[Read John 21:1-14]
I’m sure we’ve all had one of those moments in our life when we’ve thought to ourselves, “What in the world was I thinking?” I’ve had numerous moments like this in my life. I was telling one of those stories to someone from church earlier this week and they said they were going to have to question everything that comes out of my mouth now, because they’re questioning my judgment…lol. I had to remind them that this happened a long time ago.
After that, I was thinking about some other “What was I thinking?” moments in my life. My dad reminded me of one of those recently. It was the summer after my freshman year of college. I had a successful year of school and a successful year playing football and was looking forward to going back for my sophomore year. Over the summer I had gone back to working at the job I had throughout high school, working for the local bait shop. They brought me back to oversee the high school workers and take care of a bunch of their dock and boat-lift work. I really loved the work. Then, about two weeks before I was going to head back to college for football practice, I noticed that a bait shop was for sale. On a whim, I decided not to go back to college, and that I was going to buy the bait shop and run it. That was the plan. And I pursued it for a whole three weeks until I realized that no bank was going to give a nineteen year old that kind of money with no down-payment and no experience…lol. By then, it was too late to go back to school, so I went into the workforce. My dad reminded me of that story because he drove by that bait shop the other day and the place was completely abandoned. Every time I think about that story, I’m reminded of a couple of things: 1) I was too immature and foolish at the time to realize what I was trying to accomplish, which is why I was so blind to reality and 2) it was God’s grace and mercy that allowed my plans to fail in order to protect me from something worse.
I think that story has a lot of connections with the disciples in this time period. In this period of time between the resurrection and Pentecost, we often find ourselves asking the question, “What in the world were the disciples thinking?” and we show them very little grace. I even found myself doing that a few sermons ago. Yet, as I read the story this week, I realized that these guys are in the middle of something so life-altering, so worldview-changing that they have no idea what is going on still. They’re still trying to figure this stuff out—which is why John hints in this passage that this all happened “at night,” which has been his way of telling us that these guys are still in the dark—metaphorically. And most likely, when they get a few years out from these stories, they’re going to look back at these moments and think, “What in the world were we thinking?” because they will more clearly understand reality. But, I think it’s important for us to give them more grace in these moments.
This morning’s passage starts out by saying, “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.” (John 21:1, ESV). The Sea of Tiberias is another name for the Sea of Galilee. That’s a cue to us that the scene has changed. The disciples are no longer in Jerusalem, where Jesus has appeared to them a couple times already. They are back in Galilee. If you’re wondering why they’re in Galilee, there are a few explanations. One reason is that many of them were from Galilee, it was their home. So, once the feast wrapped up in Jerusalem, and they were no longer following Jesus around, it made sense for them to head back home. Another explanation we get from the other gospels is that Jesus told them to go to Galilee after his resurrection. Jesus said this to the women outside the tomb after his resurrection, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:10, ESV). So, Jesus told the disciples to go to Galilee and that they would see him there.
While in Galilee, the disciples get together—at least seven of them—and we’re told about this interaction, “Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.”” (John 21:3, ESV). In some ways, this comment also makes a lot of sense. Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen. Also, James and John—the sons of Zebedee who were also with them—were his business partners in the fishing business. This is what they have done for a living for a long time. So, it makes sense for them to get back to fishing.
Now, there’s a lot of conversation around if this was a good or a bad thing. I’ve heard a lot of people rebuke the disciples for going fishing after Jesus had already told them that he was sending them out into the world. Some have said that our natural inclination in the midst of tragedy is to go back to what we’re familiar with—our homes, our jobs, etc. Yet, other people have mentioned that being sent into the world like Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean they are no longer fishermen. The Apostle Paul was sent out into the world, and continued in his trade as a tentmaker. Also, Jesus is going to eventually tell the disciples to wait to go out into the world until they receive the power of the Holy Spirit. So, I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing for them to be out fishing.
So, they get in their boat and head out to fish—at night—and they catch nothing. Realize that they are fishing very differently than we do in the Midwest. They aren’t sitting there with a bobber floating in the water, or trolling with a rod in a rod holder. They are cast-net fishing. This type of fishing involves repeatedly throwing a twenty pound net (give or take) into the water, then pulling it in, over and over again. Doing that all night long, without any success, would be exhausting. Peter is either naked, or nearly naked in the boat, because he’s been working so hard at fishing. That’s the picture we have of these disciples. It’s early morning, starting to get light, but the sign hasn’t come above the horizon yet, and the disciples are completely worn out and feeling dejected because they’ve been skunked.
And then we read this, “Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”” (John 21:4–5, ESV). I really love this picture, and our translations don’t do it justice. This translation uses the word, “Children,” but it’s a very informal term and I think in the Midwest, we’d more likely say something like “Boys.” Then, on top of that, Jesus isn’t actually asking them a question. This is a rhetorical question that assumes a negative answer. So, Jesus is on the shore, looking at this group of his worn out and dejected disciples, and say, “Haven’t caught anything, have ya, boys?” and all they respond is “No…” It’s almost like he’s poking fun at them a little bit.
Then he says, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” (John 21:6, ESV). Remember, the disciples still didn’t recognize this was Jesus. They have no idea who this joker is that is poking fun at them for an unsuccessful night of fishing. But, like any fisherman, they’re willing to give it another try if someone says there’s fish over there. Why not? “So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.” (John 21:6, ESV).
When that happens, something hits John and he says, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7, ESV). Now, what about this made John realize this was Jesus and not just someone who was a really good fisherman? I think it’s two things. First, a similar story had already happened. Here’s what we read in Luke: “And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”” (Luke 5:4–10, ESV). We’re told that Peter, James, and John (and most likely Andrew, Peter’s brother) were all there to see this miracle happen. This is the moment when they left their fishing business and followed Jesus. So, when it happens again, John immediately remembers this event, that Jesus was involved, and knows that Jesus must be behind it again.
