John 21
IN the previous chapter the Lord pronounces His blessing upon those especially who not seeing have believed. This is descriptive of the Christian position, and is connected with the manifestation of Jesus to the apostles for the purposes of their testimony. Subsequently there was a second manifestation to Thomas in order that seeing he might not be unbelieving but believing. The scene now changes from Jerusalem to the sea of Tiberias, and we see a third manifestation different in character from the others.
Beside Judas, of whom John makes no mention after the betrayal in the garden, there were absent on this occasion only four of the original company of twelve — Thomas, the doubter, a tendency of all melancholy temperaments, was there; Nathanael, an Israelite without guile; the sons of Zebedee, one of whom was the loved disciple; and lastly, impetuous Peter, besides two others unnamed. All are described according to their designations or associations in flesh.
Peter, ill at ease and evidently fretting at the slow development of the ways of God and, in the meanwhile, his own consequent inactivity, but as ever the moving spirit among the disciples, says to them, “I go to fish.” Had he forgotten his call to preach and to serve his brethren, not to fish? or did he fear that his commission had been revoked? More probably he had not since his fall drawn sufficiently near his Master to feel that confidence had been restored.
He and they with him go on board, and that night take nothing. It was their old trade and their old fishing-grounds, but no success. Yet times of disappointment and peril, as often with us, had been fruitful of lessons and experiences for Peter.
With the dawn Jesus stood upon the shore, unrecognized by the disciples, and He says to them, “Children, have ye anything to eat?” The energy of nature produces for the saint and servant of God much labor and toil, but little fruit. They answer, “No.” He directs them to cast the net at the right side of the ship, and having done so they are no longer able to draw it from the multitude of fishes.
A conscience really aroused recognizes the divine presence, as Peter already knew by an earlier experience. The effect of this is often to feel that the Lord should be towards us according to what we have been for Him. But in this chapter it is a recognition of affection. John at once discerns the presence of the Lord.
What will be true in the history of the Jewish remnant of the coming day, as described in the Song of Songs, is here exhibited in principle. It is true also in the history of many souls, even where conscience is at rest, that spiritual affections often lie long dormant, and but very little exercised, until the Lord presents Himself in circumstances which bereave the heart of every prop, interest, or excitement of nature, expressing therein His sovereignty of grace and superiority to everything besides. Thus it is here.
John says to Peter, “It is the Lord.” Forgetting his all-night fruitless toil, and the then present superabundant catch, Peter girds on his overcoat, and, reckless of the waves, casts himself into the sea. The others come in the small boat, dragging the net of fishes. On landing they see a fire of coals, and fish laid on it and bread. Jesus tells them to bring of the fishes they had taken, and Peter draws the net to land.
It is noticeable that John is careful to give figures. In the feeding of the multitude he and Mark alone give the computation of two hundred pence as insufficient to provide bread for all. Similarly, when Mary anoints Jesus at the supper in Bethany, he and Mark name three hundred pence as the estimated value of the ointment. So here he states that they were some two hundred cubits from the shore, and that there were one hundred and fifty-three large fishes in the net, and yet it was not rent. There may be a mystical import in this latter number, as there is in other parts, and indeed in the greater part of this chapter; but the prominent point is that the net sufficed to land the fish and was not rent. For this it is the contrast to what happened when Peter’s conscience was laid bare, and he became deeply convinced of his sinful state (Luke 5:6-86And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. (Luke 5:6‑8)). In the present instance it is not the conscience so much as the heart that must be searched. In the former case Peter received his commission to preach the gospel, now he is commanded to feed the lambs and the sheep. It is true also that dispensationally the haul of fishes may represent the introduction of blessing in millennial power in which there is no failure, as there is in the gospel preaching today; neither is there any gathering of the good into vessels as in the Christian dispensation. Here the disciples leave the fish to follow Jesus.
Though knowing Him, there was distance and reserve between the disciples and the Lord, very much as there must be between the coming Christ and His earthly saints in the future day. Grace, then as now, alone can remove it. Jesus invites them to dine, and comes and takes the bread and gives to them, and also the fish.
Moreover, the Spirit draws attention to this scene as being the third time that Jesus risen had manifested Himself to the disciples. It was a third, and a different character of manifestation from the preceding. The first conveyed the apostolic commission of grace to the world; the second, the inferior blessing to those who believe when they see: the last refers symbolically to the power of Christ which, when all else fails, brings universal blessing on earth in unstinted measure, involving, however, a certain reserve and distance on the part of those who shall enjoy it.
These manifestations seem to be in inverse order to the signs with which the Lord began His ministry. There we have first the changing the water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana, to which city Nathanael belonged. It cannot be doubted that this was emblematic of the kingdom joy. Following this, was the healing of the nobleman’s son at Capernaum, who was sick unto death, also at Cana. Here the question is raised, as with Thomas, of seeing in order to believing, the principle on which the Jewish remnant will be blessed (4:48). Then, thirdly, from chapter 5 onward, the signs are especially connected with Christian truth.