John 21 - Jon Courson's Application Commentary

John 21 provides validation of ministry. You see, although Peter and John would go on to travel together in ministry, there would be those who would question Peter’s ministry due to his denial of the Lord previously. John seems to write this epilogue, including this final story, to let us know that our God being the God of the second chance, Peter’s ministry was particularly and singularly commissioned by the Lord. Secondly, John 21 provides a correction of a misunderstanding. That is, word had gone out through the early church that John wouldn’t die before the Lord’s return. We’ll see John address this issue toward the end of the chapter.

Jesus showed Himself again. I really like that because my desire is that Jesus would show Himself again to me, to you, and to the church. Robert W. Gale, a famous Congregational minister with numerous degrees, was preparing an Easter message. Hundreds of people would hear this particular address, thus he worked very hard on polishing it. He had a historical faith, but he later said that on that night before Easter Sunday, his historical faith became “hysterical faith” as he realized the Lord is truly alive. I hope you have hysterical faith. Historical faith says, “Christ lives.” But hysterical, radical faith says, “Christ lives in me” (see Galatians 2:20).

Seven of the twelve disciples were fishermen. I find it interesting that Jesus seemed to be inclined toward choosing fishermen to be His disciples. Fishermen by nature must know how to persevere through both calm seas and stormy weather. The same is true of ministry. If you want to serve the Lord, you must learn to serve Him, as Paul would tell Timothy, “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). Whether the sun is shining or the trials abounding, we must be like fishermen, who, regardless of the weather, make their way to the sea. Working in teams, fishermen were those who could take commands. One would tell the other where to cast the net and when to draw it in. Certainly those of us who want to be used by the Lord must be those who work as a team and take commands easily. Perhaps more than any other occupation, any other endeavor, fishing requires patience. So, too, those who minister for the Lord must be those who are exceedingly patient as they wait for the haul to come in.

Two of the disciples in the boat are unnamed. Why? I suggest it allows you and me to take our place with these disobedient renegades, for we too have found ourselves going fishing when we should have been on the mountain. You see, in Matthew 28, we read that the Lord specifically told His disciples to meet Him in Galilee at a mountain He had appointed. But where did these disciples go? To the beach. Thus, maybe your name fits as one of these unnamed disciples. Mine certainly does as the other.

The problem with going off on our own excursions is that others are affected by our little detours, our disobedient side trips. Jesus warned us about setting our hand to the plow and looking back (Luke 9:62). “Forgetting that which lies behind, I press on,” declared Paul (see Philippians 3:13). But Peter here is looking back-and looking back will paralyze. Ask Lot’s wife.

It’s not surprising that the disciples entered the ship at night because it’s always dark when you say, “I wonder if I should go back to the old gang, to the old ways, to the old spots.” Truly, whenever you go back, it’s always dark.

Isn’t this what we’ve found when we’ve gone back? When you go back, it’s just not there. It just doesn’t work any longer. You come up empty.

Daylight was breaking for the Dayspring was observing (Luke 1:78).

“Backsliders!” Nope. “Rebels!” Nope. “Ex-Apostles! Former Disciples!” Nope. Jesus calls these disobedient disciples His kids.

Here is where a true miracle takes place. When asked if they had caught anything, these fishermen answer, “No.” Fishermen always say, “The nibbles have been fabulous,” or “You should have seen the one that got away.” But there comes a point in life when you go back and realize it stinks, that there’s nothing there. It sounded so good as you reminisced about the wind blowing your hair and the smell of fish in the air; the rocking of the boat and being with the boys. It sounded so good when you thought about it, but when you actually got there, it wasn’t the way you thought it would be. Satan has the ability to remind us of the kicks of the old ways. But what he fails to bring to mind are the kickbacks that inevitably follow.

Why the right side? Because whatever Jesus says is always right.

Think about this, you who have been toiling, working, wondering when it’s going to happen. Success for these disciples was only a boat’s width away. Three, perhaps four, feet from one side of the boat to the other-that’s how close they were to success in this fishing endeavor. And you might be just three or four feet away from seeing success happen in your life, in your ministry, in your occupation. How do you move the three or four feet that make all the difference?

“Mr. Getty,” asked an eager young man, “what’s the secret of success?”

“It’s very simple,” answered the billionaire. “Rise early, work late… and strike oil.”

How do you strike oil?

How do you find success? You do what Jesus says. Listen to what He’s telling you in your heart. Perhaps He’s been dealing with you, speaking to you about a certain issue, but you’ve thought His direction doesn’t relate to the challenge you face or the endeavor you’ve undertaken. The disciples could have said, “We’ve been fishing all night. We’re experts. What do three feet have to do with anything?” But when they did what He said, they were immediately on the right side.

So, too, you might be very close to success in the best sense of the word. All you have to do is decide to obey what Jesus has told you in your heart. It’s not mystical. It’s not difficult. It’s just a matter of saying, “You’ve been telling me in my heart that I am to do a certain thing, Lord. And I now purpose to do it.”

There’s the contemplator, the mystic, John.

Literally “stripped for work” to his undergarments, Peter grabs his coat and dives in. That’s the doer, the activist, Peter.

All night long the disciples had been looking for fish-when all the while, Jesus had it right at hand, freshly grilled, ready to eat. Haven’t you discovered this to be so? Haven’t you discovered over and over again when you go off on your little excursions, that when you come back to the Lord you find in Him what you longed for all along?

