What's the matter? No fish?

“It is the Lord!”

(John 21:1-14, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 10, 2010)

21:1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

After this Jesus revealed Himself again ... (1-3)

This unusual resurrection appearance of Jesus begins with a fishing failure. The Lord has promised to His people a coming day when the bounty of a very fruitful earth will be ours. Spending all night catching food and coming up empty-handed does not immediately seem to be a part of the plan. Add to this disappointment the fact that these disciples have not only seen the Lord, but they have also been commissioned by Him to be His spirit-representatives to catch, not fish, but men. There is not a lot of that going on yet either. On both occasions listed in John's gospel where Jesus had appeared to the disciples as a group they were behind locked doors. Now here they are fishing for fish all night, and they have not even caught anything.

They are back in Galilee now by the Lord's command. One begins to wonder whether they understood what they were supposed to be doing there? They have to eat, but remember that some of these men were commercial fisherman when they began the entire Messianic adventure, and now they seem to have come full circle, except for one thing. No fish. As a tent-making job, this would be a lousy one. You cannot spend much time catching men during the day if you stay up all night fishing, especially if you do not catch any fish when you fish. Here are Peter, James, Nathanael, John, Thomas, and two others not named. Peter is leading them, in fishing for fish. He says, “I am going fishing,” and the other six say, “So are we.” And they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking ... (4-8)

I am not much of a fisherman, but I don't think it takes much imagination to guess how these men felt as day was breaking after their unsuccessful adventure. Especially when someone from the shore decides to ask them how the fishing is going. That had to hurt. “Children, do you have any fish?” “No.” They don't seem all that talkative. Most people would leave it at that. “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” Amazingly, they did it. They must feel the power of His instruction in some way. They do what he tells them to do.

What a result! There has to be a message here. They are not able to bring in the fish because of the tremendous number of fish in the net. The first point of the message must be about the man who is on the shore. John says to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Jesus is risen and He is sovereign over the fish of the sea. He had done this early in His ministry. See Luke 5. Now He rules the fish as the Resurrection Man. The second point is that He is able to provide the bounty of heaven and earth for His disciples that He calls to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God.

Peter is overwhelmed by this. It was his idea to go fishing all night. It was a bad idea. Now he comes to himself realizing that the resurrected Lord of glory is there, and he is as exposed before God as Adam was after the Fall of mankind. He puts on his outer garment to be respectable, and then in the enthusiasm of the moment, dives into the water fully clothed, and swims to the shore.

The other disciples are at least calm enough to come in with the boat, which was dragging the net full of fish. What do we have so far? 1. It was Jesus. 2. He can provide for you, church. 3. Go to Him and see what happens next. This experience, like so much of life, is way beyond us. Whether you swim or you sail, if you are out on the sea, and Jesus is on the far shore, go where Jesus is and await further encouragement and instruction.

When they got out on land... (9-14)

When they made it to land, what did they find but the Resurrection King with fish already cooking on a charcoal fire and hot bread. What do you make of that? Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” This all seems so oddly normal. Do what He says. That's what Peter does, and now this great fisherman/apostle hauls that intact net ashore full of large fish.

This is not what anyone would think of as a God glorifying moment. What an unusual experience! And there is more to come in the verses that follow, but this is enough to consider for now. It is more than overwhelming. To have Jesus rise from the dead is amazing enough. To have Him taking care of His disciples' simple needs for food and friendship as if He were their servant is shocking. It was like the Last Supper, when Jesus began to wash their feet, but this time Peter does not talk back. It is a happy occasion. It is a slice of life from heaven on earth.

You can look for heaven on earth. Look for those happy moments and remember that Psalm 65 is true. Whenever you catch a glimpse of a gracious God caring for you from on high, whenever your wagon is full of something good, whenever you look out upon the meadows and valleys and see flocks and grain, and you think that you hear the sound of the trees shouting praise to God and singing for joy, don't put your fingers in your ears. Take it all in with your eyes and your ears, and then, if you have the heart to do so, open your mouth and sing.

We are so blessed here, despite the problems that we face. But every once in awhile, even in a time of hardship, your mind can be filled with the contemplation of heaven. At that moment, it is more than permissible to be happy in the goodness of the Lord. If you make that a habit, then you may find it to be such a good thing for your body and your soul that you will keep on doing it even when the fig tree does not blossom. See Habakkuk 3:17-19.

When you have even a crumb falling from God's table showing up on your plate, look for the man who was asking them about the fishing from the far shore. He is still in the serving business. Before He went to the cross, He told His disciples that He had come, not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. He went fishing for you, and mercifully, He has caught you in His good net. He is doing so much for you all the time, even disciplining you in love, always in love. He is keeping you, saving you, and yes, serving you. If He has bread for you, take and eat. If He has a cup for you, take it and drink. And smile with the joy of heaven if He gives you the heart to do so. And whether you are mourning with those who mourn, or rejoicing with those who rejoice, He can use you and all His church as fishers of men, though we may have labored all night, and feel like we have not caught a thing.

1. What is the setting for this unusual resurrection appearance of Jesus?

2. How did the disciples conclude that the Man on the shore was Jesus?

3. What is Jesus doing in these verses?

4. How can we live lives of resurrection spirituality in the midst of normal living?