Jesus Meets the Disciples in Galilee
John 21:1-25
December 11, 2005


Well, we’re almost to the end of John’s gospel. Today’s messages is from John 21:1-25. It’s the last chapter. As we read the passage, remember, as always, that we are reading the word of God –and as I quote from the passage, that I am quoting words God has given us so that we may know him.

Also, as always, I encourage you to keep reading your Bibles. Read the word of God every day.

[Prayer]

Now let’s read the passage. John chapter 21 –the entire chapter:

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
1Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), 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.
4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6He 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.
7Then 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. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”
11Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus Reinstates Peter
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17The 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. 18I tell you the truth, 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.” 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
20Peter 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?”) 21When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers 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?”
24This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25Jesus 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. (John 21:1-25 – NIV)

Before I start on today’s passage, let me quote what John wrote just ahead of this. This is from the end of last week’s passage –from the end of chapter 20. John talked about Jesus’s resurrection and his appearing to the women and to the disciples and then added a final comment. Here’s what he said:

30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 21:30-31 –NIV)

John’s purpose in writing was to for those who read what he wrote –us –to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing, to have eternal life in his name. John had said all he needed to say about the subject –enough so that we would be able to believe that Jesus is the Christ.  But there was something else he felt was very important, so he added what is in chapter 21 to the end of what he had already written. (Remember that, if John thought it was important, it was because the Holy Spirit of God led him to think so and to write what he wrote.)

John starts out by telling us that Jesus appeared again to his disciples. This time it was in Galilee. If you look at the other gospel accounts, you will see that Jesus had told the disciples that he would meet them in Galilee.  Just reading John’s account, you might think that the disciples had gotten tired of waiting in Jerusalem for something to happen and had just gone back to Galilee to what they had been doing before they ever met Jesus –to fishing. But the fact was they were there because Jesus had told them to go.

John says that there were seven disciples there at the time, Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee (that would be James and John) and two others. It was Peter who said he was going to go fishing. (verse 3) The other disciples said that they would go with Peter. Now when we say we are going fishing, we are talking about a vacation or about rest and relaxation, but with the disciples, it was work – their way of making a living. They didn’t want be idle. But they fished all night and didn’t catch a thing.

Now let’s look at verses 4 and 5. Here’s what they say:

4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.

The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus even though they had gone to Galilee expecting to see him there. They had been fishing all night and caught nothing. When Jesus asked them if they had any fish, they said, “No.” Matthew Henry says that they probably thought Jesus was someone who wanted to buy their catch, but they had nothing to sell and were probably peeved. They were probably not in a mood for conversation. So they answered with one word, “No.”

Now, I want to remind you of something. Do you know that all these accounts of events that happened in the Bible are there so that we can learn something from them? So, have you ever been in a situation where things were simply not going the way you wanted them to and you’re not in a very good mood because of it? (It happens to me every day.) Anyway, it’s very hard to recognize Jesus at times like that. The disciple had fished all night; and when someone asked them if they had any fish, they did not recognize that it was Jesus –even though they were expecting him. We need to be looking for Jesus in every situation. I wonder if they prayed before they went fishing.

Well Jesus, according to verse 6, told them to throw their net on the right side of the boat and they would find some fish. They did what he said and got such a large number of fish that they were unable to get them into the boat. John exclaimed, “It is the Lord.” (verse 7) He was the first one to recognize Jesus. When Peter heard that, he didn’t wait for them to get the boat and the fish to shore. He jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat towing the net full of fish.

Does this sound like something you’ve heard before? Does it sound familiar? Let me read from Luke chapter 5. This is near the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. Turn to Luke chapter 5. I’m going to read verses 1 through 11:

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So 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.
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and 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.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11 –NIV)

“We’ve worked all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” This is when Peter and James and John became disciples of Jesus. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”

You know, I said that I thought that the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus because they were focused on their present troubles rather than on him. But, you know what else? Jesus didn’t just say, “Well tough luck. If you’re not looking for me, you’re not going to find me.” No, he made himself known to them in a very positive way. He will do that with us too. Once you believe in him… once you trust him, he is committed to you and will never abandon or forsake you. (And I’m saying that to encourage you – and me too. But it doesn’t mean that you should just forget about Jesus. That would be like saying that, after you are saved by grace, it’s OK to just go on sinning freely. It certainly isn’t! You must not think you can just forget about Jesus either, but rather seek him earnestly in everything you do.)

