February 23rd, John 21

"Jesus' Miracle Catch of Fish"
(John 21:1-25)

Miracle Catch of Fish
(John 21:1-25

Verse 1-2: "After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way."

The Sea of Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee, is where Jesus did several miracles, and is where He Walked on Water, calmed the stormy sea, and fed the five thousand. After the resurrection, Jesus reveals Himself once again to the disciples by performing yet another miracle. 

Seven of Jesus' disciples were together. Perhaps to bide their time until the appropriate moment, they returned to their former profession of fishing.  The night brought hard work without accomplishment, even tho night is usually the best time for catching fish.  Do you suppose that they were discouraged! 

It was not yet full daylight, and the disciples being about a hundred yards offshore did not recognize Jesus.

Jesus was obviously full of affection when He referred to His disciples as "children/boys," We can be sure that Jesus was not yet through with these men, and they were not to return to the fishing business – at least not fishing for fish!

After His command to cast the nets again, the nets were full.  Most fishing nets in those days were made of rope woven from substances like flax or hemp; it was thought that nets had a narrow end pulled by the men in the boat and a wider end sunk by attached wider weights. When they obeyed Jesus they caught so many fish the boat couldn't hold them all.

As usual Peter was ready to act!  John, the author of this Gospel, was the first to recognize Jesus, but it was Peter who, learning that it was Jesus and knowing that it was a miracle, could not wait on the boat. Men wore an inner and an outer garment, so Peter put on his outer garment, (some say coat) and jumped into the water.

Verse 8: Being a hundred yards off shore the water would have been too deep to wade, which would have required Peter to swim. The things we know of Peter indicated that he was a very robust individual who, though fully clothed, evidently thought nothing of swimming a hundred yards.

Verses 9-10: Jesus again assumes the role of SERVANT!!! As HE has prepared their meal.  !!!  Have you given thought to the savory meal that the LORD has prepared for you and me? 

Verse 11: "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."

By obeying Jesus and finding MORE fish than they could have possibly caught any other way means this was a Miracle Catch of Fish. The net's not breaking is yet another miracle.

Verses 12-13: "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."

Jesus provides again, and invites them to share their catch as well.  His true nature was revealed again as servant and making provision – indicating His Spirit and character that there was no doubting now as to Who He was!  There was no lingering thought that This One is Jesus…the resurrected Savior!  It was obvious that the LORD’s appearance was not an apparition but HIM! Cooking, serving, meeting needs, caring!  They could say with boldness and confidence that Jesus is now alive. Jesus invited them to what must have been a very dramatic and profound breakfast. Overwhelmed by His Holy presence, enriched with memories and the realization that He was indeed the Messiah, they discreetly observed a befitting silence in His holy presence.

Verse 14: This was the third time after the Resurrection that Jesus had appeared and revealed to the disciples that He was the Messiah.

Feed My Lambs
Verse 15:  After breakfast Jesus said to Peter "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" This was the same name Jesus used for Peter in what is known as "Peter's "great confession" in (Matt 16:16), when he said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". This must have been very difficult and emotional for Peter.  THESE means what???  The fishing business?  The possessions?  Dear tho all THESE might be…you must love Jesus MORE!!! 

Although Peter answers Jesus' question "do you love me" in the positive, three consecutive times, Jesus wanted answers that represented Peter’s true feelings and motives.

The word for love here in Greek is: agape: a volitional, self-sacrificial love. Are you now willing to forsake all these and go and preach my gospel to the nations of the earth? Jesus was referring to the statement Peter had made before His death, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended" (Matt 26:33) KJV.

"you know that I love you:" Peter is no longer making claims to a love superior to his brethren. Still he knew to appeal to Jesus, the Searcher of the heart and say that He knew that he loved Him.

Most scholars agree that two words were used in this Scripture for the word "love." Jesus asked Peter for an agape love, a (volitional, self-sacrificial love), but Peter answers with phileo, which means: affection, affinity, or brotherly love.

