He
said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” They cast it therefore, and now they weren’t able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around him (for he was naked), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away), dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fish, one hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn’t torn.
John 21:6-11
John 21 [1.] After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.”
They told him, “We are also coming with you.” They immediately went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing. But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, “Children, have you anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
John 21 [6.] He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
They cast it therefore, and now they weren’t able to draw it in for the multitude of fish. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”
So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around him (for he was naked), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away), dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
John 21 [11.] Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fish, one hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn’t torn.
John 21 [12.] Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.”
None of the disciples dared inquire of him, “Who are you?” knowing that it was the Lord.
Meaning:
The disciples had fished all night and caught nothing, and a stranger on the shore had asked whether they had anything to eat (John 21:1-5). Now the stranger tells them where to cast the net. The result is an overwhelming catch, and the beloved disciple realizes who the stranger is.
- “Cast the net on the right side of the boat”
These experienced fishermen had no obvious reason to obey a man on the beach, yet they did. The scene closely resembles the day Jesus first called Peter. Then too they had “worked all night, and took nothing”, and at his word “they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking” (Luke 5:6). On that day Jesus said to Simon, “From now on you will be catching people alive” (Luke 5:10). The repeated miracle reminds Peter of his calling at the very moment Jesus is about to restore him.
- “It’s the Lord!”
The disciple whom Jesus loved, who had leaned on Jesus’ breast at the last supper (John 13:23) and had believed at the empty tomb (John 20:8), is again the first to understand. He recognizes Jesus by what he does.
- “He wrapped his coat around him … and threw himself into the sea”
Peter had been working stripped for labour. Out of respect he puts on his outer garment before going to meet the Lord, and then he cannot wait for the boat. This is the same eager Peter who once said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters” (Matthew 14:28). At the first miraculous catch he had said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (Luke 5:8). Now, though he had denied Jesus three times, he rushes towards him.
- “They saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread”
Jesus had already prepared breakfast. The fish and bread recall the feeding of the five thousand by this same lake, when a boy had “five barley loaves and two fish” (John 6:9). The “fire of coals” recalls another fire: in the high priest’s courtyard Peter had stood warming himself by “a fire of coals” when he denied Jesus (John 18:18). By a similar fire, Jesus will soon ask him three times about his love.
- “One hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn’t torn”
The exact number shows an eyewitness who remembered counting the fish. Many have also sought a symbolic meaning. Jerome mentioned a view that there were 153 kinds of fish, so the catch would picture people from every nation. Augustine noted that 153 is the sum of the numbers from 1 to 17. John does not explain the number, and such interpretations remain uncertain.
The unbroken net is striking, especially compared with the earlier catch when the nets began to break. Many see here a picture of the church’s mission: Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32), using the same word for “draw” that is used here for drawing the net. Jesus keeps safe all whom the Father gives him: “of all he has given to me I should lose nothing” (John 6:39).
The Significance of John 21:6-11
- Obedience brings fruit
The disciples obeyed a simple word, and their empty net was filled. Christian service bears lasting fruit when it is done at the Lord’s word and in dependence on him.
- Running to Jesus after failure
Peter did not hide from Jesus because of his denial; he threw himself into the sea to reach him. Those who have failed can still come quickly to the Lord, who is ready to forgive.
Cross-References:
Luke 5:6: "they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking." The first miraculous catch.
Luke 5:10: "From now on you will be catching people alive." The catch as a picture of mission.
John 18:18: "having made a fire of coals, for it was cold." The fire where Peter denied Jesus.
Matthew 13:47: "the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind," The gathering of people into the Kingdom.
Conclusion: At Jesus’ word the disciples cast their net again and caught one hundred fifty-three large fish without tearing the net. The beloved disciple recognized the Lord, and Peter rushed to meet him at a fire of coals where breakfast was ready. The miracle renewed the disciples’ calling as fishers of people and showed that the risen Lord provides for his servants and welcomes them back after failure.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible