4But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” 6And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
9So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” 11Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 14This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.
15So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
18“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” 19Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
20Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 22Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” 23Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.
Interesting Words
manifested
(φανερόω – Greek) – φανερόω ► to make manifest, to reveal, to make known, to show openly, to make plain or clear something previously hidden or not apparent, from phaneros meaning “visible” or “manifest” also from phṓs meaning “light” – John 17:6; 2Cor 4:11-12; 1John 1:2, 3:2-3;
nothing
(οὐδέν – Greek) – ouden ► No one, none, nothing. Used to express the absolute negation of people, things, or concepts, total absence or non-existence of something or someone in a given context – Matt 5:13; Luke 11:33, 16:13; John 5:19, 6:63, 15:5;
love
(ἀγαπάω – Greek) – agapaó ► love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. It refers to a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. It is often used in the New Testament to describe the love of God for humanity. It is characterized by a commitment to the well-being of others, regardless of personal cost or reciprocation. Agapaó embraces especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety. New Testament writers adopted and expanded the meaning of “agapaó” to express the unique, divine love revealed in Jesus Christ. This love transcends human emotions and is rooted in the will and character of God. – Mark 12:30; John 3:16, 13:34-35; James 1:12;
love
(φιλέω – Greek) – phileó ► to love, to have affection for, to be fond of, love (of friendship), cherish, kiss, from philos meaning “friend” or “loved one”, denotes a warm, tender, and personal love – Matt 10:37; Mark 14:44;
world
(κόσμος – Greek) – kosmos ► the world, universe; worldly affairs; the inhabitants of the world; adornment, from koméō, meaning “to take care of” or “to order”, used to denote the universe as an ordered creation, the earth, the inhabitants of the earth – Matt 5:14; John 3:16-17; 1Cor 1:27, 28;
contain
(χωρέω – Greek) – chóreó ► to make space, make room, to hold, to contain, to go, to advance, from chóra, meaning “space” or “region.” – Mark 2:2; John 8:37; 2Peter 3:9 (come to);
Cross References
(full text – Luke_5:1-11
▪︎ By comparison, consider Old Testament word for love…
Love (אָהַב – Hebrew) – ahab ► and (אַהֲבָה – Hebrew) – ahabah ► denotes the concept of love, encompassing a range of meanings from deep affection and friendship to romantic and covenantal love. It is used to describe the love between individuals, such as familial love, friendship, and marital love, as well as the love between God and His people. The term implies a sense of loyalty, commitment, and deep emotional connection (249 total occurrences in OT) –
• Deut 6:4-5;
• Gen 22:2;
• Exod 21:5, 6;
• Lev 19:18, 34;
• Prov 10:12;
▪︎ Also consider…
Love (חָשַׁק – Hebrew) – chashaq ► to love, to be attached to, to delight in, to cling. Primarily conveys a sense of deep affection, attachment, or love. It often implies a strong emotional bond or desire, whether between individuals or between God and His people. The term can denote both human and divine love, emphasizing a committed and intentional choice to love or be attached to someone or something. (11 occurrences in OT) –
• Deut 7:7;
• Deut 10:15 (chashaq and ahab)
• Ps 91:14;
• Isa 38:17;
Discussion Questions
1. In John 21:1 Jesus continues a process that He has been doing for 3 years and will continue forever. Describe the process and what the final outcome will be.
▪︎ He is manifesting the name and character of God to us (John 17:6)
▪︎ He discloses God and Himself to us (John 14:21)
▪︎ He reveals His word to us (John 16:13)
▪︎ We will see Him as He is and will be like Him (1John 3:2-3). Because we have this hope, we will be purified in Him.
2. Peter decides to go fishing (John 21:3) and those present with him decide to go along. What do you think was his intension and what did he learn from the situation?
Peter’s Intensions:
▪︎ “Without a dominant goal, a man will waste his life on worthwhile activities” Ian Munroe, The Navigators. Also: if you do not follow Jesus you will waste your whole life (Matt 16:25).
▪︎ Peter did not consult God in his decision to go back into the fishing business, thus he was not successful. If he could have followed the lead of the Spirit, things may have turned out differently.
