John 21:1-14 The Difference Jesus Makes

Introduction

Last week, we saw more appearances by Jesus. He is now the risen Lord, he is the conquering king, he is the one who defeated death, and by his hand, he will send out his disciples, even as he was sent.

We’ve seen Jesus, led to his death on the cross, yet willingly submitting to it and giving up his life.

Then, the three days in the tomb, and finally, that dramatic sunrise as he walked out of the grave!

We saw him speak with Mary, then, his disciples. So, Jesus answered the fears of the 10, disarmed the doubts of Thomas, and assured us of the answers found in this book. Jesus is risen, he is alive! We are to proclaim that! Matter of fact, these guys were even told to proclaim it!

Remember John 20:21

John 20:21 ESV

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

So, this group, that had only a few days earlier, turned their backs to Jesus, are now told to turn their sights on the world to spread the Gospel to every creature.

I wonder how they felt about that... You know, I think some fear and doubt still followed these guys. Why? Well, because they still follow us today. We’re all human, after all. I mean, think about it. These guys had abandoned Jesus, denied Jesus, and didn’t believe Jesus. Most of them scattered at Jesus’ They failed. And after failure, it can be hard to move forward. Like when you attempted a plumbing repair, and then flooded the house and decided to leave pipes to the experts. Or when you tried to make that fancy dessert, and it blew up, or burnt up, or bubbled over and you decided to leave that for the professionals. Or when you tried drawing something for your child, and the result left you realizing that maybe you should leave that to an actual artist. In other words, failure can drive us to thinking we should never try again. And, if we’re honest, people telling us it’s “ok” and to “try again” doesn’t always help. We know we failed, that’s all we need to know. So, I’m curious if that’s how the disciples felt, seeing as disciples today often feel the same. So, while they were in their home country, waiting for more from Jesus, they decided to provide for their families, take care of some business, or maybe even just relax with something they totally knew how to do…and failed. Again. It’s bad enough to fail and something you aren’t familiar with. It’s WAY worse to fail at something you’re supposed to be good at. These professional fishermen…caught no fish. One thing for you or me to fail at a plumbing job, it’s another when the expert plumber messes it up. One thing for you or me to fail at baking that crazy food, but another when an experienced chef messes up his signature dish. One thing for you or me to not get something right on that sketch, but another when the professional artist just isn’t feeling it and can’t get anything to work. That’s a whole other level of failure and defeat. But…that wasn’t the end of the story. There is hope in the failure.

1-3a - Opening

John 21:1–3 ESV

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 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.

I’m going fishing” says Peter. And that brings us to the first major issue of the text. There are two very distinct ways of viewing this passage. While both end up with similar charges for our own lives, both ways have very different approaches to these events and those involved. So, a quick run down. Some pastors, commentators, and others, see this as an outright rejection of their holy office, and an abandonment of their apostolic duties in exchange for going back to the jobs and lives they had before Jesus. They see Peter’s “I’m going fishing” as the words of a man determined to do anything except follow God. They see those words as Peter’s intention to give it all up, to forget it ever happened, and go back to life as normal. So this whole story is setting up a sharp rebuke, and narrowly avoids apostasy. Peter is leading others into abandoning God and it’s only the appearance of Jesus that prevents them from falling further. Perhaps that is the point. There’s only one problem. They are never rebuked for fishing. They are never corrected for fishing. They are never called out for fishing. And as much as it makes a good sermon, the best sermons actually deal with the text. What if this fishing wasn’t the problem, or even that much of a problem? What if Jesus wasn’t here to rebuke, but to encourage?

As Gregory the Great put it 1,500 year ago: “GREGORY. (Hom. lxxxiv.) “The craft which was exercised without sin before conversion, was no sin after it.”

Of course, he also went on to say something somewhat humorous:”

“…Wherefore after his conversion Peter returned to fishing; but Matthew sat not down again for the receipt of custom (ad telonii negotium resedit). For there are some businesses which cannot or can hardly be carried on without sin; and these cannot be returned to after conversion.” GREGORY S. Gregory I. Pope, A.D. 590.”

While we can joke about being a tax collector being evil, true or not, I do think he has a practical point. Some jobs Christians shouldn’t do. But others, especially fishing like here, are totally ok, and the text doesn’t give us a hint that they were doing sin to fish. I do see where others come from if they were fishing instead of doing what Jesus told them to do, but in Matthew 28:10, the disciples were told to go to Galilee and wait for Jesus.

Matthew 28:10 ESV

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

They were in Galilee, and rather than sit inside and do nothing, they were providing for their families and waiting for Jesus. As soon as they recognize him, as we’ll see, they run to him. I’m just not convinced they were abandoning the faith and abandoning their mission as some would claim. Though, of course, I could be wrong. But speaking of these guys, let’s go there!

