Revelation by the Sea
November 28, 2022
Commentary
In this chapter, John recorded another revelation of Jesus. This story is unique to John’s Gospel. The settling is the Sea of Tiberias (the Roman name for the Sea of Galilee). Throughout his writings, John stressed the fact that Jesus “reveals” himself to people. Reveal equals to manifest or display (1 John 1:2). Every time Jesus reveals himself to people, they are given an opportunity to learn something new about Him. Seven disciples were together: Peter (who had recently denied Jesus thrice), Thomas (who had doubted, but now believed), Nathanael (to whom Jesus had said, “…you will see heaven opened…” – John 1:45-51), James and John (the sons of Zebedee), and two more unnamed disciples.
Some have speculated, based on this passage, that Peter was intending to start fishing again fulltime. However, it’s clear from Peter’s actions that this was not the case. Peter was a man of action. He didn’t want to just sit around and wait for Jesus to appear. And so, he decided to do something (go fishing) while he waited. This sounds reasonable, however, there was a bit more to it, as we’ll see in the rest of the chapter.
Peter and the others fished all night but caught nothing. Sometimes our earthly actions just aren’t enough. The next morning Jesus told them where to cast the net, and their obedience resulted in a multitude of fish (vv. 4-6). Apart from Jesus, they could do nothing. John was the first to realize that the stranger on the shore was the Lord Jesus (v. 7), but it was Peter who “threw” himself into the sea to get to get to Him.
Application
Lord, help me to grasp the reality of my helplessness apart from you. You say in your word, I can do nothing without you (John 15:5). I want to live in the reality of that truth, in complete reliance upon you.
John 21:1– 8 (NET)
1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Now this is how he did so. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael (who was from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of his were together. 3 Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they replied. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 When it was already very early morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you don’t have any fish, do you?” They replied, “No.” 6 He told them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they threw the net, and were not able to pull it in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, tucked in his outer garment (for he had nothing on underneath it), and plunged into the sea. 8 Meanwhile the other disciples came with the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards.
Illustration: Being Tough Yet Tender in Discipline
Every conscientious parent recognizes how difficult it is to exercise his God-given authority over his children. The delicate balance of being tough yet tender is not easy to maintain. Many parents intensify a rebellious spirit in a child by being dictator like and by being harsh. Others yield when their authority is tested. When a strong-willed child resists, the pressure to give in for the sake of peace and harmony can become overpowering. It reminds me of the story of the mother who wanted to have the last word but couldn’t handle the hassle that resulted whenever she said “no” to her young son, So after an especially trying day, she finally flung up her hands and shouted, “All right, Billy, Do whatever you want! Now let me see you disobey THAT!” (Our Daily Bread).