1 After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples
at the sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself this way.
Fish
2 Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee,
and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
3 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.
Find
4 But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach,
yet the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus.
5 Jesus therefore said to them, "Children,
have you anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." 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.
7 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.
8 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.
Feast
9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there,
and fish laid on it, and bread.
10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some
of the fish which you have just caught." 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.
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.
13 Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the
fish likewise.
Feed
14 This is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his disciples,
after he had risen from the dead.
15 So when they had eaten their breakfast,
Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son
of Jonah, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon,
son of Jonah, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon,
son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?" Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, "Do you have
affection for me?" He said to him, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I have
affection for you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Follow
18 Most assuredly I tell you, when you
were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where
you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch
out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you
where you don’t want to go." 19 Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would
glorify God.
When he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."
Focus
20 Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following.
This was the disciple whom Jesus sincerely loved,
the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ breast at the supper and asked,
"Lord, who is going to betray You?" 21 Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this
man?" 22 Jesus said to him,
"If I desire that he stay until I come,
what is that to you? You follow me." 23 This saying therefore went out among the brothers, that this
disciple wouldn’t die.
Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but,
"If I desire that he stay until I come,
what is that to you?"
Finished!
24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote
these things.
We know that his witness is true.
25 There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if
they would all be written,
I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books
that would be written.
Discussion Questions
What event was Jesus repeating here and why was he repeating it?
vs 15 what is the difference between love and affection and why do
you suppose Peter could not bring himself to use the word "love"?
How can we determine whether we love God more than we love others?
What does Jesus say here about how we can show love to God?
vs 18 How would you have felt if you received this prophecy from the
Lord?
vs 22 Why do you suppose Peter asked this question?
And what principle do we learn from Jesus' response?
Comments
The sea of Tiberius is the sea of Galilee in Northern Isreal aruond which
we know most of the disciples had grown up many of them being fishermen.
Finding Fish
It appears that the theme behind these events have to do with giving Peter
a perspective on ministry. Notice how much of this reflects the events
in Luke 5 which starts out with Jesus essentially feeding his sheep by
preaching. It goes on:
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water, and let down
the nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered,
"Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." 6 When they had done so,
they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and
help them,
and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said,
"Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch
of fish they had taken,
10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don’t be afraid;
from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and
followed him.
As was the case then so now Peter is burdened with guilt, having denied
the Lord three times. To be a fisher of men Peter needed to have the assurance
of being forgiven. For no doubt Peter would feel hindered from doing ministry
if he was burdened with such guilt. So the Lord takes him back to the point
where he first called him, erasing the slate and starting over again. Just
as previousy Peter left everything to follow Christ, so now even before
getting to shore he quite literally leaves everything behind to follow
Jesus, leaving the others, the fish, the boat, being desparate to reconcile
with the Lord. For Jesus had also said those who have been forgiven much
love much. (Luke 7:47)
Many people have had friends and relatives who have died before
taking the opportunity to reconcile any differences. There's no opportunity
to reconcile with the person once they're dead, which can lead to despair
and depression because of the unreconcilable guilt. But Peter now had a
chance to reconcile and he zealously sought it. Such repentance is a natural
characteristic of those born of God.
Jesus addresses them as children which seems a bit derogatory but in fact
they were still immature in their faith and perspective on their responsibilities,
just as many Christians go from church to church trying to find a place
where they can get fed rather than trying to find a place in which they
can serve. Nonetheless if they are hungry, Jesus will indeed feed them.
The fact that John mentions of 153 fish being caught indicates that they
took the time to count each one. Perhaps we may also find allegorical applications
from these facts in the context of ministry since Jesus himself had said,
"Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men". The counting of the fish
teaches that each individual is important and should be counted. Everyone
is important. John also notes that though the catch was large yet the nets
didn't break, implying they naturally should have broken. So also in ministry
that despite the fact that the numbers of people may seem overwhelming
yet God provides us the ability to minister to all without breaking our
nets. But we have to cast our nets on the right side, in the right place,
as the Lord directs through his Spirit. Else our fishing may seem in vain.
But the Lord may not provide us clear guidance until we have persisted
and endured through the night, just as Jesus also spoke of the prayers
of the persistent widow.
Feasting
If the fish represent converts and disciples, eating the fish seems rather
rude. But remember what Jesus said to his disciples in chapter 4 after
speaking with the woman at the well, "I have
food to eat that you don’t know about." He was speaking
of how he was refreshed by the woman's conversion. And so also disciplemakers
are refreshed as well as John says, "I have no greater joy than this,
to hear about my children walking in truth."3 John 1:4
The bread Jesus gave may be likened to himself, of which he said, "I
am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this
bread, he will live forever." John 6:51
Feeding
The way a person shows love to God is by obeying his commands. "One
who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me."
John
14:21 And "This is love for God: to obey his commands."1
John 5:3 In particular this involves feeding the sheep, which
more generally means to edify the Christian community. Jesus' great commission
to the Christian community is to make disciples of all nations, a responsibility
to which we will all be held accountable. And if we love the Lord then
we will be involved in that as the Lord directs us in accordance the gifts
he has given.