3b-6 Disciples discouraged and Jesus disguised

John 21:3–6 ESV

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. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 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.

The disciples have done what they knew to do. They were expert fishermen, knew the best spots and best times and best ways to make a living being the experts. Except, this time, they got nothing. Nothing at all. Not even a tiny minnow. After all the emotional roller coaster of the last few days, I have no doubt this was yet another blow they were not ready for. After all the crazy and all the emotions and surprises, no doubt they wanted to do something simple, easy, and something they knew as they tried to wrap their brains around these new realities of life. Give them something familiar to anchor to. But even that was failing them. After trying all night long, with no success, they finally begin heading to shore. They see a figure, Jesus, but like a few times before, don’t know him for who he is. If Jesus purposefully hiding who he was, or was he just so far away they couldn’t see his face? I don’t know. So he asks “children, do you have any fish?” or we may put it “fellas, you catch anything?” Now, it’s possible there’s more to his word choice, calling them children for a reason, but it’s also possible he’s using it much like we use boys. “Yep, me and the boys were fishing last night” or “yeah, that looks heavy, let me call some of the boys over.” When the boys are all in their 30’s and have kids of their own and beards down to their belly buttons. Anyway, he calls to them, and they eloquently reply with “No” You can feel the annoyance, and the frustration. Jesus yells back, “Try the other side.” Any fisherman would know that it WOULDN’T make a difference! A few feet won’t change anything! But, whatever, they’ve tried everything else. May as well follow the crazy guy on the beach. So they do, and the net becomes so full they can’t even get it in the boat! Immediately, they know something is up with that stranger. But John, the beloved disciple, knows even more. He remembered the last time this happened. He remembered who made the difference. While John’s Gospel doesn’t record it, Luke 5 details the scene. Again, a midnight fishing trip is worthless, again Jesus told them to try the other side, and again, a miracle loads their net with more fish than they can handle. Jesus is reminding them of the difference he makes.

7-13 Coming to Jesus and dining with their Provider

John 21:7–13 ESV

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. 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. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 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. 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. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.

John recognizes him, but it’s Peter that reacts the deepest. Peter, having already seen Christ twice, is no less excited to see him now. Perhaps Peter is still trying to impress on Jesus his love for him, and his regret over denying him. That theme gets picked up in the next passage. For now, Peter hops out of the boat and swims the remaining 100 yards to shore. The others follow in the boat. When they arrive, they see Jesus with breakfast! Some bread and fish, the saviors provision, and a reminder of the feeding of the thousands before. Remember the feeding of the 5,000? Remember the feeding of the 4,000? Remeber those miracles of Jesus using the little and the small and the insignificant to make a massive difference?

Jesus provided then, before his resurrection, he would continue to provide after it! Jesus would provide! Jesus will provide...even for you. Jesus is reminding them of the difference he makes. They come, and Jesus sends them to bring in the fish they caught. Yes, Jesus caused the miracle, but he’s not afraid to give them credit for their efforts. So Peter did, he ran back to the boats, now close to shore, and they found 153 fish in the unbroken net. A Miracle! Now, all sorts of kooks have thought way too hard and used far too much imagination on this number. In fact, this entire passage can fall victim to that treatment.

One Catholic wrote: “The number 153 has been given many symbolic meanings, mostly in the sense of the catholicity of the Church (Jerome’s 153 species of fishes) or the total number of the elect. St Augustine discovered—one can hardly guess how—that 10 (the commandments) and 7 (the gifts of the Holy Ghost) in the addition of the whole series 1, 2, 3 … 17 give exactly 153. That the net was not rent suggests the unity and integrity of the Church. The net was used by Christ himself for a parable of the kingdom of heaven Leonard, W. “The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St John.” A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Ed. Bernard Orchard and Edmund F. Sutcliffe. Toronto; New York; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson, 1953. 1017. Print.

Be careful when people get a little too imaginative with the text. Now, the reason the Bible records this many fish is because there were this many fish, not 154, not 152. It’s a historical detail, and one highlighting the over abundance of Christ provision. Let’s not stretch the text beyond that. Jesus invites them to eat, to bring some of their fish to join with his and provide for them all. They knew it was him, they knew this was Jesus. And Jesus took the bread and fish and fed them. What a blessing to feast with the savior! Jesus is reminding them of the difference he makes.

14 Summary

John 21:14 ESV

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

To book end this opening paragraph, we’re reminded of the other appearances of Jesus. Twice now, Jesus has appeared to a majority of the disciples. Twice in locked rooms, once with Thomas, and once without. Now, this is the third time he’s appeared to a group of most of the disciples. This text also leaves no room for skeptics. Jesus rose from the dead. It’s there in black and white and cannot be denied. Jesus rose from the dead. That fact is certain. You may be tempted to think this encounter with Jesus will be as short as the others. But it actually continues. After breakfast, the conversation continues, but I’ll leave that for next week. Yet, this last encounter can seem strange. The first, he breathes on them, reminds them of the Holy Spirit, and offers peace to the fearful. The second, he puts to rest the doubts of Thomas, and Thomas exclaims “My Lord and my God!” With each, we get incredible doctrinal statements and the direct addressing of human failures. What about this one? Jesus appears, causes a miracle of fish, and feeds them. But, I want us to remember John 20:30-31.

