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MP3 Audio
John 21:1-14 – After these things Jesus shewed himself
again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he
himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and
Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his
disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We
also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and
that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood
on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith
unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto
them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now
when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto
him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other
disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it
were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they
were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and
bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11
Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred
and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask
him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and
taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time
that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the
dead.
I. Purpose of this miracle: to show select apostles he would provide
for them – that they did not need to fish for a living. It is my opinion the
apostles who were not present had already learned this lesson.
The Apostles Present/Absent From This Miracle
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No. |
Apostles Present |
No. |
Apostles Absent |
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1. |
Simon Peter |
1. |
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter (likely present) |
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2. |
Thomas called Didymus |
2. |
Philip (likely present) |
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3. |
Nathanael of Cana in Galilee |
3. |
Matthew (likely absent) |
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4. |
James the son of Zebedee |
4. |
James the son of Alphaeus (likely absent) |
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5. |
John the son of Zebedee |
5. |
Simon called Zelotes (likely absent) |
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6. |
An unknown disciple (likely Andrew) |
6. |
Judas the brother of James (likely absent) |
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7. |
An unknown disciple (likely Philip) |
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A. Peter, James and John are the three that went with Jesus into the
Mount of Olives, where Christ commanded them to watch and pray with him.
B. I assume Nathanael and Bartholomew is the same person.
1. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke; Philip and Bartholomew
are always mentioned together, while Nathanael is never mentioned.
a. In the fourth gospel, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are
similarly mentioned together, but nothing is said of Bartholomew.
b. Nathanael is never mentioned in the first three gospels, while
Bartholomew is never mentioned in the gospel of John.
2. Scriptures where Bartholomew is mentioned:
a. Matthew 10:3 – Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew
the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was
Thaddaeus;
b. Mark 3:18 – And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and
Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and
Simon the Canaanite,
c. Luke 6:14 – Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his
brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
d. Acts 1:13 – And when they were come in, they went up into an
upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,
Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
3. Scriptures where Nathanael is mentioned:
a. John 1:45-49 – Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him,
We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did
write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto
him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto
him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of
him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith
unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him,
Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw
thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son
of God; thou art the King of Israel.
b. John 21:2 – There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas
called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of
Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
C. The apostles who were not with Peter.
1. It will be impossible to tell exactly which of the apostles did not
go fishing with Peter.
2. If we knew, we would probably venerate them above the other
apostles.
3. It is likely the two unknown disciples were Andrew and Philip.
a. Perhaps because Andrew and Peter are brothers and Andrew
introduced Peter to Christ.
b. Philip introduced Nathanael to Christ.
4. If my conclusions are correct, the four disciples who did not go
fishing with Peter are:
a. Matthew.
b. James the son of Alphaeus.
c. Simon called Zelotes.
d. Judas the brother of James.
D. There is little profit in trying to guess who the two unknown
disciples are, but there is much profit in understanding there were seven
apostles who needed this miracle and four who did not.
1. Matthias was not yet elected to the position of apostle.
2. Christ never severely reprimanded them for attempting this fishing
trip, which was really a return to a former work, but used their lack of
catching fish to reveal to them they needed to be obedient to him, and he
would provide plenty of fish for them, and they would not have to catch
them.
3. The disciples are not chastened for their lack of faith, but gently
reminded of God’s gracious call and provision.
E. It is interesting to note that although Peter is the
"leader" of this group, he apparently does not become the pastor
of the church at Jerusalem.
1. According to Acts 15:13, James seems to be that pastor.
a. The James of Acts 15:13 is James the son of Alphaeus.
b. Acts 12:2 records that Herod killed James, the brother of John.
2. Paul (whose name was changed from Saul), not Peter, becomes the
leader of Gentile missionary endeavors.
a. There was no jealously among the early believers because they all
wanted the will of Christ to be done – not their own wills.
b. Paul likely wrote about 14 of the books of the New Testament while
Peter wrong only two.
c. James, the pastor of the church at Jerusalem, only wrote one book
of the New Testament, yet there is no hint of jealously or competition.
3. Others, whom God chooses, often replace those that seem to be
in leadership.
a. Peter does not have jealously because of this "power
transfer".
b. Neither should we when "power" is transferred from us to
others.
c. God always put the man in control he wants in control.
F. Select apostles: Some of the apostles apparently do not
(directly) need this miracle.
1. This miracle reveals the individual workings of God with each of his
children, giving them exactly what they need so they can fully worship and
follow him.
2. One of the main problems all believers have is judging the future by
the past when we do not know what the future holds.
a. Believers often walk by sight, not by faith, judging what will
happen on what has happened.
b. Believers often do not expect God to work a miracle in their
lives, expecting instead to continue in their grief and despair.