When Peter hears this from John, his eyes are opened as well: “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.” (John 21:7, ESV). So, Peter dives into the water and swims for shore—about a hundred yards—leaving the rest of the crew to deal with the overfilled fishing nets. They eventually get things under control and get back to the shore with all the fish in the net. I love that eventually Jesus tells Peter to go back and help the disciples: “Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 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.” (John 21:10–11, ESV). The large number of fish in the net was also what helped John know that this was Jesus who was talking to them.
When they get to shore and come to Jesus, what do they see? We read, “When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread…Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”…Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.” (John 21:9, 12, 13, ESV). That’s an interesting picture, isn’t it? It might make you wonder what Jesus is up to? What’s with feeding them breakfast on the beach? My answer to that question is that this story is all about God’s Provision. Here we have a picture of a bunch of disciples that were worn out and weary from a tough, unsuccessful night of fishing, and Jesus shows up to take care of them. He takes care of them by providing them with a massive catch of fish so that they weren’t unsuccessful in the end. He also takes care of his weary and tired disciples by providing them with a warm meal on the beach. They had worked tirelessly all night, so Jesus basically says, “Come here, take a break, I’m gonna feed you.”
This passage is really about two things. It’s about Jesus’ presence and his provision. It’s significant that Jesus showed up somewhere outside of Jerusalem. He’s present with his disciples wherever they go. It’s also significant that Jesus shows up to provide for his disciples in those moments of weakness and despair. He shows up and provides them with a catch of fish, and then provides them with a nourishing warm meal. The point of this is not just about this moment. Rather, this moment is preparing the disciples for the mission they will eventually carry out. Remember, Jesus is sending them out into the world in the same way he was sent out into the world. They already know how hard this is going to be. They know there’s going to be struggle and suffering along the way. They know there’s going to be persecution and attacks. In this moment, Jesus is also reminding them that he will always be with them throughout their lives as they carry out this mission AND that he will continue to provide for them along the way, giving them everything they need when they need it.
That same promise is also true for every one of us. God has promised that he will be with us wherever we go, no matter where we are, AND he’s promised that he will give us what we need when we need it along the way. That’s what we call the doctrine of God’s Providence. It’s a powerful, powerful reminder for us throughout our lives. The Heidelberg Catechism does a really good job of helping us understand the application of this doctrine in our lives. It asks the question, “How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?” and answers the question by saying, “We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love. For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.” (HC 28).
I want to begin by talking about the middle statement that we can be thankful when things go well. Notice that Jesus didn’t show up at the beginning of the fishing trip, but after a long, hard, exhausting night of unsuccessful work. It was only after they had come to the point of realizing their own weakness and frailty, that Jesus stepped in. Why? Here’s what Calvin says, “If we were always prosperous, whenever we put our hand to labour, scarcely any man would attribute to the blessing of God the success of his exertions, all would boast of their industry, and would kiss their hands. But when they sometimes labour and torment themselves without any advantage, if they happen afterwards to succeed better, they are constrained to acknowledge something out of the ordinary course; and the consequence is, that they begin to ascribe to the goodness of God the praise of their prosperity and success.” (Calvin, 284-285). Sometimes we need to be reminded that it is only by the hand and blessing of God that ANYTHING we do is successful. So, he needs to let us fail for a while, to remind us of that reality. That also means, that anytime something good happens in our life, or something we do is successful, our immediate response should be to thank and praise God because we know it is because of something he has done.
This also leads to the reality that God’s Providence allows us to be patient—or to persevere—because we trust God will give us what we need when we need it. We can continue to toil through a long night if necessary, because we know that Jesus is with us and will provide for us. So, we don’t quit and we don’t give up easily. We keep pressing on with our eyes on Christ, patiently waiting, patiently trusting, patiently persevering in the work he has called us to, knowing that he is with us and will provide for us.
That leads to the final part of the Catechism’s response that it gives us confidence in the future. We can enter into really difficult situations, or endure really difficult seasons of life, with the confidence that God has been faithful in our lives in the past and is faithful in this very moment—no matter how hard it is—and he will continue to be faithful in the future. So, we don’t need to be anxious about it, or fearful, but can live with confidence and trust in our God. We can actually live without fear in this world because we know that Jesus is always with us and will always give us what we need when we need it.
Don’t ever grow weary of being reminded of these truths. These are some of the truths that will completely transform your life. Meditate on these things daily. When things are going well, may they work in your heart to give thanks to God. When things are really hard, may they work in your heart to give you patience and perseverance. When the future looks bleak and fearful, may they create confidence and hope within you.
There’s one more little thing I want to point out before I bring this to a close. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jesus repeats the same miracle he used to call these disciples the first time. I’ll be talking about this more next week, but I think this is Jesus’ way of recommissioning his disciples in a new era. He’s renewing his calling on their life in a world where he will no longer be physically present. He’s reminding them that he is sending them out into the world in the same way the Father sent him.
Here’s why I think this is so important. It’s a point I’ve been making repeatedly throughout this series lately. Jesus is reminding the disciples of his presence and provision as a way of encouraging and empowering them to continue his mission in the world. This isn’t just about them being able to be thankful, patient, and confident and feel good in a general way. This is about them being able to be thankful, patient, and confident as they continue to carry out his mission in the world. And the same is true for each of us. God has given us a mission to carry out in the world and He has promised that he will always be with us while we carry out that mission AND that he will give us everything we need so that we can be patient and persevere in that mission, so that we can pursue that mission with confidence, and so that we can be thankful for the way God continues to bless the work of our hands in that mission.