Know The Lord
Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberius. It happened this way: Simon Peter … and … other disciples were together. “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. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 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 … When they landed they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. None of the disciples dared ask him “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord … This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead
John 21:1-6,8-10,12-14
‘Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberius.’ The Sea of Tiberius is another name for the Sea of Galilee. Seven disciples were together including Thomas. ‘“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.’ There was nothing amiss in their being back in the area where they were raised. In Mark 14:28 and 16:7 Jesus Himself had told them to return to Galilee and He would see them there. Going fishing seems a natural and expected thing to do while they waited for Jesus. Though night is the best time for fishing, the disciples had caught nothing.
‘Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore but the disciples did not realise it was Jesus.’ The boat was about ninety metres off shore (21:8) and in early morning light it would not have been clear who was standing on the shore. ‘He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”’ The disciples don’t seem to have immediately recognised Jesus’ voice. ‘He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” Luke describes an earlier, similar incident (Luke 5:4-9). They did what He said and ‘when they did they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.’
Realising the figure on the shore is Jesus, Peter impulsively dives off the boat to swim to shore. Although he’s seen Jesus twice since the night he denied even knowing Him, we have no record of Jesus personally addressing Peter about this. That’s soon to change.
‘When they landed they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.’ The enormous catch was not necessarily to provide a breakfast for the group. Jesus had that side of things prepared. ‘None of the disciples dared ask him “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.’ Is there a slight element of uncertainty here? Is He the same but yet somehow different?
‘This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.’ The first time was when Jesus appeared to the disciples with Thomas absent (20:19-23) and the second when all the disciples, including Thomas, were together (20:26-29)
This story of Jesus’ third appearance has been used in countless devotionals to illustrate everything from the impact of prayer through to our initial reception in heaven. Alexander Maclaren has done wonderful justice to this last application. “In the morning light we shall see Him standing on the steadfast shore. The “Pilot of the Galilean Lake,” who will guide our frail boat through the wild surf that marks the breaking of the sea of life on the shore of eternity; and when the sun rises over the Eastern hills we shall land on the solid beach, bringing our few small fishes with us which He will accept. And there we shall rest, nor need to ask who He is that serves us, for we shall know that it is the Lord.”
To listen to this message, download in MP3 here.