John Chapter 21 – Lesson 1
Disciples Go Fishing
John 21:1
(ESV) After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of
Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
Sometime
after Jesus had appeared to the disciples and Thomas, He presented Himself
again. We are not told how much time elapsed between the two events, but it had
to have occurred within the 40 days before Christ ascended to the Father. Tiberias
is another name for the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had instructed His disciples to
wait for Him there. (Matthew
28:10 and Mark 16:7) In Mark’s account of the
resurrection the angel specifically told the women to tell the disciples and Peter to wait in Galilee. Perhaps Jesus wanted to make sure that Peter would
understand he was still invited to the party.
John 21:2
Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons
of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
Seven
of the eleven remaining apostles were together. It makes you wonder, “Where were the
other four?” But
we’ll just have to wonder because the Bible does not tell us. Simon Peter and
the sons of Zebedee, James and John, had all been fishermen when Jesus called
them. Thomas and Nathanael may have been fishermen, also. The other two with
them that day are not named.
John 21:3
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go
with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught
nothing.
Peter
may have thought himself unworthy to serve the Lord as one of His messengers
since he had denied the Lord three times on the night of His arrest. So he proposed that
some of the other disciples join him in going fishing which was his previous
livelihood. Even though several of the seven who got in the boat were skilled
fishermen,
they caught nothing!
John 21:4
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not
know that it was Jesus.
The
poor guys fished all night to no avail. At dawn, there was a figure on the
shore. Bleary-eyed
from being up all night and certainly not expecting to see their Master on the shore, the disciples did not
recognize Jesus. This could be another one of those times that Jesus kept them
from recognizing Him right away.
John 21:5
Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”
Even
though Jesus addressed the men in the boat with the term of endearment
“children,” they did not recognize Him. When He asked if they had any fish,
they answered simply, “No.”
Q
– The disciples were in Galilee in obedience to what the angel told them do. At
this point, they may have been feeling a bit like they were in limbo – not yet
having a clear direction about their continued service to the Lord on earth. So
they waited and occupied themselves with what they already knew how to do –
fishing. Are you waiting on a specific assignment from the Lord? Are you unsure
of your marching orders at present? Occupy the place Jesus has you right now,
being obedient to what you know to do. At the right moment, He will clarify
your next move. Stay in His word, seek Him in prayer, and continue in
obedience.
John Chapter 21 – Lesson 2
Swim, Peter, Swim
John 21:6 He
said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find
some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of
the quantity of fish.
Jesus
told them to go against their fishermen’s instincts and cast the net on the
other side of the boat. They may have been annoyed and thought, “So now fish swim on
only one side of the boat?” But for some reason they tried what this as yet unknown
stranger told them to do. They may have begun to doubt their own expertise because
when they cast the net, they did not have the strength to haul it in. It was so full of fish
that SEVEN grown men could not draw the net back into the boat!
John 21:7a
That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
Because
of the miraculous catch, John realized the man on the shore was Jesus and
proclaimed to Peter that it was the Lord. John always seemed more attuned to Jesus,
realizing the truth of His resurrection at the empty tomb and now recognizing
Him before the others.
John 21:7b When
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was
stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
Impulsively,
Peter dressed and jumped into the water. This time he was not walking on the
waves but swimming rapidly to shore. He could not even wait until they all
arrived by boat! Peter was not the kind of guy to be patient. He was probably
the kind of child who wanted everything RIGHT NOW.
John 21:8
The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they
were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
Peter
had left the boat, but the others took up his slack and finished the task of
bringing the catch to shore.
John 21:9
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid
out on it, and bread.
Jesus
did not need their fish to cook, for He had already prepared their breakfast of
fish and bread. If it seems odd that He had fish without going fishing and
bread without baking, think back to the feeding of the 5000 plus.
Q
– Do you feel like your nets are coming up empty? Keep on in obedience and
trust the Lord for the catch. Many times we witness and go years without seeing
one person come to know the Lord. However, we do not know how the word we share
will be added to by others and grow in their hearts. Keep on sharing. Keep on
being obedient fishers of men!
John Chapter 21 – Lesson 3
Jesus Shares Breakfast with the Disciples
John 21:10
(ESV) Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
Jesus
wanted to add some of the fresh fish to their breakfast. The disciples were
going to get to eat some of the fruit of their labor. According to the fishermen
in my family, there is nothing quite like fresh fish cooked on an open fire. I
wouldn’t know because I don’t like to eat fish at all. If Jesus had been
cooking chicken fried steak with cream gravy (the preferred drink of the
South), I would have been right there!
John 21:11
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.
No
one ever accused Peter of being wimpy, for even 153 small fish would be a heavy
load. The
net miraculously held under the weight of such a tremendous catch.
John 21:12
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
invited the men who were hungry from fishing all night to share breakfast with
Him. The fact that He ate is evidence that He had resurrected in bodily form
and was not merely an apparition or spirit. Jesus had said they would see Him again, and
there He was eating fish and bread with them. They finally were completely convinced
this was Jesus in the flesh.
