John 21:1-14 (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.
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.
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. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
How should we read this text?
Alright, so picture yourself at dawn by the Sea of Galilee. The fishermen are stuffed after a night out, probably frustrated that they caught absolutely nothing. They left everything to follow Jesus a while back, but now, with the big events of the crucifixion and the resurrection, they’ve gone back to their old fishing ways — one of the few things that still made sense in their life.
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Then someone on shore calls out in a kind of friendly way, something like, “Have you caught anything?” — which sounds a little bit cheeky, right? But it turns out it’s Jesus. They haven’t recognised him yet. He tells them to cast their nets, and suddenly, there’s fish everywhere.
John, who’s got that introspective personality, is the first to realise, "It’s the Lord!" And Peter, in typical fashion, throws caution to the wind, jumps overboard and swims ashore.
Now here’s Jesus, waiting with a charcoal fire and breakfast ready for them. This is the risen King — the resurrected Jesus — who bothers to make breakfast for his friends. That detail about the charcoal fire might jog your memory because back in John 18, there was another charcoal fire, but that time it was the place where Peter denied Jesus three times. It’s as if John wants us to notice that Jesus is setting the stage for Peter’s big restoration moment — though that doesn’t happen until later in the chapter.
But even here, we see something deeply personal. Jesus isn’t just appearing with a miracle and then vanishing into thin air. He’s not a ghost. He’s fully, physically there, sharing a meal with the people he loves.
And then John gives us this very specific detail — 153 fish. Scholars have been scratching their heads over that number for ages. Some think it’s symbolic, others think it’s just a little eyewitness detail thrown in for flavour. Honestly, it probably doesn’t matter too much. What matters is the sheer size of the catch — it’s huge. And the real miracle isn’t just the number of fish but the fact that somehow the net doesn’t break.
John wants us to see that when Jesus is involved, there’s provision. Enough to fill up your life, even to bursting, and yet you won’t perish. The net doesn’t snap. There’s something there for us to pay attention to.
One more thing — John points out this is the third time Jesus appears to his disciples. It’s a reminder that the resurrection isn’t some one-off magic trick. Jesus keeps showing up. He comes back again and again, proving he’s truly alive. And then, of course, Jesus will keep ministering with them for a little while before he ascends into heaven. John wants us to understand — this is the real, physical Jesus, risen from the dead, eating breakfast with his friends. That’s the heart of what we need to grasp.
How should this text read us?
Maybe we can relate to the disciples. Maybe there’ve been times in our lives where we’ve gone back to old habits or old comforts because we’re not sure where life’s taking us next. Maybe you’ve had a massive spiritual experience — or maybe you’ve completely stuffed up — and after some big life shift, you’ve ended up stuck in a kind of no man’s land.
It’s natural for us to slip into autopilot when we don’t know what’s next. Maybe that’s exactly what the disciples were doing. Jesus died, Jesus rose again — but what now? So they go back to what they know. They go fishing.
But Jesus shows up — right in the middle of their ordinary, back-to-normal life — and reminds them that when he’s with them, his presence changes everything.
And it’s the same for us. Once Jesus is in your life, you can never really go back to how things were before. He’s changed you from the inside out.
Sometimes we’re a bit like Peter here. We mess up, we carry guilt with us for ages, and we’re never quite sure if we’re still in Jesus’s good books. That charcoal fire on the beach — it would have reminded Peter straight away of the night he denied Jesus. But here’s Jesus, cooking him breakfast, inviting him to come and eat.
Jesus patiently meets Peter right where he’s at — and he does the same with us. Even in our big denial moments — those times we’ve wandered away or done things we know are wrong — Jesus offers us a place at his table. Not because we’ve earned it, but because he’s already paid for all our sins. He’s there, waiting for us to come back.
There’s also a challenge here — to watch for Jesus in our everyday lives. We often don’t recognise him at first. We get caught up in stress or busyness, and only realise after the fact — sometimes days, months, even years later — that Jesus was there all along.
These disciples were only about 100 yards off shore — not far at all — but they still didn’t realise it was Jesus until the nets were bursting with fish.
Maybe this story challenges us to slow down, to listen for God’s voice, and to notice where he’s working in the ordinary moments of our lives.
Finally, there’s this picture of abundance. The disciples catch nothing all night — and then suddenly, 153 fish. That’s a huge shift! And yet, the nets don’t snap.
I think there’s something there for us. Jesus can stretch us beyond our comfort zones, but it’s always a stretch that comes with abundance and fullness. We might fear being overwhelmed or failing or losing ourselves, but if Jesus is with us, holding us together, he will give us what we need — maybe not in the way we expect, but in a way that makes us step back and say, "That really was Jesus."
So keep watch for him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,Thank you for showing up right in the ordinary parts of our day, even when we feel like we’re going nowhere. Thank you for calling us your children, for understanding our emptiness and filling us, restoring us with new life through your Holy Spirit.
We’re so grateful that you meet us with kindness when we fail, that you don’t cast us off, but that you’ve already paid for all our failures on the cross. Help us to see how you’re active in our lives and encourage our faith.
We pray this in your mighty name. Amen.
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