▪︎ Following Jesus and the Holy Spirit is essential to glorifying God with our lives.
Lessons Learned:
▪︎ God wants our fellowship in everything. We dare not default to old patterns, but rather watch carefully for indicators from God and the Holy Spirit as to where to go and what to do (John 5:19).
▪︎ We desperately need God’s grace (His resources) to be successful in what ever God calls us to do (Phil 4:13).
▪︎ Peter was a leader and as such, he needed to be careful about how he leads because the disciples were following him.
3. Looking back at a similar fishing trip in Luke 5:5-6, how did the disciples use that experience to apply to this new situation?
▪︎ Firstly, they recognised that it was Jesus from the similar miraculous event.
▪︎ It was a very large, miraculous event , large enough for them to get an exact count of the number and size of the fish.
▪︎ Peter immediately began to obey Jesus’ command to bring some of the fish over to the fire.
4. What do you find noteworthy from the campfire scene? What do you think Jesus wanted to accomplish in this setting?
▪︎ Jesus had built a fire caught some fish and either baked bread or provided it somehow.
▪︎ Jesus wanted to spend some time with His disciples around the fire and breakfast.
▪︎ He cared for them, feeding them after a strenuous and frustrating time of fishing.
▪︎ He may have wanted them just to feel good about their catch.
▪︎ He wanted fellowship with them… intimate fellowship… face to face.
▪︎ They had been thru a lot. He wanted to restore them.
5. After breakfast, Jesus encounters Peter introducing a new concept about love. He uses two different words, shown here in different colors, along with the two definitions. Note: Jesus changes things up in John 21:17. How would you explain Jesus’ new differentiation of these two words both translated “love”?
▪︎ The concept of God’s unique love, agapaó, was just now being introduced by Jesus to the disciples.
▪︎ Previous to this, love was based on the inherent qualities of the person or thing. Love was an emotional feeling commensurate with the value you placed on the object of that love. This is bad news for those of us who are so wanting.
▪︎ Thanks to the Greek language, God’s love could now be precisely defined as love based on reason and intellect. This is especially important to the unlovable nature of sinners and Jesus sacrifice to save the those who rebel against God. His sacrifice was an act of the will, and was necessary to love the unlovable (i.e. the wretched, unholy people alienated from God by sin).
▪︎ The Hebrew words for love show the confusion Peter must have had when Jesus repeated His questioning through three rounds.
▪︎ John, present when this dialog originally took place, gives new light to humility of John, calling himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. The use of agapaó (reason and intellect being required because of his unlovability in sin).
6. What did Jesus prophesy about Peter and John? How would that affect them in the future? What was Jesus’ point? What was the point of John’s comment in John 21:23?
▪︎ Peter was going to die the death of martyrdom even if he were old, crippled and had to be carried to that point.
▪︎ John was going to live on and die from natural causes.
▪︎ This statement started a missunderstanding among the believers on the fate of John, highlighting our need to interpret God’s statements, His word accurately, precisely as it was originally intended and not go beyond that point (1Cor 4:6)
▪︎ Jesus’ point was also to chide Peter for again falling into the trap of comparing ourselves with each other and/or seeking a better role than others in the Kingdom of God.
▪︎ John being involved in this controversy, took up the conservative position to take God’s word as it was originally intended and written.
7. Explain the meaning of John’s summary to his gospel in the last few verses.
► The physical act of receiving, seizing His gift (John 1:11-12)
► Confessing our new commitment with our mouths (Rom 10:9-10)
► Living a transformed life (2Cor 5:17)
► Following Him our whole life (John 8:12)
▪︎ Jesus did many other acts of healing and saving people from their own shortcomings and sin.
▪︎ Just in one life there are a multitude of events that could be documented and may be documented in the “annals of time”, but can only be viewed with an appropriate “viewer”.
▪︎ the whole world (kosmos) or universe would not be sufficient to hold all the data.
▪︎ In fact, the events caused by, or related to Jesus for any single person in the universe would overflow any form of storage device. Then multiply that times the number of people that have existed since creation, it is overwhelming. The books will contain what Jesus did to “call” each person but also note their response (Rev 20:12).
(full text – Rev_20:11-15