The Miraculous Catch (A Bonus Sign of Harvest)
The Miraculous Catch (A Bonus Sign of Harvest): Have you ever wondered why you are here? Have you ever wondered what meaning or purpose there might be for your life? In the story of the miraculous catch, Jesus revealed that we are invited to join his work in the world — and there will be a great harvest. He doesn’t need us, but he wants us. And nothing could add more meaning or purpose to life. Recorded on Apr 14, 2024, on John 21:1-14 by Pastor David Parks.
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Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.
Sermon Transcript
Since last July, we’ve been working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name, and today, we start the final chapter. As I mentioned last week, after John, we’re going to start the book of Ephesians because John was all about finding life in Jesus’ name. And the book of Ephesians is all about what this life looks like. But today, we’re going to consider the miraculous catch, which I see as something like a bonus sign of harvest. As one of the wings of the art gallery that is John’s gospel, John curated seven miraculous signs that Jesus performed, which revealed his glory and helped his disciples to believe that he was the Messiah and the Son of God. Of course, none of the seven (turning water into wine, feeding the five thousand, or walking on the water) compare to the greatest miracle, which was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. But here, in the epilogue of chapter 21 (last week, I compared it to the gift shop at the end of the gallery), John gives us one more. A bonus sign. A sign that would point ahead to the mission of God and the work of the gospel in the age of the church. Have you ever wondered why you are here? Have you ever wondered what meaning/purpose there might be to your life? Everyone asks these questions at certain points in their lives. In our passage today, John reveals one of the Bible’s greatest answers to our questions of meaning and purpose. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 21:1. We’ll read through this and unpack it as we go.
John 21:1–3 (NIV), “1 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.” Ok, let’s pause here. So, our story takes place sometime after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus had first appeared to Mary Magdalene, then to Peter and the other disciples (minus Thomas the twin), and then to Thomas a week later, which is what we considered last week. Now, scholars are divided about why Peter decided to go fishing here. On the night of the arrest of Jesus, Peter denied even knowing Jesus not once but three times, just as Jesus knew he would. So, after this terrible failure of faith, was Peter giving up? Had he decided to go back to his old job as a fisherman? I don’t think so. We know that Peter was a witness first to the empty tomb and then to the risen Jesus. And he’s still with the other disciples, with Thomas, who had confessed that Jesus was both Lord and God, Nathanael, James and John, the Sons of Zebedee, and the others. I don’t think Peter was giving up. He wasn’t walking away from Jesus. I think he was just going fishing. However, Peter still hadn’t had the chance to speak with Jesus about his betrayal. I’m sure he still felt awful about that and maybe wondered if Jesus had changed his mind about him. But he would get to have that talk. Next week, we’ll consider the restoration of Peter. But here, he says, “I’m going out to fish,” and some of the boys want to come, too. Remember, before Jesus called them to follow him as his disciples, Peter and his brother, Andrew, along with their business partners, James and John (the author of this gospel), had a fishing business together. They were fishermen. So, going fishing wasn’t a sign of a lack of faith; it was what they did. Some of you are thinking, “Wow, finally, a story I can relate to!” But there was a problem. John says they didn’t catch anything. Now, you might be wondering, “Why is this story in the Bible?” Well, this isn’t John’s diary. (“Thursday, Apr 18, Went fishing with the boys, but didn’t catch anything…”) Last week, we saw John’s purpose statement for writing. He said that he wrote down all these signs and “I AM” statements and stories of Jesus, “…that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20:31). Ok! Well, let’s continue and see if this story reveals anything about the person/work of Jesus.
John 21:4-9 (NIV), “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.” Let’s pause once more. I just love this. The disciples had been out all night fishing but hadn’t caught anything. I’m guessing they would’ve been frustrated and exhausted. But early in the morning, as they were coming out of the darkness of night and into the light of day (one of John’s favorite metaphors), they saw a man standing on the shore. And this man called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” How do you think they felt about this? I’d have been so annoyed. “No,” they answered. But the man said, “Why don’t you try fishing on the other side of the boat?” This would make no sense to these fishermen. If you aren’t catching fish on the left side of the boat, you aren’t going to catch fish on the right side of the boat! But remarkably, they cast their net on the right side, and “when they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” It was at this point that John realized, or maybe it had gotten a little lighter out and he could finally see, that the man on the shore was Jesus! So John told Peter, “It is the Lord!” Perhaps part of the reason John realized it was Jesus was because something very similar had happened years earlier. Luke records the story of another night when Peter, James, and John were out fishing and hadn’t caught anything. But then Jesus told them where to fish — and they listened and obeyed his word — and as a result, “…they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” (Lk 5:6). This incident had convinced Peter and the other fishermen to leave everything and follow Jesus. So here, in what I’m calling a bonus sign, the sign of the miraculous catch, Jesus was bringing them full circle. He was bringing them back to the beginning, back to his initial calling on their lives and their response of faith and obedience to him. Even after all that had happened, after everything that Jesus had accomplished for them in his death and resurrection from the dead, this was still what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus. To listen to Jesus, to follow his word/way; even though, at this time, they couldn’t yet see Jesus clearly, they didn’t have all their questions answered, and they still had to mature in their faith. But what’s hilarious about this was Peter’s response. Peter threw his shirt back on, jumped in the water, and started swimming to shore. Of course, this fits Peter’s impulsive personality. He seems to have been the first among the apostles, for better and for worse. But again, Peter probably still felt guilty from his denial of Jesus, and I’m guessing he desperately wanted to be restored to his master. Peter couldn’t wait in the boat. He had to get to Jesus as soon as possible. So he jumped out and swam to shore. But imagine being the other disciples. Like, thanks, Peter. I guess we’ll just haul in all these fish without your help. But when they got to shore, “…they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.” Clearly, Jesus had a plan. Let’s see what it was that Jesus had in mind.