John 20:30–31 ESV

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Even this portion was included because it tells us something about Jesus, his person, and his mission. Jesus is obviously displaying the abundance and provision that comes from coming to him, with the counter lesson being the lack of fulfilment and success apart from him. In other words, Jesus is reminding them of the difference he makes. They are about to embark on a lifetime of evangelism, teaching and preaching and prayer! They will be missionaries, church planters, and mighty apostles! They must be strong in the strength of someone else. Their own efforts will not suffice. Success is only found in obeying the savior. Jesus is reminding them of the difference he makes. Jesus will continue to provide, and that even the ordinary in our lives can only have success in him.

But, you may rightly point out that plenty of ungodly have success apart from Christ. Why can’t we? Seems unfair. If non-Christians, through their self efforts, become popular, rich, powerful, and enjoy all the pleasures of sin, what is so different about us and our goals? Well, many celebrities have commented that they aren’t really happy, many rich say it’s never enough. Perhaps they aren’t so happy after all. Even if they are happy, perhaps that is part of God’s mercy, since that’s the most joy they will ever see and they will be condemned to Hellfire forever. Perhaps God gives them such pleasure as they can find here out of mercy, knowing they will never know pleasure again.

But even then, we are children of the King. If you go to Walmart, and your kids are acting like fools, you correct them. But if other kids are going crazy, you tend to leave them be. They aren’t yours. You may correct from time to time, but they aren’t yours, they aren’t held to the same standard, they aren’t raised with the same care. They aren’t yours. The Bible assures us that the Lord chastens, corrects, rebukes, guides, disciplines, his own children, his followers, his people. While end-time judgment is coming for all, and a certain amount of “you reap what you sow” is in place even now, there are times when unbelievers can get away with what you cannot. You are held to a higher standard. You are a child of the king. But lest you think that’s bad, remember, you are a child of the king! You have the guidance of the Holy Ghost, the Comfort of Christ, and the Commission of the King! You have a purpose and a goal and a God who will see you through every trial and tribulation! Jesus is reminding us of the difference he makes.

We live for something more. Something higher. Something greater. We live, as the disciples did, to be fishers of men. We do spiritual work. And to rightly accomplish it, we need the power of the Spirit of God.

Our own efforts, our own cleverness, our own methods cannot make a difference compared to Christ. Can we get people in the pews by doing giveaways, having entertaining services, and fun spectacles? Maybe.

Can we get a lot of names on the membership roll by chasing the latest trends? I suppose. But as we saw last week, Jesus was sent by God and now we are sent by Jesus on the same mission! To proclaim the kingdom of God! Our work is one of spiritual transformation and sanctification. It’s a work of renewing and refining human lives from the inside out. That can only be done by God.

Jesus is reminding us of the difference he makes. So, how do we live this out?

Application

Everything, even the ordinary, should be done in the power of Christ. Everything, even the ordinary, should be done in the power of Christ. If Jesus was so good to provide overwhelming success in the ordinary, how much more would he provide when we are engaged in his extraordinary work! Perhaps, like Peter, you’ve failed Christ. You aimed for the stars and landed in the sewer. You failed. You tried to serve him, tried to follow him, and you made a fool of yourself. It’s out of reach, you just know you can’t make it. Let me assure you of the difference Christ makes! Because, honestly, even those things we’re good at, we’re experts at, even with those things, we can still fail. We can. We can fail at many things. We make mistakes at our job, we forget to put things on our calendars, we miss this or miss that. We fail. But our failure isn’t big enough that Christ can’t use us in some way moving forward. He can catch for us an abundant supply of blessings! Christ can make a difference in the ordinary, in the every day, in the mundane and the simple, so trust me when I say he can make a difference in the extraordinary as well. The God that makes a difference in the small things in life can make a difference in the big things as well. If Christ cared so much he would show his power in something as natural as catching fish, don’t you think he would show his power even more when we fish for men? When we are engaged in those things Christ commands, like being sent as he is sent!

Like being fishers of men! Like when we are fishing for people!

I loved this quote: “A fisherman catches living fish, but when he gets them, they die. A Christian witness seeks to catch “dead fish” (dead in their sins), and when he or she “catches” them, they are made alive in Christ!” Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996. Print.

