. If the average walking speed of a man is approximately 3 miles an hour, this would take about 23 hours — at least a three days journey!
How do we explain this little excursion, when Luke tells us that Jesus ends his post-resurrection appearances with the ascension forty days after he has been raised?
I know that many modern scholars tell us to avoid harmonizing the Gospels, so that each Gospel can maintain its own unique integrity as an account of the life of Jesus. I agree that each Gospel must be read and studied on its own terms — however, looking at the four Gospels as a whole can help provide hints as to the flow of the life of Jesus. And I believe that for the sake of Biblical theology we need to use all the resources at our disposal.
Concerning the events John describes — a trip of three days to Galilee, a visit there of even a week or more, and a three-day return trip is very conceivable when we consider Luke’s time frame between the resurrection and ascension of Jesus in the book of Acts:
After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
Forty days is ample time for the kind of excursion to Galilee that both Matthew and John’s Gospels describe.
We note that not all twelve of the disciples seem to have made the trip. Or at least, only six of the disciples decided to go along with Simon Peter when he said,
“I am going fishing.”
Another interesting note — those who accompanied Peter in the boat were likely experienced fishermen. Simon Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James and John) of course were fishermen. According to tradition, Thomas was a carpenter. But others are of the opinion that Thomas and Nathaniel were both fishermen as well. We are not told the identity of the two other disciples. Was one of them Andrew the brother of Simon Peter? If so, he also was a fisherman.
In all likelihood, these seven were returning, at least temporarily, to an occupation that they knew well. So this adds a little irony to John’s observation:
They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
I have a theory that might explain why they fished at night, not only here but also in Luke 5:5. I once observed when visiting in Sicily that fishermen came out at night, and shone bright lights down into the water so they could see where the fish were. It may explain how the disciples fished — using torchlight to draw the fish to the surface so they could net them and draw them up out of the water.
Except this time it is the Light of the World who will draw the fish out! Jesus, unrecognizable perhaps because of the 100-yard distance from the shore, calls out to the disciples. He knows that they have caught nothing, and tells them:
“Cast the net to 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 there were so many fish.
Again, this passage reminds us of the account in the Gospel of Luke that occurred at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus encounters Simon Peter one morning after a long night’s futile fishing. Simon is on one of two boats just offshore, and Jesus tells him then to put out into deep water for a catch. Simon seems almost sarcastic:
“Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5).
Of course, we know what happens. Their nets pulled in such a haul of fish that the two boats were almost swamped!
Surely, when the disciple whom Jesus loved saw the parallels between these two events, his faith led him to conclude it could be no one else:
That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
Simon Peter remains true to type. He is as impulsive as ever, prone to grand gestures. In the earlier account of the miraculous catch of fish, Simon Peter was convicted of his own shortcomings:
…he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8).
Just as when he saw Jesus walking on water in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 9:28-33) and impulsively jumped out of the boat, so he does in this instance:
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.
We see a little flash of John’s sense of humor here, I think:
But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
The scene is one that seems so ordinary, and yet is so extraordinary. Jesus has made a charcoal fire, and he is grilling fish and bread. He encourages them to bring some of the fish they have caught and add them to the mess. The risen Christ is cooking their breakfast!
Some commentators have sought a deeper meaning to the specificity of John:
Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.
It may be that there is no deeper, allegorical meaning to this number; it may have simply been John’s habit as a fisherman to account for the catch for business purposes!
One thing was perfectly clear to all seven of them:
Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.
Finally in this passage we have one of the most poignant conversations in all of Scripture. After they have eaten the bread and the fish, Jesus directs the famous question to Simon Peter:
“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answers quickly:
“Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
What makes this exchange so poignant is that Jesus asks this question three times. Three times Simon Peter says you know that I love you. And each time Jesus says feed my lambs or feed my sheep.
Simon Peter has a profoundly emotional reaction to this dialogue:
Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
We cannot help but think of the events in Jerusalem when Jesus was arrested. Simon Peter had been accosted three times by bystanders and witnesses and accused of following Jesus, and had denied three times that he even knew the man.
The parallels are too close to be coincidental. Is Jesus allowing Simon Peter to confess his love three times as a kind of therapeutic reversal of his shameful betrayal? I suspect so. He is giving Simon Peter the opportunity to renew his commitment and profess his love.
Jesus then makes a prophecy to Simon Peter about what his commitment will mean:
“Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.)
According to tradition, Simon Peter was crucified in Rome as a part of the Emperor Nero’s crackdown on this new Jewish sect called Christianity.
The bottom line for Simon Peter, and for all of the disciples, is this:
After this he said to him, “Follow me.”
APPLY:
It seems significant that Jesus doesn’t appear to the disciples in this instance in a glorious manifestation. He is doing something very ordinary — he is cooking breakfast.
Almost casually, he tells the disciples where they can catch the most fish. It is then that they recognize him.
Perhaps this is a reminder to us that we won’t necessarily discover the risen Christ in a blaze of light, or a supernatural vision. We may well discover that he is with us at the breakfast table if we have the kind of faith that the beloved disciple possesses.
And we can hear the same question that Jesus asked Simon Peter if we listen very carefully — Do you love me? If so, feed my sheep.
The true test of our faith in and our love for Jesus isn’t only our feelings or our impulsive acts of worship, but how we serve those whom Jesus loves. Do we give our time and money to feed the hungry? Do we share the Gospel and teach those who are hungry for the truth of the Gospel? Do we serve others according to our gifts and our calling?
RESPOND:
One of my favorite old movies is My Fair Lady. It is the story of Eliza Doolittle, a poor girl who sells flowers in London in Edwardian England whose Cockney accent sets her apart as “lower class” in that highly stratified society. Professor Henry Higgins accepts a challenge from a colleague to teach Eliza “proper” English, and in the process transforms her into a “lady” who dresses and speaks the part at a Ball.
A young man named Freddy falls for her, and in a very memorable scene professes his love for her. But she is fed up with words:
Don’t talk of stars, burning above
If you’re in love, show me!
Tell me no dreams, filled with desire
If you’re on fire, show me!
If we love Jesus, this is an important challenge. For me, it is convicting. I must daily remind myself that my love for Jesus is expressed not only in acts of piety, like prayer, Bible study, fasting, worship, and the like. I’m pretty good at those. But then, so were the Pharisees.
If I love Jesus, my love must be expressed in acts of mercy.
Lord, how challenging it is to follow you! It isn’t enough to simply jump out of the boat, or have strong feelings of worship. Give me the power and the opportunity to express my love for you by feeding your sheep. Amen.
PHOTOS: "Scena biblica" by Gabriel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
SOAR Lectionary Bible Study 