Joh 21:7 | KingComments | STEP | The great unexpected catch resulting from the Stranger’s advice first opens John’s eyes to the fact that they are dealing with the Lord. He therefore says to Peter, full of wonder: “It is the Lord!” Peter, impulsive as ever, responds immediately. John is quickest in his understanding. Peter is quickest to act on the insight he has been given by the other. Without first taking a closer look at the Lord to convince himself that it is He, he puts his outer garment on and dives into the water to go to Him. He relies completely on John’s perception. He knows John as someone who has a close relationship with the Lord and if He says it is Him, there is no need to doubt it. It is wonderful when believers tell us things about the Lord Jesus that we can take for granted because we know their dealings with Him. That also, like Peter here, brings us into direct connection with Him. After Peter, the other disciples come ashore in the little boat. They drag the net with the fish behind them. The distance is given by John. They do not have to drag far before they reach the Lord. When they come ashore, they see a charcoal fire with fish on it. They also see bread. The charcoal fire will have reminded Peter of his denial at another charcoal fire ( ). Peter denied the Lord at a charcoal fire. Now the Lord will restore Peter at a charcoal fire that He has lit and is standing by, in the midst of His disciples. The fish lying on the charcoal fire and the bread make it clear that He cares for them and that He Himself provides what He has asked of His disciples. He asked if they had anything to eat and they had to say they had nothing. He asked not because He needed anything, but so that they would express to Him their need. Earlier in this Gospel He tested His disciples in a different way regarding food and even then He Himself knew what He would do ( ). He asks His disciples to bring the results of their labor to Him. He wants us to always come to Him with the results of our work that we have been allowed to do, but of which He is the origin. Peter responds immediately to the question. He goes up, which means he goes to the boat and climbs in. Then he loosens the net with the fish and pulls the net onto land The writer John further notes that the net is full of large fish and it is not torn. Everything corresponds to the perfection of the Person He describes in his Gospel. Everything is counted and everything comes ashore. The Lord works the catch and gives power both to man and to the material to complete the work perfectly, without anything being lost. The net did tear in an earlier fishing ( ). There the fishing is connected with man’s responsibility. Here the characteristic is that everything is the work of Christ, based on His resurrection and as a picture looking forward to the millennial realm of peace. Thus it does not rest on human responsibility. After His revelation in glory, when He returns to earth, He will gather a multitude from the sea of nations. Before He reveals Himself and the multitude of fish is caught, He already has fish ( ). In this we can see a picture of a remnant that He has already prepared on earth. We also see this in Revelation 7, cited above, in the first part of that chapter ( ), which is about the sealed ones from Israel. There has been much speculation about the number hundred and fifty-three. The number will certainly have a meaning, but the amount of speculation that has been made about it makes it clear that the meaning is not obvious.

‏ John 21:7

The Disciples Recognize the Lord

The great unexpected catch resulting from the Stranger’s advice first opens John’s eyes to the fact that they are dealing with the Lord. He therefore says to Peter, full of wonder: “It is the Lord!” Peter, impulsive as ever, responds immediately. John is quickest in his understanding. Peter is quickest to act on the insight he has been given by the other. Without first taking a closer look at the Lord to convince himself that it is He, he puts his outer garment on and dives into the water to go to Him.

He relies completely on John’s perception. He knows John as someone who has a close relationship with the Lord and if He says it is Him, there is no need to doubt it. It is wonderful when believers tell us things about the Lord Jesus that we can take for granted because we know their dealings with Him. That also, like Peter here, brings us into direct connection with Him.

After Peter, the other disciples come ashore in the little boat. They drag the net with the fish behind them. The distance is given by John. They do not have to drag far before they reach the Lord. When they come ashore, they see a charcoal fire with fish on it. They also see bread.

The charcoal fire will have reminded Peter of his denial at another charcoal fire (Jn 18:18). Peter denied the Lord at a charcoal fire. Now the Lord will restore Peter at a charcoal fire that He has lit and is standing by, in the midst of His disciples.

The fish lying on the charcoal fire and the bread make it clear that He cares for them and that He Himself provides what He has asked of His disciples. He asked if they had anything to eat and they had to say they had nothing. He asked not because He needed anything, but so that they would express to Him their need. Earlier in this Gospel He tested His disciples in a different way regarding food and even then He Himself knew what He would do (Jn 6:5-6).

He asks His disciples to bring the results of their labor to Him. He wants us to always come to Him with the results of our work that we have been allowed to do, but of which He is the origin. Peter responds immediately to the question. He goes up, which means he goes to the boat and climbs in. Then he loosens the net with the fish and pulls the net onto land

The writer John further notes that the net is full of large fish and it is not torn. Everything corresponds to the perfection of the Person He describes in his Gospel. Everything is counted and everything comes ashore. The Lord works the catch and gives power both to man and to the material to complete the work perfectly, without anything being lost. The net did tear in an earlier fishing (Lk 5:5-6). There the fishing is connected with man’s responsibility. Here the characteristic is that everything is the work of Christ, based on His resurrection and as a picture looking forward to the millennial realm of peace. Thus it does not rest on human responsibility. After His revelation in glory, when He returns to earth, He will gather a multitude from the sea of nations.

Before He reveals Himself and the multitude of fish is caught, He already has fish (Jn 21:9). In this we can see a picture of a remnant that He has already prepared on earth. We also see this in Revelation 7, cited above, in the first part of that chapter (Rev 7:1-8), which is about the sealed ones from Israel.

There has been much speculation about the number hundred and fifty-three. The number will certainly have a meaning, but the amount of speculation that has been made about it makes it clear that the meaning is not obvious.