7 Then 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. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. ~ John 21:7-14
Today, we find ourselves back at the Sea of Galilee where the disciples of the Lord Jesus have gone back to their old jobs, fishing. This was the place of most comfort for these guys. And, with all they had been through, they needed the comfort.
After another experience of fishing all night and catching nothing, an unknown man on the shore, who was the Lord Jesus, tells the disciples to cast their net on the other side of the boat. As soon as the disciples throw their nets into the water, they catch many, many fish.
In v.7, while Peter was unusually silent, John said, “It is the Lord.” At this, Peter threw on some clothes, dove in the water, and swam to his Savior. When Peter arrived on shore, the Lord Jesus was there with a prepared meal of fish and bread.
After the disciples come ashore, the Lord Jesus tells them, according to v.10, to get their fish. But the Lord Jesus had His own fish. That's odd. So, why did He tell the disciples to bring their fish? I believe, He was subtly saying like He has said so many times to me down through the years. He was saying, "get your fish, I don't need 'em, but I want 'em." He has told me this so many times ... "Son, I do not need you to do anything for me, I want you." WOW!
So Peter goes back to the boat to retrieve the net to shore. John tells us the exact number of fish in the net: one hundred and fifty three large fish.
On all of the other occasions when the Lord Jesus performed a miracle like this, the miracles were performed for the benefit of the crowds. Not so, here. The Lord performed this miracle for the sake of the bewildered disciples who needed this alone time with Him.
Before any of us can care about the needs of the crowds, we must first experience time alone with the Lord Jesus for ourselves. Ironically, many of us find it easy to believe that Jesus cares about the poor, but we find it hard to believe that He cares about us.
We must experience the miracle for ourselves first. This must happen in order to effectively share the gospel with others. Everyday we all are met by a crowd of problems. Some give in to anger. Some cynicism. Others have families that are falling apart. Others struggle with much loneliness and pain.
The Lord Jesus never calls His disciples to fix the problems found around us. He doesn't call us to. But He does call us to believe He can. How will we ever believe there is a miracle for others if we do not really believe there is a miracle for us?
The real miracle here is not the one hundred and fifty three fish. The real miracle is that we can know God, personally and intimately. John’s Gospel begins with the extraordinary claim that from the beginning the Lord Jesus is the Word of God. All things come into being through Him, and without Him not one thing has come into being.
John's gospel begins with this great cosmic description of the person and work of Christ, It ends at a small campfire where He is caring for a few confused disciples. That’s the miracle of the gospel. This is the Savior who cares for us. He knows we have hopes for what He could do, that He has not done. He knows that we are confused about His work, and maybe about ours.
The Lord Jesus knows that some nights we’re exhausted because after all of our hard work, we have very little to show for it. Even our fall back plans aren’t working. This is our opportunity to see that we are not alone, not abandoned, and not on our own. This means that amazing things are still possible.
We must see this, because that crowd of spiritually hungry people we will meet tomorrow need to believe that at least we believe. John, the writer of this gospel was the only disciple at the foot of the cross when He was crucified. John was there, but all the rest ran away.
Why? Because John was the only one who reclined against the heart of the Lord Jesus. John was the one who was more consumed with Jesus' love for him rather than his love for the Lord Jesus. Most often we are more motivated by our love for the Lord Jesus than we are by His love for us.
By the way, a careful study of the specific times the Lord Jesus blessed others as recorded in all four of the gospels reveals something very interesting. When we add up these specific times, the number totals one hundred and fifty three. The message: God's calling in our lives is to be a blessing to all those who are hurting around us.
