As John 21:14 says this was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples following his resurrection.
- TO SEVEN DISCIPLES FISHING – READ JOHN 21
It is always a moving thing to go back to a place filled with memories. It can be the place you fell in love, or the graveside of a loved one or a piece of music or a smell. Memories can be a happy or sad experience. There are other memories which are so painful that we suppress them deep into our sub-conscious. When a skilled counsellor draws them to the surface it can be a traumatic time. Our passage records one such experience in the life of Simon Peter. There are two things which are geared to dredge up Peter’s painful memories. Firstly, the charcoal fire would have reminded him of another charcoal fire in the High Priest’s courtyard (John 18:18). Jesus’s threefold repeated question would have reminded him of the three times he had denied Jesus. There have been a few people who have quite unfairly criticised the disciples for going fishing as if they were giving up on their mission. I don’t think that this is justified. After all in Matthew 28:16 Jesus had told them to go to Galilee where he would appear to them. What is wrong with doing some fishing while they waited for Jesus to appear? Nothing! What do we learn from this encounter between Christ and seven of the disciples?
a) They are reminded of their calling – vrs 1-14. Peter says that he was going fishing and the other disciples decided to tag along as well. The Zebedee fishing company was resurrected for one night. It is amazing what we fixate on when we read this passage of Scripture. We focus on the number of fish – 153. Much ink has been spilled over the possible symbolism behind this number.
- The Tetragrammaton (YHWH) allegedly is supposed to occur 153 times in Genesis (I personally have not counted them).
- Jerome suggested that it represented all the species of fish in the Sea of Galilee.
- Some Maths fundis argue that 153 is the 17th triangular number, and since 10 (Law) + 7 (grace) = 17, this is a picture of the Law and grace.
- The 154th got away!!
The exact number of fish merely proves that John was an eyewitness (as he claims in 1 John 1:1-4). To focus on 153 fish is to miss the forest for the trees. Don’t we read vrs 4-6 with a sense of déjà vu? It is as if we have been here before. Or at least the disciples had been here before. Remember Luke 5. A night of fishing on the Sea of Galilee. No fish being caught. Jesus urging the disciples to throw the nets out and a huge catch of fish. It reminds us of Luke 5. How did Jesus apply that miraculous catch of fish to his disciples in Luke 5:10? Don’t be afraid from now on you will catch men? Now something similar happens again. The disciple’s fish all night catch nothing. Jesus calls to them from the shore and advises them to cast the net on the other side and the result – a bumper catch of 153 fish. Don’t you think the Lord is telling his disciples; I still have a mission for you; there are still men to catch. Of course this task will soon be very clearly specified in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). It has well been said that the Great Commission is in danger of becoming the Great Omission.
b) The restoration of Peter – vrs 15-18. As has already been noted this episode
is calculated to dredge up painful memories in Peter’s mind. The fire with burning coals would have reminded Peter of warming himself at a fire in the High Priest’s courtyard (John 18:18 & 21:9 are the only two occurrences of this Greek word in the NT). The second way in which Jesus, the skilled counsellor draws up Peter’s painful memories was the three times he asked the question whether Peter truly loved him. What do you think Jesus implied in vrs 15; “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” When Jesus warned the disciples that they would desert him Peter was quite arrogant in his protestation (Matthew 26:33; Mark 14:29) even if all fall away, I will not. The old Peter was saying “I can quite see how the others would abandon you but not me. I am made of sterner stuff!” Now Jesus is inviting him to revise his comments. “Do you really think you love me more than the other disciples?” The new Peter in vrs 15, 16, 17 is more humble. He simply appeals to Jesus’ knowing eyes. “Lord I really can’t say whether I love you more than the other disciples but this much I do know – I really do you love you.” Jesus graciously allows Peter to reaffirm his love three times and then recommissions him three times. Every time Peter tells Jesus you know that I love you Jesus says “feed my lambs” (vrs 15), and “feed my sheep” (vrs 16, 17). Jesus graciously restores Peter. Peter was not the first person to fail the Lord and he most certainly will not be the last. How comforting to know that the same Lord who graciously restores Peter to useful discipleship will do the same for every penitent believer.