John 21:13
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
Jesus
served as the host of this seemingly impromptu meal. What do you think is
important about that? The Father or Master of the house was the host. It is also
reminiscent of the times He fed the multitudes and the breaking of the bread at
the Last Supper before His arrest. Jesus had come to serve – He had washed their
feet at the Last Supper, and now He was serving as the cook for their
breakfast. I wonder if any of the disciples
were ever tempted to say, “Yes, indeedy, one morning Jesus, the Son of God,
cooked my breakfast!”
John 21:14
This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he
was raised from the dead.
At
this point, Jesus had appeared to the apostles three times. They would later
testify that they had seen Jesus many times after He had been raised from the
dead. He
continued to appear to various groups of disciples over the next forty days.
Paul reports on these appearances in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7.
Q
– Do you ever question whether the resurrection of Jesus was real? He made sure
His apostles would not doubt His bodily resurrection by allowing them to touch
His wounds and even shared a meal with them. Paul records that He once appeared
to over 500 people at one time. These people faithfully spread the good news of
His triumph over the grave, and now we believe because of their testimony
passed down through the ages as well as written in the word of God. If Jesus
has revealed the truth of His reality to you, it is your mission to pass that
gospel on to others. Have you shared the good news with someone today? This
week? This year?
John Chapter 21 – Lesson 4
Peter Restored by Jesus
There
are two different Greek words for love in this conversation between Jesus and
Peter. It is important to note this. We will point out which word is being used
in each instance as we go through these verses. Following are the New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the
Bible definitions with their Strong’s numbers.
25 – agapaŏ – to love (in a social
or moral sense) (be-) love (-ed) related to 26 – agape – affection or
benevolence – a love-feast – charity, dear, love.
5368 – philĕō – to be a friend to
(fond of), have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of
sentiment or feeling: while 25 is wider embracing espec. The judgment and the
deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety; the
two thus stand related; the former (25) being chiefly of the heart and the
latter of the head; spec. to kiss (as a mark of tenderness) – kiss, love.
John 21:15
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of
John, do you love25 me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord;
you know that I love5368 you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
Why
did Jesus single out Peter? Peter was the one in need of restoration. Jesus had already
forgiven Peter, but Peter had not forgiven himself and needed reassurance
that Jesus had forgiven him. Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than the
others. He used the term for moral, willing, choice to love regardless of
feelings. How did Peter answer Him? Peter answered that he felt brotherly love and
affection for the Lord as Jesus already knew. I believe this kind of love was
all Peter or anyone else was able to have without the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. What
did Jesus mean when He told Peter to feed His lambs? Did He own a flock of
sheep? Jesus
was letting Peter know that he did have the authority to carry the Gospel
message as a witness, and He was counting on him to do so by the power of God by
the Holy Spirit working in and through him to do His will thus feeding the “sheep” the followers of Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV[KH1] )
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Specifically,
what would feeding Jesus’ lambs, those who already trusted Him, consist of? Jesus was telling Peter
to make disciples, teaching them everything Jesus had commanded. He gave these same instructions to all the disciples as
well:
Matthew
28:18-20 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We
feed the lambs when we teach them God’s word and teach them to internalize it in order to live it out
(obey it) as a testimony to other people.
John 21:16
He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love25
me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love5368 you.” He
said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
I
believe that Jesus knew that Peter would eventually be able to truly say he had
the self-sacrificing, deliberate choice type of love for Jesus. He posed the same
question again. Peter again answered honestly that he had brotherly love for
Jesus. This time Jesus commanded Peter to “tend” his sheep. Is there a
difference between feeding and tending the sheep? Anyone can carry dinner to the sheep.
Tending has more of a connotation to nurture and preserve. Tending the sheep
involves inspecting for injuries, watching out for infestations, protecting
from dangerous predators, caring for every aspect of the lamb. The shepherd
puts his life in harm’s way on behalf of the sheep. David fought off lions and
bears who preyed on his father’s sheep. Brothers have the capacity to feed, but
only shepherds have the capacity to lead. So Jesus was telling Peter to shepherd the
believers, the early church. He did so in his teaching at Pentecost, his leadership
of the early church, and later in his letters warning of false teachers
(predators) and admonishing the church to stay true to the things Jesus taught
even amid persecution.
John 21:17
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love5368
me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love5368
me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love5368
you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
Why
did Jesus ask Peter if he loved Him three times? Jesus knew that Peter was still beating
himself up every day because he had denied knowing the Lord three times to
complete strangers on the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested. At the time
Jesus needed his friends the most, Peter denied ever knowing Him. Is it significant that
Jesus changed from agapaŏ to philĕō when He asked the third time whether Peter
loved Him? Perhaps
Jesus was acknowledging that Peter was not yet fully capable of god-like love
and was being respectful of Peter’s honest response that he had brotherly
affection. He knew that after the Holy Spirit filled Peter at Pentecost, he
would be infused with agapaŏ. Why was Peter grieved that Jesus asked him if he loved
(philĕō) Him the third time? I think maybe Peter was grieved because he knew that he
could not love Jesus with agapaŏ love yet, and he wanted to. Peter acknowledged that
Jesus knew everything and already knew he loved him as a brother. Jesus again
instructed Peter to feed the sheep. Is there a significance to the fact that He
did this three times? Peter had denied Jesus three times, humiliating himself; and, therefore, Jesus
entrusted His followers to Peter three times to show him that he was completely
restored to his position of leadership within the band of apostles.
