John 21 - Deja Vu All Over Again!

John 21 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

I am so glad John 21 was included in the canon of scripture. The stories in the chapter give us a glimpse of Jesus' interaction with the disciples after his resurrection that we don't get in the other three gospels. 

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.[a] It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus[b]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

It was no accident that the disciples went back to fishing. It was what they knew. Jesus knew they were there and appeared to him. The Sea of Galilee was the home of the disciples, and where Jesus called them to be his followers. All in all, 7 of the disciples were there. Peter expressed what they were all probably thinking, "I'm going out to fish!" Peter was their de facto leader. and the others followed him In a similar scenario when Jesus called them three years ago, the disciples had caught nothing that night either! 

At the best, it shows that Peter and the other disciples were uncertain as to what they should do next. “The fishing expedition plainly reveals the uncertainly of the disciples, an uncertainty which contrasts sharply with their assured sense of purpose from the day of Pentecost on.” (Morris)

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Similar to the story in Luke 5, when the disciples put out their net, they came up empty.  But after Jesus told them to throw it over on the right side of the boat, they pulled in so many fish they couldn't handle all of them. When this happened in Luke 5, Peter sunk to his knees and said, 'I am an unclean man". This situation would have been very familiar to Peter. It was "Deja Vu, all over again!" 

Often we need to come up empty handed before we realize we have left Jesus out of the whole process. If often takes abject failure to stop trying to do things our own way and be open to Jesus' way. 

As we do God's work we should always be asking questions like: "Where is Jesus in this? Have we included him in our endeavor? Are we stubbornly doing it his way or his way?" 

I ask these questions from personal experience. Often it is not until I am at the end of my rope, when I turn to Jesus. When we do it Jesus' way, we have a similar experience the disciples had that day. He provides so abundantly we cannot even capture all of it. Importantly it is clear the provision is from Him and not us.  

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[c] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

It wasn't until after the miraculous catch John recognized it was Jesus on the beach and called his name out. Peter didn't waste any time. He jumped in the water and rushed to the shore. The other disciples hauled the fish to the shore. Jesus was waiting for them with a warm fire, fish, and bread. The fish and the loaves were another reminder of a previous miracle when Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves and fed 5,000. 

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Peter brought in the haul of fish, and despite how heavy it was, the nets did not break. Jesus invited them to have some breakfast. Though Peter recognized Jesus, the other disciples did not seem so sure. They knew it was Jesus, but they were afraid to mention it. Perhaps they still felt some shame and guilt from denying Jesus. 

This was the third time Jesus appeared to them. Jesus continues to show grace when it seems as though the disciples have not fully believed he has been raised from the dead. 

This is another indication that there was something unusual about the appearance of Jesus after His resurrection. Possibly it was a result of the beatings He endured at the cross, the scars of which remained at least in part. - Guzik

“They ate the bread and fish that morning, I doubt not, in silent self- humiliation. Peter looked with tears in his eyes at that fire of coals, remembering how he stood and warmed himself when he denied his Master. Thomas stood there, wondering that he should have dared to ask such proofs of a fact most clear. All of them felt that they could shrink into nothing in his divine presence, since they had behaved so ill.” - Spurgeon

Jesus Reinstates Peter

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

One of the reasons I am so glad John 21 was included in the final bible is this story. Peter would go on to be the leader of the church after Pentecost. He had wept bitterly when the prediction Jesus had made of his threefold denial had come true. I am sure he had been thinking about it ever since. Jesus knew that Peter needed to be able to move past this, so he initiated the conversation. 

Jesus said to him, "Peter, do you love me more than these?" Most likely this referred to the fish they were eating, which represented Peter's previous way of life. When Peter answered in the affirmative, so Jesus told him to feed his lambs/sheep. As Jesus restored Peter to be a shepherd over his flock, it all started with his love of Jesus.

Jesus asked him this question three times, perhaps reminiscent of Peter's three-fold denial. Peter was hurt that Jesus asked him three times, but I think it was Jesus' way of forgiving Peter and calling him to be the chief shepherd of His flock. Jesus ended his conversation with Peter on an ominous note. One day Jesus would be led to his death in a similar way Jesus did. Then he said, "Follow me". 

I don't know about you but this would be pretty frightening. Did Jesus' prediction to Peter come true? What eventually happened to Peter? Though we have nothing definitive, tradition says, 

“Ancient writers state that, about thirty-four years after this, Peter was crucified; and that he deemed it so glorious a thing to die for Christ that he begged to be crucified with his head downwards, not considering himself worthy to die in the same posture in which his Lord did. So Eusebius, Prudentius, Chrysostom, and Augustin.” (Clarke)

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

Peter seemed to have a little bit of an inferiority complex about John. Maybe that is because John called himself, "the disciple whom Jesus loved". There was definitely a rivalry between them, as evidenced by their footrace to the tomb. Peter asked if John would endure the same fate as himself. Jesus put Peter in his place (again) by basically saying, "That's really not your business Peter". I will make that decision. 

What about John? “His unique contribution will come later. After he has settled in the pagan, cosmopolitan city of Ephesus, he will recall men from drifting on the uncharted seas of vague religious experience and abstract speculation to the sure and certain anchorage of God’s self-revelation in the historical figure of the Word-made-flesh.” - Tasker

Jesus answered Peter with another challenge. Though Peter was destined to die on a cross (John 21:18-19), Jesus wanted Peter to consider the possibility that He might have an entirely different destiny for John. Peter had to consider what Jesus required of him knowing that Jesus might require something different from John or other disciples. - Guzik

24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 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.

 

When the text says, "We know that his (John's) testimony is true", it could either John referring to himself or possibly another writer. John reminds us that any of the four gospels are limited in how much material about Jesus they provide. Remember Jesus was with the disciples for three years. I  imagine every day was an adventure. 

But in the 66 books of the bible our church fathers decided should be the canon of scripture,  we have everything we need to know about Jesus. How he was prophesied to be the Messiah in the Old Testament. The four gospels tell the story of his life, death, and resurrection, through four of his apostles each with a different audience and distinctive.

The rest of the New Testament letters reveal how the Church was born at Pentecost, and how it was planted and grew throughout the Roman Empire. Let's not forget John wrote the book of Revelation when he was exiled on the island Patmos, which told of Jesus' return in great and promised glory!