That is the difference Christ makes! You may believe that you’re too much of a failure. You’ve abandoned Christ, disobeyed Christ, deserted Christ, and even now can think of countless times you’ve failed Christ. Just like the disciples. Yet, I plead with you to hear our text this morning, you may have failed, but in Christ you can succeed! When you hear his voice and heed his command, you can succeed! When you submit to him and serve his plan, you can succeed! When you get on board the boat of his calling, you will sail to the shores of success in him! When you follow him, he will provide. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let me assure you of the difference Christ makes! And that is the need of this hour and of this church!

So don’t forget, you are sent as he is! If we wish to grow our Christian influence and expand our evangelism, we need to hear this message! No, let me reword that…If we want to remain faithful to the mission Christ has entrusted to us, we will preach the Gospel to those around us! But in that, we may get tempted to lean onto techniques, tricks, tips, and our tried and true attempts. We must instead rely on Christ.

“The trouble with the ‘know-how’ of the western churches is not the knowledge in itself, in most cases, but the insidious temptation to trust in it. It is there that the breakdown occurs, and where this story speaks so relevantly. There was nothing wrong with the disciples’ fishing ‘know-how’; it simply did not bring them any fish when they relied upon it. When they followed Jesus and relied on him, to some extent in defiance of the instincts of their experience, the harvest was overwhelming.” Milne, Bruce. The Message of John: Here Is Your King!: With Study Guide. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Print. The Bible Speaks Today.

If you are seeking to see Christ honored and overflowing from your life, we must look more to Scripture than to salesmen, look more at our God than gurus, and more at our Lord than relying on human leaders. The power to accomplish both the ordinary, and the extraordinary, lies in the hands of God. That is the difference Christ makes.

NT Wright- “Jesus, after all, has given his followers a strange and striking commission in chapter 20. They are to work for him. They are to be filled with God’s breath, and be sent into the world as Jesus had been. But if they try to do it their own way, they will fail. They will toil all night and take nothing. The only way is for them to admit defeat, to listen afresh to Jesus’ voice, and to do what he says. Then there is no knowing what they will achieve.”

That is the difference Christ makes!

“We are never far from success when we permit Jesus to give the orders, and we are usually closer to success than we realize.” -Wiersbe

That is the difference Christ makes! We have seen the past few weeks that Christ rose again, A new day has dawned and the sun has risen on this sin-darkened world.

We’ve see the assurance that Jesus lives, as he answered their fears and doubts and provided his Word and blessed those that followed him by faith.

Now, we see the difference he makes in every part of life, and the promise of success he gives to those who obey him.

That is the difference Christ makes!

So, boldly go.

You are sent, time to obey Christ and get to it!

The next time you’re in Walmart, find somebody, anybody in there, and tell them about Jesus!

No, seriously, just do it!

Christ is with you.

It’s easy, Easter’s coming up next Sunday.

So, next time you’re in Walmart, or United, or the local feed store, wherever you find yourself shopping this week, go up to somebody and ask “Hey, Easter Sunday is next Sunday, I’d love for you to join me at church this Sunday.”

Boom! You are sent, now go! Christ is with you.

Or, better yet, hang out on the candy aisle for a bit, wait for somebody to come by as ask “Hey, this is all labeled Easter candy, do you know what Easter is?”

And look for opportunities to share the Gospel!

Share the good news of Jesus with a world that needs it.

You are sent, now go! Christ is with you.

Watch him work.

No, you may not have an overwhelming response your first conversation, or even your second or third. But you’ll never have any response if you never talk to people.

Sometimes fishing takes patience, but laying on the shore never going near the water certainly won’t get you anything.

Hop in, cast out your line, seek out the lost!

What Christ bring you blessings and confidence and assurance and hope and watch him use you to bring others to him!

That is the difference Christ makes!

Will you obey him, will you go, since you are sent? Will you invite someone to church this week?

I hope so, because even as Jesus was sent, we are sent.

We are to fish as his command, and he has commanded us to fish for me.

We toss in the nets, and trust the catching to him.

He is good.

That is the difference Christ makes!

The great Baptist evangelist John R Rice once said:

“Soul winning is the main job of a Christian. The saving of sinners is the thing nearest to the heart of God. For that purpose Christ came to earth, lived, died and rose again. Even now the angels in Heaven rejoice more over one sinner that repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Soul winning is the eternal business. One sows now, then reaps throughout the endless ages of glory.”

His successor more bluntly said:

“"The only alternative to soul winning is disobedience to Christ." — Curtis Hutson”

No matter your previous failure, no matter your previous stumbling, no matter your previous cowardice or doubts or fears, Christ can use you in his eternal harvest, he can use you in his cause, he can provide for you and work miracles for you and bring you success...all when you obey his voice in the ups and downs, when it makes sense and when it doesn’t, when it calls for easy things and when it calls for hard things.

That is the difference Christ makes!