John — Chapter 21

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1After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

2There 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.

3Simon 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.

4But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

5Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

6And 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.

7Therefore 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.

8And 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.

9As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

10Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

11Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, and hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

12Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

13Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

14This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

15So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

18Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

19This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

20Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

21Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?

22Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

23Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

24This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

25And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

1After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested [himself] on this wise.

2There was together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the [sons] of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

3Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat; and that night they took nothing.

4But when day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

5Jesus therefore saith unto them, Children, have ye aught to eat? They answered him, No.

6And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

7That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his coat about him (for he was naked), and cast himself into the sea.

8But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits off), dragging the net [full] of fishes.

9So when they got out upon the land, they see a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

10Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now taken.

11Simon Peter therefore went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, the net was not rent.

12Jesus saith unto them, Come [and] break your fast. And none of the disciples durst inquire of him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

13Jesus cometh, and taketh the bread, and giveth them, and the fish likewise.

14This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

15So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, [son] of John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16He saith to him again a second time, Simon, [son] of John, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Tend my sheep.

17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, [son] of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

18Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

19Now this he spake, signifying by what manner of death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

20Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; who also leaned back on his breast at the supper, and said, Lord, who is he that betrayeth thee?

21Peter therefore seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?

22Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee? Follow thou me.

23This saying therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, that he should not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee?

24This is the disciple that beareth witness of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his witness is true.

25And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written.

1After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. Now this is how he did so.

2Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael (who was from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of his were together.

3Simon 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.

4When it was already very early morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

5So Jesus said to them, “Children, you don’t have any fish, do you?” They replied, “No.”

6He 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.

7Then 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.

8Meanwhile 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.

9When they got out on the beach, they saw a charcoal fire ready with a fish placed on it, and bread.

10Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you have just now caught.”

11So Simon Peter went aboard and pulled the net to shore. It was full of large fish, 153, but although there were so many, the net was not torn.

12“Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said. But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.

14This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15Then when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”

16Jesus said a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd my sheep.”

17Jesus said a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” and said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep.

18I tell you the solemn truth, when you were young, you tied your clothes around you and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will tie you up and bring you where you do not want to go.”

19(Now Jesus said this to indicate clearly by what kind of death Peter was going to glorify God.) After he said this, Jesus told Peter, “Follow me.”

20Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. (This was the disciple who had leaned back against Jesus’ chest at the meal and asked, “Lord, who is the one who is going to betray you?”)

21So when Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

22Jesus replied, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours? You follow me!”

23So the saying circulated among the brothers and sisters that this disciple was not going to die. But Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but rather, “If I want him to live until I come back, what concern is that of yours?”

24This is the disciple who testifies about these things and has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

1After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself this way.

2Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.

3Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.” They told him, “We are also coming with you.” They immediately went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing.

4But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus.

5Jesus therefore said to them, “Children, have you anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.”

6He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” They cast it therefore, and now they weren’t able to draw it in for the multitude of fish.

7That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around him (for he was naked), and threw himself into the sea.

8But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away), dragging the net full of fish.

9So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”

11Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fish, one hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn’t torn.

12Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” None of the disciples dared inquire of him, “Who are you?” knowing that it was the Lord.

13Then Jesus came and took the bread, gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

14This is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his disciples, after he had risen from the dead.

15So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

16He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

18Most certainly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you don’t want to go.”

19Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. When he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

20Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ breast at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray You?”

21Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

22Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”

23This saying therefore went out among the brothers, that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, but, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?”

24This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true.

25There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

The risen Jesus appears at the Sea of Galilee, provides a miraculous catch of fish, restores Peter with three questions ("Do you love me? Feed my sheep"), and prophesies Peter's death — the disciple whom Jesus loved bears witness to these things.