The web version accurately portrays the dialog between Jesus and Peter
in that there is a difference between the word "love" and "affection" in
Greek which is not brought out by many other translations. The word "love"
is "agapao" which speaks of caring for the needs of others. The word for
affection is "phileo" which speaks of a feeling of affection. The questions
that Jesus asked of Peter were probably questions that he was asking of
himself as well.
His first question to Peter is not whether he loves him, but rather
whether Peter cares about him more than he cares for his fellow disciples.
Though we should love others as well, Jesus demands undivided devotion
to himself first. We remember he said, "He
who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who
loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me." Matt
10:37 For the disciples no doubt built up a good friendship between
themselves but what of their love for the Lord whom they had abandoned
at the cross?
Peter could not bring himself to admit that he cared deeply for the
Lord, because of his feeling of remorse. Therefore he simply said he had
a fond affection for the Lord. And so also was his second reply. But for
the third question Jesus didn't use the word "agapao" but rather "phileo"
as Peter had been using. Basically he was saying, "Ok you can't admit that
you love me, but do you really even have so much as a fond affection for
me?" This would naturally grieve Peter as he would have to think whether
he sincerely had a fond affection for him seeing as three times he had
denied knowing him. But in fact he couldn't deny having a fond affection
for him.
I would imagine the discussion as between a man and his wife who committed
adultery. After she repents he may ask when she is commited to be faithful
to him - to love and to serve. Having betrayed him she might not have the
confidence to express such commitement in all honesty. Nonetheless she
might acknowlege that she genuinely likes to be around her husband. She
enjoys his company. The husband may ask her whether she's answering honestly
even in that respect.
It's a humiliating confrontation. Jesus doesn't simply say - forget
about it. While Peter is forgiven it seems that Jesus wants him to keep
aware of his genuine motivations - to avoid making such confident arrogant
statements he had made previously.
Application/meditation questions from that passage might be - how do
we measure our genuine love for Jesus? (by feeding his sheep for example)
And given a choice of what to do with our free time, would it always be
our preference to spend time with Jesus. Do we like to be around Jesus?
Do we imagine being in heaven but not hanging around Jesus? Do we presently
yearn to be with Him, or do we yearn simply for the pleasures of heaven
and being separated from the troubles of this life?
To all these Jesus commanded him to edify the believers. And concerning
this command let me make one more point. Notice that Jesus doesn't say,
"Preach
the gospel" but rather "Feed my sheep." The primary responsibility
of the Christian life is not preaching the gospel but making disciples.
Preaching the gospel, ministering to non-Christians is secondary. Our primary
responsibility is to edify other Christians. Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to
the family of believers. Galatians 6:10
Follow Christ to the Cross
It seems many times those who are closest to the Lord end up experiencing
a good deal of suffering, being even persecuted to death. The world may
think that those whom God loves the most He would give the most comfortable
life. But consider how God treated his own Son, sending him essentially
on a suicide mission to save others. And He placed him in circumstances
in which he was subjected to humilation and persecution. As it was written,
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with
suffering."Isaiah 53:3 It is written that "He who didn’t
spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also
with him freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32 But consider
also that if He didn't spare His own Son, He may also not spare His own
sons from similar suffering. But such suffering is an honor for those born
of God, for in these things we can identify with Christ. "Don’t be astonished
at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange
thing happened to you. But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings,
rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also you may rejoice with
exceeding joy."1Peter 4:12,13
The church fathers record Peter's death in that he was arrested and
crucified. But in his crucifixion he requested to be crucified upside down
saying that he was not worthy to be crucified as the Lord was. For his
guilt of denying the Lord probably humilated and haunted him the rest of
his life. But it also kept him humble and on his guard.
On the other hand Jesus also said that he would live to be old and indeed
he did live till at least 40 years after this. The fact that the Lord told
him that he would live to be old would free him up from fears of dying
or being killed for now and he could establish long term plans and exercise
great boldness fearlessly. Thus in saying this Jesus would instill confidence
in him and a sense of mission.
Focus
Peter, never at a lost for inappropriate statements, then asks about the
apostle John. Jesus essentially replies, "Mind your own business." So also
Christians can get caught up in all kinds of questions of armchair theology.
They may even do so to procrastinate, putting off their responsibilities.
But the important thing is to apply what God has already revealed. You
may not have understood all of the Bible. But apply what you do understand.
Don't let peripheral questions distract you from fulfilling your responsibility
to the Lord.
vs 23 shows how misinterpretations can arise. Many claim to believe
the Bible, but what they mean is they believe their interpretation of the
Bible. But their interpretation may be at fault. Easy enough to read into
the Bible whatever suits us, but the challenge is to read out of the Bible
in accordance with the intentions and spirit of the author.
Finished
As a witness takes an oath on the stand so John swears that he is telling
the truth concerning these events. The liberal who claim John simply fabricated
these stories and that they didn't represent actually historical events
are essentiallly calling John a liar, for he states these as facts, as
Peter also said, "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when
we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
we were eyewitnesses of his majesty."2 Peter 1:16
And John could have gone on to record even more events. But these are
sufficient for reasonable men with good consciences to come to faith in
Christ.