March 11, 2017
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Reading along with us in John? Here’s today’s reading:
John 21 (ESV)
“After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 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. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.”… Continue Reading
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After Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were out all night fishing and caught nothing, Jesus appeared to them on the shore and told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat.
Not knowing yet that it was Jesus telling them to do this, they cast their net on the right side and caught so many fish, they were not able to haul it in! It was at this time they knew it was Jesus who told them to do this. There were 153 fish in the net- and this after not catching anything all night.
It’s interesting that John 21:11 says, “although there were so many, the net was not torn.” What a magnificent way of expressing the sovereignty of God in our redemption, restoration and perseverance!
This reminds me of other verses in earlier chapters of the Gospel of John regarding God’s sovereignty:
John 6:39 “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”
John 10:28-30 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
John 18:9 “This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: ‘Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.'”
This is then lived out as Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him and Peter tells Jesus that he does love him (John 21:15-17). This goes back to Peter’s denial of Jesus in John 18:17, John 18:25 and John 18:27.
But this time, the rooster is silent!
Hi
Hi!
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him. Daniel 2:22
Gal 5:24
What’s my cross? Help me do it for him
James 2:23
True friends trust and are comfortable in each other’s company. Guard this amazing relationship with everything I’ve got
Matt 28:20
Dark night=brighter faith=more God is glorified
April 26, 2017 – I finished the gospel of John tonight, reading John 21. There is so much here. I’ll share just a couple of things the Holy Spirit is showing me tonight:
1) Jesus comes upon the disciples, who have been fishing all night with nothing to show for it. But when Jesus tells them where to cast their net, a miraculous bounty of fish is hauled up out of the water. The parallel I see here: We are indeed fishers of men (Matthew 4:18-19), obeying God and doing the work of the gospel, but salvation — the “catch” of men, if you will — is completely of God. We have no room to boast of any who are saved. If we are granted the privilege of having been a small part of what God has done to redeem a sinner, it is a gift of God to us that we would be allowed to see the fruit of our obedience! It is only by His grace and mercy that ANY of us are granted repentance, that ANY of us trust in Christ, that ANY of us are saved. The Scriptures testify to this truth over and over again.
2) The scene where Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him in John 21:15-17: While I’m no Greek scholar at all, and I realize a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous, I’m intrigued by the different Greek words for “love” used by Jesus, and the words for “love” Peter uses in response. If this is intentional, it’s no wonder that Peter’s heart breaks (godly sorrow) as the exchange goes on. Because when I say I “love” Jesus, what does that mean, really? It’s easy to say I “love” someone, in this case that I “love” Jesus, but what kind of love do my actions reflect? Are they empty, shallow words? Words spoken in haste, recklessly, as a platitude? Words spoken out of an emotional response and without substance?
Peter proclaimed his love for and devotion to Jesus at one time and then abandoned Him. This exchange in John 21 must’ve been heart wrenching for him, then, as Jesus presses him not once, not twice, but three times. “Do you love me?” And then Jesus, in His tender mercy, commissions Peter to be a shepherd of His sheep. I’m certain this changed Peter forever, humbled him, and gave him a sense of just how much Jesus loved HIM…not the other way around.
Jesus tells us how we can know that WE really love Him: we will keep His commandments (John 14:15-24). I fall so short…