Raynette K Weiss Ministries would like the congregation to know that we will have chapters a day with a book of the bible throughout a month or sometimes we may start another book within the month if the book is short. It will be a chapter a day Monday through Saturday along with some other things to do with the chapter, sometimes there might be special announcements that may not have to do with the book We are an online Ministry only, but we are here for everyone. We would like your input in what you would like to see on the site so we can improve it for you. We do go all over the world on this site. We wish to hear from you. Our contact information is; phone: 202-412-5672. Email: raynettekweissministries@yahoo.com. Facebook: www.facebook.com/raynettekweissministries. We are a Ministry that is ABSOLUTELY FREE. However we do encourage you to tithe to your local churches or other ministries. We are here 24 hours a day for your needs.
1.After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.
2.There 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.
3.Simon 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.
4.But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
5.Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6.And 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.
7.Therefore 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.
8.And 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.
9.As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10.Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
11.Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12.Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13.Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14.This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
15.So 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.
16.He 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.
17.He 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.
18.Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest 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.
19.This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
20.Then 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?
21.Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22.Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
23.Then 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?
24.This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
25.And 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.
Summary John Chapter 25
The first part, John 21:1-14, is about fish and fishing; the second part, to be discussed next time, is about sheep and shepherding.
Although the ultimate goal of this chapter is to prepare Peter for ministry, this cannot happen without Jesus again descending to physically share a meal with him and some of his co-disciples. In the Synoptic Gospels, Peter emerges as the leader; but in John’s Gospel, the Beloved Disciple (whom we’ll refer to as the B.D.) outshines Peter in both faithfulness and insight. At crucial times, Peter has failed Jesus. Only the risen Lord has the authority to rehabilitate him.
Story for John Chapter 21
No fish story without a boat
In 1986, a drought in northern Israel caused the water level in the Sea of Galilee to drop far enough for two brothers, amateur archaeologists from a nearby kibbutz, to discover the remains of an ancient boat preserved in the mud. It was carefully raised, amid much excitement. It had probably been sunk at a point when it was beyond repair, since it was composed of ten different wood types and had gone through repeated fixes. The boat’s flat bottom design allowed it to get close to the shore while fishing.
Pottery and radiocarbon dating put the age of the boat between 50 BCE and 50 CE, thus covering the dates of Jesus’s life. Though not directly connected to Jesus, this is the type of boat he and his disciples would have used. This particular boat would have been large enough to hold the seven disciples of John 21:2.
At loose ends
After remaining in Jerusalem for at least a week after Jesus’s resurrection, the disciples apparently dispersed to their homes, perhaps uncertain what to do next. So Peter and the “sons of Zebedee” (James and John) revert to their former occupation, bringing along four other comrades: Thomas, Nathaniel of Cana (John 1:45-51), and two other disciples, one of whom must be the B.D. They go fishing, staying out all night. But it’s a bust (v 3).
Fish as taxable luxury
If we thought about it at all, we probably imagined local Galilean fishermen catching fish in the lake and selling them in the market. Not so fast! In those days, protein-rich fish was a luxury item. According to Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh’s social-science commentary on John, people leased their rights to fish from toll collectors like Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), who demanded up to 40 percent of the catch. Then they traded the rest of the catch to middlemen who also took a big cut before fish ever reached the market. How discouraging it was to work all night and make nothing—especially since their itinerant lifestyle with Jesus had surely caused hardship for their families back home.
Readers have often puzzled over the 153 fish that were caught that morning—is it a symbolic number? If so, it’s pretty obscure. Maybe they were just counting to see how many fish they’d have to forfeit to the toll collector.
An unforgettable breakfast
At dawn, Jesus stands on the beach, but the boat is too far away for the disciples to see who it is. But when he calls them “children” and tells them where to cast their net for a huge haul, the B.D. figures it out in a hurry: “It is the Lord!” (vv 5-7). So ever-impulsive Peter jumps into the sea and heads for shore. But why put onclothes (v 7), when people today would strip them off to swim? Slaves and manual laborers were expected to wear only a loincloth when working (see John 13:4), but for the sake of honor, no respectable man would approach another man “naked”—that is, without his more formal robe. Peter may arrive dripping wet, but he will do so honorably!
By the time everyone arrives, Jesus is making breakfast, just as he did back in John 6 when he fed 5000 people. Like an ordinary housewife, he fries flatbread and cooks some of the fish they had just caught. I can see the disciples standing around awkwardly, unused to helping with women’s work, and not knowing what to say (v 12). They know it is “the Lord,” but how does one converse with a post-dead friend? (Are your wounds healing? How did you get out of the tomb and where did you find clothes to wear? Where do you go when you’re not with us?) If the B.D. is indeed Lazarus, can he contribute a few resuscitation insights? We’ll never know!
Just as he’s done in the past, Mother Jesus “takes the bread and gives it to them, and does the same with the fish” (v 13). Yes, it is the same Jesus as before—like a mother serving and eating breakfast with her children.
Prayer for John Chapter 21
Heavenly Father we pray that our congregation will understand this chapter. We also praise you for working so closely with peter so he could rehabilitate. Only you can rehabilitate when necessary. We thank you in Jesus’s name Amen.