In verse 6, the disciples were not able to lift the net. Yet the same word is used here in verse 11 to say that Peter himself was able to draw it. In other words, in drawing the net, Peter did single-handedly what the group could not do collectively. How? There is only one explanation: because the command of the Lord was given. Thus, what the disciples couldn’t do in their own strength, Peter could do by himself simply because the Lord had said, “Bring the fish.” The Word God speaks is the very source of power to do what He asks.

Why do you suppose the number of fish is recorded? And why are we told the net was not broken? Earlier, in a similar miracle, Luke says when they took in a miraculous haul, the net broke (5:6). This speaks of evangelism. In the amphitheatre at Applegate Christian Fellowship or in crusades, the gospel is preached and a haul is taken in, but not all who respond will continue on. In the parable of the soils, only one in four goes on to bear abundant fruit (Matthew 13). Consequently, when sixty or eighty people are baptized on a Sunday morning at Applegate, not every one is going to go on and bring forth fruit abundantly. But of those who are truly in the kingdom, of those who are brought to shore, not one will be lost. Each one will be accounted for exactly. Thus, as this scenario unfolds, Jesus shows Peter and John that they are not only fishers of men, but tenders of sheep.

In the arena of evangelism, we cannot deal with statistics because we can’t see men’s hearts. But in the shepherding ministry-in pastoring, discipling, or parenting-we must account for every sheep. We must be aware of the brother or sister in need of tending, of touch, of care. Whose job is this? Each of ours. Those of us who love the Lord have the joint responsibility of saying, “Where is #151? I gotta go find him.” And here Jesus makes a transfer in Peter’s thinking, showing him he is to be not only a fisher of men evangelistically, but a tender of sheep pastorally.

“Come and see,” Jesus said in John 1.

“Come and drink,” He said in John 7.

“Come and dine,” He says in John 21.

A meal of fish and loaves-does that ring a bell? (Matthew 15:36).

It wasn’t until after Peter was fed that Jesus talked to him about feeding others. Gang, if you’re not being fed, don’t attempt to feed others, because what you give out will not be nutritious. It’ll be junk food, hollow calories. If, however, you are being fed, make sure you feed others-because if you just keep getting fed and don’t feed others, you’ll become spiritually bloated and lethargic.

To what does the word “these” refer? Perhaps Jesus was pointing to the disciples. “Lord, if they all fail you, I never will,” Peter had said earlier. Perhaps Jesus was pointing to the one hundred fifty -three fish, thereby saying, “Do you love Me more than fishing, Peter?” Perhaps it was in reference to the boats. “Do you love Me more than your occupation-or is work your highest priority?”

“Do you love Me more than these disciples, more than those fish, more than that boat? Do you love Me, Peter?” The word Jesus uses is agapao-the highest kind of love. “I’ve fed you; I’ve shown grace to you; I’m reaching out toward you,” said Jesus. “Do you love Me with a perfect kind of love?”

There are four words in Greek for love. Storge is the affection one feels for a puppy. Eros is a sexual kind of love. Phileo is brotherly love. Agape love gives for the sake of giving, never expecting anything in return. Here, Peter uses phileo.

“A good place for you to start, Peter, in this restorative process is to feed lambs.” Want to be a good minister, a good teacher, a good communicator? The best training you’ll ever get is with children because they won’t snow you. If you’re boring, they won’t look at you and nod politely. If you’re not communicating, if you’re not connecting, you’ll know it. Children force you to define your terms. They don’t let you hide behind big words. Maybe you feel like you’ve been on a fishing excursion. Get involved in kids’ ministries. Feed the lambs. It’s a privilege and the finest preparation you’ll ever have.

The Greek word translated “feed” is poimaino, which means “to tend, or to shepherd.” “Feed my lambs, Peter, but also care for them,” Jesus instructed.

This time Jesus uses the word phileo.

Peter would not say, “I love You unconditionally” because He could not say it. You see, Jesus had earlier said that the one who loves Him is the one who keeps His commandments (John 14:21). He had commanded His disciples to meet Him on the mountain (Matthew 28:16)-which is why Peter here says, “You know all things, Lord. You know I’m in the wrong place even now. That’s why I can’t say I love You the way You taught us to love You. But I do like You.”

“Great,” answered Jesus. “I’ll meet you there. Feed My sheep. Get involved in service. Let Me use you.”

The Lord will meet us wherever we’re at-and He’ll go with us as far as we want to go. You can go on in ministry, in knowing the Lord intimately, in worship, in praise, and in prayer. You can go on as far as you want, and He’ll go with you.

“Peter, when you were young, you wanted to give your life for Me. But you didn’t. You backed down. Guess what. You’re going to make it when you’re old. Yes, they’ll carry you off-but it’s ultimately what you aspired to in your younger days.”

What about John? John would be poisoned, boiled, and exiled before he finally died. But Jesus doesn’t tell Peter this.

For topical study of John 21:18-22, see “What is That to Thee?” below.

Jesus didn’t say John would live until He returned. He simply said John’s days were in His hand.

The world could not even hold all that should be written of Jesus. But Ephesians 2 indicates that in the ages to come, we will at last be able to explore more fully His grace and mercy.

John tells us in Revelation that there are four creatures in heaven who praise the Lord ceaselessly, perpetually, and eternally. This goes on day and night because they’re continually seeing different facets, different sides, different aspects of the Person of Jesus (4:8).

And the same thing will happen eternally with you. Jesus will so captivate your heart and expand your mind that, as you explore and experience the exceeding riches of His grace and goodness, you will praise Him throughout eternity.