When the disciples landed, they saw a fire of burning coals with some fish on it and some bread. Jesus told them to put some of their fish on the fire too. (verses 9 and 10) When Peter dragged the net ashore (verse 11) there were 153 large fish in it. And John says that even with so many fish the net was not torn! (When they caught all the fish back at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry when he called them to be disciples, the nets were breaking. But this time the net held! When they went out to catch men, the net would hold too!)

Now look at verse 12. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” They had been working all night and caught nothing. They must have been tired and hungry. Jesus invited them to breakfast. He gave them the bread and the fish to eat. Once a month we invite everyone in the neighborhood to breakfast too. We give them bacon and eggs, waffles and syrup, sausages and orange juice. It’s a time of fellowship –not just with each other, but with Jesus also.

Now look at verse 15. Verse 15 says, “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’” You know, Peter had seen Jesus at least twice after his resurrection, but I don’t think the issue of his denying Jesus had been resolved. He had not really been reconciled with Jesus. After the last supper, Jesus had told his disciples that, after his arrest, they would all fall away. Listen while I read Mark 14:27-31:

27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
30 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today– yes, tonight– before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
31But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. (Mark 14:27-31 –NIV)

Peter had declared that, even if all the other disciples fell away, he would not fall away. But after Jesus was arrested, he denied that he even knew him three times, just as Jesus had foretold – and with an oath, too. Now Jesus was asking Peter, if he truly loved him “more than these”.

What do you think Peter was thinking up to this point? “What’s going to happen? When’s the rebuke going to come?” What would you have been thinking? We have all been weak and failed many times and in many ways. Jesus could say, “I gave you many opportunities. You failed almost every time.” We could face Jesus and be rebuked and told, “You are only saved as one coming through the flames.” On the other hand, Jesus had told Peter that Satan had asked to sift the disciples like wheat, but that he had prayed for their faith not to fail. So we might be told, “Well done. You did very well considering all the hidden temptations of the devil.” Do you sometimes wonder what it will be? I do.  But Jesus loves us and gave himself up for us. He always intercedes for us just as he did for the disciples. Well, Peter got rebuked, but it was not at the judgment seat. He would have many more opportunities to love and serve Jesus.

Now let me read the passage:

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17The 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.” (John 21:15-17 –NIV)

Jesus told Peter that, since he loved him, he must love those who belonged to Jesus – feed his lambs –take care of his sheep –feed his sheep. Do you love Jesus? Then you must love those who belong to him. You must love those he died for. At one time, one of the Teachers of the law had come to Jesus and asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Here’s what he said: “The most important one is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Now look at verses 18 and 19. After Jesus had told Peter to feed his sheep, he said, “I tell you the truth, 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.” He said this to indicate the kind of death Peter would die. Peter would live a long time; but then he would be crucified, just as Jesus had been crucified. After Jesus told Peter how he would die, he said, “Follow me.”

Peter would indeed follow Jesus in making disciples of all men. The very first time he preached, three thousand believed and were baptized. Peter followed Jesus all of his life and finally followed him to the cross. Peter was crucified in Rome around 64 AD (upside down, according to tradition, at his own request because he didn’t consider himself to be worthy to die in the exact same way that Jesus died. But we don’t know that for sure.)

Anyway, you know what Peter said when Jesus told him how he was going to die? He turned around and looked at John (the disciple Jesus loved), who was following them, and said, “Lord, what about him?” (verses 20 and 21) If Peter was going to be crucified, he didn’t want John to get out of anything that he was going to have to go through!

Well, Jesus rebuked Peter again. He told Peter, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (verse 22) Essentially, Jesus told Peter, “What I have for John is none of your business. Your business is to follow me.” That’s our business too. Our business is to follow Jesus!

Now look at verse 24. Verse 24 says, “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.” John identifies the author of the book as the one who was following as Jesus was talking to Peter, the disciple Jesus loved. John is the author.

Now look at verse 25. Verse 25 says, “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.”

If you think John is exaggerating when he said the whole world would not have enough room to hold the books, listen to what else he said about Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4) All things were made by Jesus and for him and through him. He is the way and the truth and the life. There is salvation in no other name but in his. He is our Lord and our Savior. Praise Jesus! Amen!