John 21:10–14 (NIV), “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.” This is God’s word. So, Peter listened to Jesus about where to fish, but he didn’t wait for any further instructions before jumping out of the boat. But Jesus had intended for them to enjoy some of the harvest he had provided. So Peter had to climb back into the boat to help drag the net in (again, a funny detail). Now, John says there were 153 large fish and many have wondered about the significance of the number of fish they caught. Why 153? There are many creative theories, but none seem very plausible. For my part, I’ve been fishing with serious fishermen, many times. And here’s one thing I know about them. They count the number of fish they catch — carefully. It’s something they do and they talk about and remember later. My son, Tyler, is still a little bitter that his little sister caught the hundredth fish from a trip years ago. I think John recorded that they caught 153 large fish like he recorded that he beat Peter in the race to the empty tomb. It’s what happened and he’d never forget it. But the first time Jesus directed his disciples to a miraculous catch, Luke records that their nets began to break. Here, John says that “even with so many the net was not torn.” After the death and resurrection of Jesus and with the impending gift of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were equipped to handle the harvest. Their nets could handle it. But do you see what Jesus wanted to do with his disciples? He was their risen Lord, King, Christ, and God. Jesus was the King of the kingdom of God, the Author of life, the Lord of heaven and earth. And yet, Jesus caught some fish, made a fire, baked some bread, and waited for his disciples to come and have breakfast with him. That’s wild. John says this was the third appearance after the resurrection. The first appearance revealed that Jesus was alive. The second appearance put Thomas’ questions and doubts to rest. But what does this third appearance reveal? That Jesus still wanted a personal relationship with his disciples. Despite the grandeur of who Jesus was, he still considered them to be his friends. At the Last Supper, Jesus told them, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (Jn 15:15). Here on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he affirms his friendship with them over breakfast. Isn’t that incredible? With all the things Jesus could’ve been doing, this is what he wanted to do. Even after giving his life for them, Jesus only continued to serve and love his friends. He fed them with the food he had provided, and they enjoyed fellowship together.
Now, I love this story so much, but how might we apply this teaching to our lives today? We must be like these first disciples and not stop at simply listening to God’s word. We must learn to apply God’s word in obedience to Christ — this is what it means to follow Jesus today. Well, I see the sign of the miraculous catch as something like a bonus sign. John very intentionally gave us seven miraculous signs leading up to the resurrection, which, of course, was the greatest sign of them all. And each of these signs revealed something unique about the identity or the mission of Jesus. So, what does this sign reveal to us about Jesus? I believe it reveals a God-given harvest, which represents the results of the mission of God and the work of the gospel in the world. After the first miraculous catch, recorded in Luke, Jesus told these men that from now on, they would fish for people. Matthew recorded that when Jesus called them, he said, “Come, follow me…and I will send you out to fish for people,” and, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Mt 4:19-20). Up until now, they weren’t ready to go because Jesus needed to die and rise again for there to be a gospel message for them to share. And they weren’t ready to go before because Jesus hadn’t yet ascended to the Father in glory. And they weren’t ready to go before because they hadn’t yet received the gift/power/presence of the Holy Spirit. But their hour, the hour where Jesus would send them, just as the Father had sent him, was now at hand. As Jesus told them in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And this sign reveals that in their faithfulness to this work, there would be a great harvest, which is exactly what we see in the book of Acts. So, this story serves as something like a living parable about the future of the early church and how this gospel ministry would work. I believe Jesus was very intentional about this third appearance — to help both those first disciples and those of us who would follow as a result of their message to understand the mission to which we have been called. Let me leave you today with just two lessons from this sign of harvest. First, Jesus doesn’t need us. Did you notice the fact that he already had fish on the shore? God isn’t dependent on us to accomplish his mission in the world. Just the opposite. We are utterly dependent on him. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The disciples tried their best (all night!) but didn’t see any results until they listened to and obeyed Jesus. In the same way, we are utterly dependent on God for seeing people come to faith in Jesus and grow in their faith in Jesus. It is his gospel/mission/harvest depending on his wisdom/power/goodness/Spirit and resulting in his glory/honor/praise. God doesn’t need us. However, the second lesson of this sign is that Jesus wants us. God wants to be with us. He wants to walk in the garden in the cool of the day with us. He wants to dwell among his people. He wants to have breakfast with us and have fellowship with us. He wants us to be in his family. And he wants us to join the family business. God wants us to join him in his work in the world. Through joyful obedience to and faithful reliance on Jesus, the disciples saw a miraculous harvest. They saw God do incredible things. And this is still how God works in the world. He still calls people to follow him; he still saves them through faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God; he still pours out his love and the Holy Spirit into their lives; and he still offers us real/eternal life in his kingdom. But to accept the life that is found by faith in Jesus’ name, we also accept the mission of God in the world: To help others come to faith and grow in their faith in Jesus. This is why we are here and this is one of the things that gives great meaning and purpose in our lives. But if we do this, if we heed the call and learn to listen and obey Jesus, we’ll not only get to see the miracles of God in the lives of people around us, but we too will enjoy the presence and power of Christ himself, who not only sends us out but goes with us as our friend as we go. He doesn’t need us, but he wants us. Let us pray.