3. This also happened to me, but it might not happen to you.
a. After I left Bible Baptist Church in Hornbeck, Louisiana, I
determined the continual trouble and lack of worship in most churches
wasn’t worth the trouble, because people did not want to hear the
Bible.
1.) I helped build one house, and did some remodeling work on other
houses, then tried to buy a house I knew I could quickly turn over for
a nice profit, but found it impossible to buy the house, even though I
tried three times.
2.) God would not let me buy the house, because he knew if I got
the taste of making a lot of money in a short time, I would be hooked,
therefore kept me from that wicked fate, or he knew I would lose my
shirt, and protected me.
3.) When I turned down the accounting position, God had already
revealed to me that I should be pastor Independence Baptist Church–
that was before the church called me as pastor – but he gave me the
choice of coming here or not coming here – of obeying his perfect
will, or falling into his permissive will.
4.) Joshua 24:15 – …choose you this day whom ye will serve…
I had to make up my mind that I was going to follow Jesus regardless
of what circumstances were around me, or what was going on in my life
at that point.
5.) I had to leave it all to Christ, and allow him to take care of everything.
b. I did not expect Christ to bless my life, my family, and IBC as he
has – shame on me.
G. Jesus Christ called Peter to faithfully follow him on four different
occasions. See C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\LUKE\05v08 -
2.doc
1. John 1:40-42 – the first time Peter is called to follow Christ.
2. Matthew 4:18-22 – the second time Peter is called to follow
Christ.
a. The healing of Peter’s wife’s mother is in Matthew 8:14,15 and
Luke 4:38,39.
b. Sometime after Peter’s wife’s mother is healed, he returns to
fishing for a living.
3. Luke 5:1-11 – the third time Peter is called to follow Christ.
4. John 20 – the fourth time Peter is called to follow Christ.
5. After these four times, Peter became so convinced of his purpose in
living that he gave all.
a. II Peter 1:12-15 reveals his determination to so preach and live
that after he died, the word of God would continue with power.
b. There is no greater determination for any person to have than
this.
c. Peter remarks in verse 16 that he has not followed trickery, but
truth, and desires his followers to continue in the way of truth, never
falling for trickery.
H. The lesson:
1. It is absolutely necessary that we be careful what we do, because
others are being influenced by us, just as we are being influenced by
others.
2. Christ knows the heart of Peter, and continually calls Peter to
follow him faithfully.
3. This principle is true for all of us, yet we must be very careful
not to go too far, because Christ will allow his children to be
disobedient and pay the consequences of their rebellion and stubbornness.
4. Every person has a different line he should not cross in searching
for God’s will in their lives:
a. according to the different circumstances of their lives,
b. and the different direction God wants them to go,
c. and the different information,
d. and clarity of calling.
II. Verse 3 – Simon Peter declares he will go fishing.
A. Simon Peter seems to be leader of the group, as he is outspoken, and
some folks unwittingly follow the outspoken person, whether they are
leading them correctly or not.
1. I believe these seven disciples have known each other for a long
time.
2. James and John (the sons of Zebedee) and Peter and Andrew were
apparently in a fishing partnership.
a. Luke 5:2 states Jesus saw two fishing boats whose owners were
washing their nets.
b. Luke 5:3 reveals that Simon owned one of the boats.
c. Luke 5:7 compared to Luke 5:10 reveals the partners of Simon, in
the other boat, were James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
d. Matthew 4:18-22 confirms the partnership of these men.
B. When Peter says he is going fishing, the words he uses reflects his
desire to leave his present work of fishing for men, and return to his
former work of fishing for fish.
1. Peter is not just going fishing for a day to relax.
2. He returns to his fishing boats, which he apparently retained.
C. Why did Peter determine to return to his former work?
1. John 20 reveals two occasions where Jesus showed himself openly to
his apostles, desiring they not fear, but have full knowledge of his
resurrection from the dead.
2. Peter, like us, could not envision the blessings that awaited them
all.
a. Peter, like us, was hanging on to what he knew, what he sees,
and what he knows.
b. Ephesians 3:20 declares, Now unto him that is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the
power that worketh in us,
c. Peter didn’t understand the ascension of Christ into heaven,
nor the power manifestation on the day of Pentecost.
d. Peter didn’t know 3,000 would shortly be saved and added to
the church of which he was a member.
e. The many events of the book of Acts are future, and were so
great Peter could not imagine them.
f. We cannot visualize the future either – what blessings does
God have in store for us, if we will only remain with him, and not go
back to our former work.
3. It is wrong to criticize Peter for returning to his former work,
because he was honest before Christ, and fully desired to follow him.