Verse 16: Again Jesus asks Peter if he loves him with an agape love and again Peter, not understanding, answers that he loves Him, but with a phileo love.

Verse 17: The third time, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him with the phileo love, and seemed to be asking "are you even my friend?"

At this stage Peter was himself a follower, a sheep. The kind of love Jesus was looking for would be demonstrated by obedience and commitment to Him and a service to His people.  Hence forward, Peter was one of the most firm and unwavering of all the apostles.

Peter was showing quite a different attitude from the egotistical pride he had shown earlier when he had said that all others might deny the Lord, but that he himself would be true to the end.  Experience and failure at the trial had taken away his egotism and sense of self-sufficiency.  His first response to Jesus’ question showed a spirit of humility.  2^nd question = Peter replies with the lesser word, phileo and gave assurance once more of his human affection.  3^rd – Jesus lowered the word and used phileo…Peter was grieved as he replied again in the word for love . phileo. 

Experience had slain personal pride. Peter did not want to get himself out on a limb by claiming divine qualities and attributes, and then suffer subsequent humiliations again because he had depend too much on himself. 

Jesus’ responses:  1. Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep.  As love brought Jesus to earth, it must also carry believers forth into all the earth.  Love compels.  Service is to be the true test of love, the best demonstration of faith.  In the simplest deeds of service, Christian influence is to expand until the whole earth has heard and heeded. 

 “Feed My Sheep” means you are the nourishment which feeds others.  Where are you getting your supply which enables you to supply nourishment to others? 

“The singers as well as the players on instruments shall say, All my springs (my sources of life and joy) are in you [city of our God].”  Psalm 87:7  “He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.”  John 7:38

“For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness ever] to His death, [in the hope]” Philippians 3:10

Agape was a Godly love that Peter did not comprehend. Later, after the Holy Spirit had imparted to him the fuller understanding of agape love, he used the agape words nine times in his writings.

Verse 18-19: "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. 19(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."

This prediction/prophesy indicates that Peter will not have control even over dressing himself for a journey - in this case, being prepared for execution…For glorifying God in martyrdom.

Ancient writers say that Peter was put to death about thirty-four years after this. His precise age at that time is not known.

Tradition declares that he was crucified for his faith in Rome under Nero about A.D. 64. And that he was crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying as Jesus did.

Clemens says that he was led to the crucifixion with his wife, and sustained her in her sufferings by exhorting her to remember the example of her Lord. He also adds that he died, not as the philosophers did, but with a firm hope of heaven, and patiently endured the pangs of the cross

The Beloved Apostle
Verse 20: "Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?"

The disciple whom Jesus loved has been identified earlier in this study as the apostle John.

Verse 21-22: The point is that Jesus has the right to choose who will be martyred and who will survive. According to tradition, John was one of the few original apostles to escape martyrdom. 

This conversation also says to me that the LORD is saying:  Let your concern be for YOU…for YOUR following my will for YOU!!!!!

Verse 23: Jesus' reply seemed to the disciples to be an implication that John would survive until the second coming of the Lord. I think the LORD is saying to all of them…”what I will is what I will and that has nothing to do with YOU!  YOU must be concerned only about YOU!

“those who compare themselves among themselves are foolish!”

Verse 24: This is considered by most scholars to positively identify John as being both the eye witness and the author of the Gospel of John.

Verse 25: "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

If everything were give in detail, the libraries of earth would overflow in interpretation of the events.  Space would not allow all to be said, but John gives enough.  John’s writings tho fragmentary are so complete that they would suffice to witness to Jesus even if they were the only ones on earth.  Through his witness men can have clear evidence of why Jesus came, what He came to do, and what He did for the salvation of men.  Jesus reveals God and how He transforms human beings.  What we have heard and experienced of Christ we are now obligated to proclaim.  What we know we are to tell.  What we have learned we are to teach.  We are found that we might find; we are won that we might win.  This is our work until Jesus comes again!!!