John 21:18
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.”
(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.”
Jesus
then foretold that Peter would be crucified – the stretching out of his hands
and being led where he would not want to go. History reports that Peter was
indeed crucified for following Jesus, and tradition says he chose to be
crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy to die exactly as Jesus
had. After
the hardest words that Jesus had spoken about Peter to Peter, Jesus hits him
with, “Follow me.” This was the seal of the restoration process of Peter. Peter
must choose to follow Jesus even after he had been told how he would leave this
world in an excruciating death. Jesus had said if anyone wanted to be His
disciple, he would need to take up his cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). He
now called Peter to literally do just that.
Q
– Peter had done exactly as Jesus had predicted and denied Him three times
before the rooster crowed. However, Jesus restored Peter to a place of
leadership three times as well. Have you fallen so badly you think the Lord can
no longer use you? I know I (Susie) felt that way after my husband left and I
became a divorced person. The Lord used the stories of David still being used
mightily after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband
murdered and the fact that Peter was restored after his denials even becoming a
significant influence in the early church to encourage me that I could still
serve in His kingdom. It was a process, but I eventually taught in a Christian
school, taught adult Sunday School, and am now serving with Precious Jewels
Ministries. Whatever wrong path you have traveled Jesus is able to restore you
and enable you to walk in His light. Pray for His forgiveness and turn your
life over to His complete control afresh. Then hang on to your hat as He places
you exactly where He wants you to serve!
John Chapter 21 – Lesson 5
What About John?
John 21:20
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who
also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is
it that is going to betray you?”
Apparently,
Peter and Jesus had been walking while having the conversation about taking
care of His sheep because in this verse John was following close behind them.
Perhaps after breakfast they were all walking back to where they were staying.
In John 13:24-25 Peter urged John to ask Jesus who was going to betray Him. Perhaps
Peter was afraid to ask Jesus himself in case this offended the Lord. He did
not want to be embarrassed in case Jesus did not want to be asked. So he asked his friend,
John, to inquire of the Lord; and John leaned back against Jesus and asked Him.
John 21:21
When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”
Jesus
had told Peter that he would be crucified, so now Peter wants to know, “What
about this other guy?” Perhaps he wanted to know if he was going to be the only one martyred
but asked specifically about John because he was nearby.
John 21:22
Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that
to you? You follow me!”
Jesus
may have been a tad bit upset with Peter for asking about John. He pretty much told
Peter that John’s fate was none of his business. Jesus told Peter to keep his eyes on his
own assignment, to keep his eyes on Jesus. Jesus had taken Peter from servant, to friend,
to brother, and was preparing him to be an under-shepherd of His flock. Like all of us, Peter
had enough on his plate to just take care of his own business. He did not need
to be concerned about what John was called to do other than to encourage him as
one of the lambs. Jesus reveals His specific will to the one who is affected by
it, not necessarily to others who know them.
John 21:23
So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to
die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my
will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
The
disciples started gossiping about this one on One conversation between Peter
and the Lord which was none of their concern. The rumor went around that John would
never die, but that is not what Jesus had said. Jesus just said what He did about John
to emphasize that it was none of Peter’s business how, when, or IF John would
die. However, it would be according to His will. The Teacher is in charge of
the lesson plan, not the student. The Shepherd determines where the sheep are to
graze, not the sheep.
John 21:24
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has
written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
John
identified himself as the one Peter had inquired about which means he was an
eye witness to the events he had just recorded.
John 21:25
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.
John
indicated that what he had written was just a portion of the events, miracles,
and teachings of Jesus’ life. If everything that Jesus said and did were written down,
there was not enough land mass created to hold all the books. This is why the Holy Spirit
inspired the writers of the New Testament to share only certain things rather
than to chase every rabbit trail. The Bible is truly the CliffsNotes Version of
what Jesus accomplished and spoke for the benefit of humanity. In Heaven we will
understand clearly as the Lord Himself will fill in the gaps, but for now we
have everything we need in order to follow His commands.
2 Peter 1:3
(NIV) His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through
our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Q
– Do you ever wonder why God is leading you a certain direction? Especially if
your Christian friend seems to have an easier path than yours? God places us
each strategically where He wants us to serve. We just need to keep our focus
on Jesus and keep obeying Him. Or as the Apostle Paul would say, “Press on!”
Philippians
3:13-15 (NIV) Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken
hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward
what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
PRESS
ON!
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