John 21 - Jesus Appears to the Disciples While They are Fishing and Reinstates Peter as the Leader of the Church

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Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

I am so glad we have the gospel of John, so we could know this story of Jesus reappearing with his disciples (7 of them). Jesus had called these fishermen (now we know 7 of them made their livelihood by fishing) in virtually the same way he did when he started his public ministry. They were fishing all night as before, and Jesus met them in the morning. They hadn't caught anything. Not very good for professional fishermen. Jesus told them to throw their nets over the boat, and they brought in a huge haul of fish once again. 

They didn't recognize it was Jesus at first, but when they did, they all rushed to the shore to meet him. John recognized him first, and Peter was the first to jump into the water to go to shore. This was reminiscent of their race to the empty tomb, after the women told them about it. When they got to the shore, Jesus had made a fire for them to enjoy breakfast. This was their last meal with Jesus. 

It is interesting that John records the number of fish they brought in was 153. There have been many who have tried to give allegorical meaning to the number, but they all lack much substance. The bottom line is there were a lot of fish similar to the 5,000 men Jesus fed with the loaves and fish. The main point is God provided even more than they needed. Here is one explanation that seems somewhat plausible. 

“Peter never landed a haul of fish without counting them, and John, fisherman as he was, could never forget the number of his largest takes.” (Dods)

Jesus Reinstates Peter

One of the main purposes of this appearance was to restore Peter as the leader of the church. In the Catholic church, Peter was the first pope, or bishop of the church. Peter was still probably crestfallen after denying Jesus three times. It is not an accident that Jesus asked Peter three times that he loved him, but what is interesting is Jesus' response. 

Each time Peter tells Jesus he loves him, Jesus responds, "Then feed my sheep!" Jesus was calling Peter to be the chief shepherd of the early church, which grew greatly after Pentecost. They would need a pastor and eventually many of them. The word "shepherd" is the same word we use for "pastor". A pastor is a person who cares for the flock, which is whatever church they are called to feed. The feed the flock with God's Word and Sacrament (the visible Word), care for their spiritual needs. I.e. Through small groups, bible studies, teaching them how to serve using their spiritual gifts, and caring for them when they are sick and hurting. This is the primary call of the shepherd of the flock, the pastor. 

Jesus also let them know that they would suffer for their following him. Peter, always aware of John the beloved disciple, said, "What about him?" Jesus basically said in effect to Peter, "Don't worry about John, I have my own plans for him. Just worry about yourself." I.e. Don't play the comparison game. 

The gospel ends by John acknowledging that he is indeed the "beloved disciple", who had written these words. It was about 100 A.D. when John wrote this gospel, so he would have seen how this had come true. Interestingly John ends his gospel by saying, 

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."

Congratulations you have now finished the 4 gospels, which reveal to us the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Though they were all differently written, and all had their distinctive emphases. Most importantly, they all point to one fact. Jesus was and is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! To him be the glory and honor now and forever, Amen! 

Next week we turn to the book of Acts, where we will see the total transformation of the 12 apostles!