Bible Reading
Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Devotional
We cannot overstate the magnitude of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a cosmic event. What actually happened in the “heavenlies” the moment the risen Christ broke through the eternal shield that separated the first Adam from the last Adam? What was it like in the “spiritual atmosphere” when the resurrection separated the wages of sin (death) from the fruit of perfect righteousness (life)? What was death’s prince (Satan) doing and thinking when this “shield” was penetrated? The power that was manifested at that glorious moment had to be nothing less than 70 billion megatons of spiritual dunamis or dynamite. All of creation knew of it. All of creation trembled and roared in adoration and praise, or in the case of the dark side, in fear and disgust. Whatever it was that was going on at that peculiar moment in time, we know one thing…it was cosmic!
This cosmic event resulted in a cosmic change in the vehicle through which life flowed. The “body” took on a refreshed order. It became inverted. That which was physical first and spiritual second, now became such that the spiritual existed primary to the physical. Instead of the physical going in front of and showing the spiritual, the new “first fruits” body of the resurrected One was such that the spiritual went out in front of, and revealed, the physical. With this new “vehicle”, you see the physical through the spiritual. You do not see the physical until you first see the spiritual.
And so, in Jesus’ resurrected body we get a glimpse of how we who are the “second fruits” will appear in heaven. The prototypical “first fruits” exemplifies how the new “spiritual body” will function. What can we know, prior to heaven, about how we will look when we are there? Will people recognize us? Will we be able to identify our loved ones? Will our bodies still have the same physical limitations that they have now?
Of course, we cannot know the answers to these questions for certain, nor all the nuances and caveats regarding bodily movement, abilities, and appearances. Nevertheless, we do have a preview of this “movie” because we do see a first fruits body: the resurrected body of Christ. Over a period of forty days, Jesus showed up in at least a dozen separate appearances to hundreds of people. What did He look like? How did His body function?
In various instances, what He looked like is a curious matter. At least three times, His disciples did not recognize Him at first. These were ones who spent much time with Him and would certainly know Him when they saw Him. Mary Magdalene saw Him outside His tomb and thought He was the gardener. Then, Jesus called her by name. When He said, “Mary,” it is as if her eyes were opened and she recognized Him (John 20:11-18). In another case, Peter and others were fishing on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus stood on the beach but they did not recognize Him. Then Jesus called out to them addressing them as “children” and telling them to cast their nets to find a catch. They got a huge catch and then recognized Jesus (John 21:1-14). Later, two disciples walked with Him for hours on the Road to Emmaus, and yet, did not recognize Him. When their journey ended, they took the Lord’s Supper together and in the breaking of the bread their eyes were opened (Luke 24:13-35).
In each of the above cases, recognition came in the context of a personal relationship interaction that had spiritual overtones. Mary did not recognize Him until He called her by her name. The disciples who were fishing recognized Him when He addressed them as His children and encouraged them in what represented a very spiritually memorable experience that harkened back to when they first laid eyes on Him: the catching of the fish that represented Jesus’ call and commission on their lives (Luke 5:1-11). The disciples on the Road to Emmaus recognized Him when He broke bread at the table and celebrated with them the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus’ seemingly “inverted” body (the physical subordinate to the spiritual) might explain another curious aspect of His appearances. He physically seems to suddenly “appear” in a room. After the event at the tomb with Mary, “when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:19). He then showed them His hands and His side; His physical body. He is there physically, yet He seems to have shown up via a more spiritual mode. This picture is repeated “after eight days” when “Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst” (John 20:26-27).
So what does this mean for us? Jesus’ resurrected body gives us some clues. Might we know others through our spirits? Others may recognize us as our appearance is channeled through our spiritual being. Might we “travel” with less restriction? Will our physical body movement, both in space and time, be more in keeping with our spiritual body? We do not know for sure, but Jesus’ resurrected body may have painted a picture for us. First fruits is an assurance of second fruits!
This cosmic event resulted in a cosmic change in the vehicle through which life flowed. The “body” took on a refreshed order. It became inverted. That which was physical first and spiritual second, now became such that the spiritual existed primary to the physical. Instead of the physical going in front of and showing the spiritual, the new “first fruits” body of the resurrected One was such that the spiritual went out in front of, and revealed, the physical. With this new “vehicle”, you see the physical through the spiritual. You do not see the physical until you first see the spiritual.
And so, in Jesus’ resurrected body we get a glimpse of how we who are the “second fruits” will appear in heaven. The prototypical “first fruits” exemplifies how the new “spiritual body” will function. What can we know, prior to heaven, about how we will look when we are there? Will people recognize us? Will we be able to identify our loved ones? Will our bodies still have the same physical limitations that they have now?
Of course, we cannot know the answers to these questions for certain, nor all the nuances and caveats regarding bodily movement, abilities, and appearances. Nevertheless, we do have a preview of this “movie” because we do see a first fruits body: the resurrected body of Christ. Over a period of forty days, Jesus showed up in at least a dozen separate appearances to hundreds of people. What did He look like? How did His body function?
In various instances, what He looked like is a curious matter. At least three times, His disciples did not recognize Him at first. These were ones who spent much time with Him and would certainly know Him when they saw Him. Mary Magdalene saw Him outside His tomb and thought He was the gardener. Then, Jesus called her by name. When He said, “Mary,” it is as if her eyes were opened and she recognized Him (John 20:11-18). In another case, Peter and others were fishing on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus stood on the beach but they did not recognize Him. Then Jesus called out to them addressing them as “children” and telling them to cast their nets to find a catch. They got a huge catch and then recognized Jesus (John 21:1-14). Later, two disciples walked with Him for hours on the Road to Emmaus, and yet, did not recognize Him. When their journey ended, they took the Lord’s Supper together and in the breaking of the bread their eyes were opened (Luke 24:13-35).
In each of the above cases, recognition came in the context of a personal relationship interaction that had spiritual overtones. Mary did not recognize Him until He called her by her name. The disciples who were fishing recognized Him when He addressed them as His children and encouraged them in what represented a very spiritually memorable experience that harkened back to when they first laid eyes on Him: the catching of the fish that represented Jesus’ call and commission on their lives (Luke 5:1-11). The disciples on the Road to Emmaus recognized Him when He broke bread at the table and celebrated with them the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus’ seemingly “inverted” body (the physical subordinate to the spiritual) might explain another curious aspect of His appearances. He physically seems to suddenly “appear” in a room. After the event at the tomb with Mary, “when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:19). He then showed them His hands and His side; His physical body. He is there physically, yet He seems to have shown up via a more spiritual mode. This picture is repeated “after eight days” when “Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst” (John 20:26-27).
So what does this mean for us? Jesus’ resurrected body gives us some clues. Might we know others through our spirits? Others may recognize us as our appearance is channeled through our spiritual being. Might we “travel” with less restriction? Will our physical body movement, both in space and time, be more in keeping with our spiritual body? We do not know for sure, but Jesus’ resurrected body may have painted a picture for us. First fruits is an assurance of second fruits!