Authorship & Background

Author: The Apostle John — the "disciple whom Jesus loved" (v.20,24).
Historical Context: Chapter 21 is an epilogue to John's Gospel, recording a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus by the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). It focuses on two things: the miraculous catch of fish and the restoration of Peter.
Peter's Restoration: Peter had denied Jesus three times around a charcoal fire (John 18:18,25-27). Now Jesus meets him at another charcoal fire (v.9) and asks him three times "Do you love me?" — one question for each denial. This is not punishment but restoration — Jesus publicly reinstating Peter to his calling before the other disciples.
The Greek Words for Love: In vv.15-17, Jesus uses "agapao" (unconditional, sacrificial love) in His first two questions. Peter responds with "phileo" (brotherly affection, friendship love). In the third question, Jesus uses "phileo" — meeting Peter where he is. This is not Peter lowering the standard; it is Jesus graciously accepting Peter's honest answer and working with it.
153 Fish (v.11): The exact number has fascinated scholars for centuries. Various explanations: (1) the number of known species of fish at the time, (2) a symbolic number, (3) simply an eyewitness detail. The net did not break — a picture of the church holding all who come to Christ.

Map & Geography

  • The Sea of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee, v.1): The post-resurrection appearance occurred on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples had returned to fishing in Galilee.
  • Galilee: Jesus had told the disciples to meet Him in Galilee (Matt. 28:10). This chapter records that meeting — back where their journey with Jesus first began.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the significance of the charcoal fire, the Greek words for love in vv.15-17, the meaning of "Feed my sheep," Peter's martyrdom prophecy, and the closing statement of the Gospel.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Peter's Restoration" on vv.15-17 (MTP Vol. 37, No. 2205) "Three times denied — three times restored. Jesus did not ignore the failure; He addressed it directly. He did not minimize it; He healed it. He asked the question that needed to be asked, and He asked it in front of the others — because Peter's restoration needed to be as public as his denial." Sermon: "Follow Thou Me" on v.19 (MTP Vol. 20, No. 1163) "After all the failure, after the denial, after the shame — Follow Me. Not 'go away and prove yourself first.' Not 'earn your way back.' Just Follow Me. The call of Christ is always forward, never backward."

Videos

David Guzik — Enduring Word Video Series (John)

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_QIfO0mxbX4zgQH4vuK6q1q7gu8Ok6tz John 21:1-14 - Glory at Breakfast: John 21:15-25 - Glory's Restoration:

Reflection

  • 1. Peter went back to fishing after the resurrection — back to what he knew, back to his old life. When you've failed or feel disqualified, do you go back to your old life? Jesus came to find Peter there — and He comes to find you where you've retreated to as well.
  • 2. Jesus asked Peter "Do you love me?" three times — once for each denial. He didn't ignore the failure or pretend it didn't happen. He addressed it directly and specifically. Is there a failure in your past that you need Jesus to address directly — not to condemn you but to restore you?
  • 3. "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee" (v.17). Peter stopped defending himself and appealed to Christ's knowledge of his heart. That is the most honest prayer a man can pray — "Lord, you know." What do you need to bring to Jesus with that kind of honesty?
  • 4. "Follow me" — after all the failure, the same call. Jesus doesn't give Peter a new, reduced calling. He gives him the same one. What calling has God placed on your life that failure or shame has caused you to step back from? Is it time to hear "Follow me" again?
  • 5. The disciples fished all night and caught nothing — then obeyed Jesus' specific instruction and caught 153 fish. Where in your life are you working hard in your own strength and coming up empty? What specific instruction from Christ are you not following?
  • 6. Jesus prepared breakfast for His disciples (v.9-13). The risen Lord of the universe made them breakfast. What does this tell you about the kind of God you serve — His attention to ordinary needs, His care for the practical details of your life?
  • 7. Jesus asked Peter "Do you love me more than these?" (v.15). What are the "these" in your life — the things that compete with your love for Christ? Career, comfort, reputation, relationships? How would you honestly answer Jesus' question right now?
  • 8. Peter asked about John — "Lord, and what shall this man do?" Jesus said "What is that to thee? Follow thou me" (vv.21-22). We often compare our calling, our suffering, our path to others'. How does Jesus' answer to Peter speak to your tendency to compare yourself to others?
  • 9. John closes by saying the world itself could not contain the books that could be written about Jesus (v.25). The Gospel accounts are a selection — the most important things, chosen to produce faith. What does it mean to you that the infinite God has been made knowable through the finite words of Scripture?