D. They leave immediately.
1. There is great enthusiasm for this new venture, yet little
knowledge of God’s will.
a. Enthusiasm doesn’t mean God’s will is being followed.
b. Agreement doesn’t mean God’s will is being followed.
c. They likely had visions of a great fishing trip, not realizing
the power to catch fish is in God’s hand.
2. Their enthusiasm soon turns into discouragement, as the night
progresses with no victory.
III. In the morning light, Jesus came to them.
A. Though it appears they had forsaken Christ in their confusion
concerning what to do next, Christ would not forsake them.
1. Verse 4 give some indication that Jesus stood on the shore
observing them for a while, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus.
2. Evidently, Christ was silently watching them as they toiled at
fishing – catching nothing.
3. Christ often silently watches us as we struggle with present empty
tasks, doing everything and catching nothing.
4. The silence of Christ speaks not of his weakness, but his patience
and longsuffering with our ignorance of his power to supply if we would
only yield to him.
B. Jesus asks them what he already knows.
1. Jesus does not need their answer to know the truth – they have
nothing.
2. Jesus desires them to take inventory of their situation – and
see they have nothing for all their labours.
3. We need to know we are nothing, and have nothing, except with
Christ we are everything and have everything.
4. God gave his son and Jesus gave his blood to make us what we are
in him: invaluable!
C. Jesus gives advice as a stranger and his advice is taken.
1. This shows the desperation of their situation, or their
superstition.
2. It would seem a person standing on the shore would not know so
much about fishing as the person in the boat.
3. There is a promise to us in Jesus’ words.
a. There will be fruit if we are obedient.
1.) It is very possible to do exactly the same thing we have done
all night long, yet have good results when the same thing is done in
obedience.
2.) Many pastors, church members and churches try to duplicate
what a spiritual church has done to receive the blessings of God,
but do not achieve those blessings because they did not do what God
desired them to do.
3.) They do not receive the blessings of God because they are not
obedient to God, they are doing what God told another church to do.
4.) Each church needs a personal revelation from God, which he
freely gives through his word.
b. It is right to live right and do good, yet if we do those things
to gain a reward, we will have no reward.
c. If we live right and do right because we are desiring to be
obedient to Christ, there is great reward: not only in eternity, but
also in this life.
4. The result of obedience.
a. According to verse 8, the disciples were careful to keep that
which God provided for them.
1.) This was no "catch and release" program!
2.) There is no record of what happened to the fish – God
knows.
b. According to verse 11, there were 153 fish, yet the net was not
broken: none got away!
c. These were great fishes, not tiny, insignificant fishes.
d. No doubt, this great catch of fish signify that soon these
disciples would catch great fish – as thousands upon thousands of
Jews believed and began a new life of servicing God in his local
church.
D. The disciple Jesus loved (probably John) recognized the fruit of
Jesus words, and knew it was Jesus who commanded them.
1. Peter recognized Jesus’ work when it was pointed out to him.
a. Peter covered himself with his fishers coat and cast himself in
the sea, evidently swimming to Christ.
b. I do not believe Peter was naked as some men count nakedness,
but as God counts nakedness.
c. Isaiah 47:2-3 indicates that nakedness before the Lord is to
bare the thigh.
2. It is always good to point out the work of God to others, even if
we are not exactly right with God ourselves.
3. While Peter swam to Christ, the other disciples left their boat
and came in a little ship dragging the net with the 153 great fishes in
it.
a. I don’t think Peter is to be criticized for his enthusiasm in
approaching and leaving others to do the work of bring the net of
fishes to land.
b. 200 cubits distance is approximately 300 feet, or 100 yards.
E. Jesus has prepared a meal for them, but did not use the fish they
had caught.
1. They all saw the fish, but did not attempt to eat any of the meal
until invited to eat.
2. Even after Jesus invited them to eat, Jesus took the food and gave
it to them, then they ate.
3. Before they ate, Jesus instructed the disciples to bring the fish
they had caught, therefore Peter drew the net to land, and counted the
fish.
4. God wants us to take care of that which he has provided for us
before we take care of ourselves.
F. The three times Christ appeared to his disciples after his
resurrection.
1. Christ appeared to them the first day of his resurrection.
2. Eight days later he appeared to them again, revealing his
resurrection to Thomas.
3. John 21 makes the third time.
IV. Jesus continues to instruct his apostles about the work that is
before them.
A. Verse 15-19 – Jesus wants Peter to consider how much he loves the
Lord, as this is a very necessary ingredient in future service.
..\JOHN\21v15-19.doc
B. Verse 20-23 – Peter then wondered about John and his service.
..\JOHN\What Shall This Man Do.doc
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