The Word Made Fresh
1After this, Jesus appeared to the disciples again beside the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened:
2Gathered there were Simon Peter, Thomas Didymus (“the twin”), Nathanael (a Galilean from Cana), the two sons of Zebedee and two others of Jesus’ disciples. 3Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing,’ and they declared, “We’ll go with you.” They got into a boat and went out, but caught nothing that night.
4Just after daybreak they saw Jesus standing on the beach, but didn’t recognize him. 5Jesus called out, “Fellows, don’t you have any fish?” They answered, “No,” 6and he said, “Toss your net on the right side of the boat and you’ll find some.” They did, and weren’t able to haul it back in because it was so full of fish.
7The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that, he put on some clothes because he was naked, and jumped into the lake. 8The others stayed in the boat and drug the net now filled with fish to the shore, which was only about a hundred yards off. 9When they got out of the boat they saw a charcoal fire with fish and bread.
10Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish from your catch.” 11Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, filled with one hundred fifty-three large fish, but even though there were so many, the net had not been torn.
12Jesus said, “Come and have breakfast.”
None of them dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew now that it was the Lord. 13Jesus took the bread and gave it to them along with the fish. 14This was now the third time he had appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon replied, “Yes, Lord. You know that I do love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16Then he asked a second time; “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon again replied, “Yes, Lord. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Tend my sheep.”
17A third time he said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I do love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18I’m telling you truly, when you were young you could fasten your belt and go wherever you wanted. But when you are old you’ll reach out for someone else to fasten your belt and then take you where you don’t want to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would honor God.) Then he said to Peter, “Follow me.”
20Peter did, and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them – the one who had leaned on Jesus at the supper table and had asked, “Who is going to betray you, Lord?” 21So, he asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”
22“If I decide that he will remain until I return, why should that bother you?” Jesus asked, and then added, “Follow me.” 23That’s where the rumor got started among Jesus’ followers that this disciple would not die, but Jesus didn’t say that. Jesus only said, “If I decide that he will remain until I return, why should that bother you?”
24This is that disciple, who is declaring the truth of these things and has written about them, and we know that what he has told us is true. 25But, of course, Jesus did many other things not recorded. If everything he did was written down I suppose the whole world wouldn’t be able to contain all the books that would have to be written.
Commentary
1-8: Some time later seven of the disciples, notably Thomas, are found at the Sea of Tiberius (a.k.a. the Sea of Galilee). They fish all night, but catch nothing. Does this sound familiar? Luke tells the story of a miraculous catch (Luke 5:3-7) when Jesus was just beginning his ministry in Galilee. John does not tell that story, but when the disciple whom Jesus loved recognizes Jesus because of the catch, the implication is that the recognition is based on the memory of that earlier event. So, John must be aware of the story Luke tells even though he doesn’t use it. Peter puts on his clothes to go swimming and dives in. The others come in the boat.
9-14: Jesus has a fire going and tells them to bring some of their fish. Peter complies (thus conferring on him the leadership of the future effort to “fish for people”), and the others stand around looking for a way to verify whether it is really Jesus, reminding us of the difficulty Mary Magdalene had identifying him outside the tomb on Easter Sunday. Jesus feeds them bread and fish.
15-19: The three-fold exchange between Jesus and Peter is usually interpreted as Jesus’ way of absolving Peter of having denied him three times. He tells Peter that the time will come when his freedom will be taken away from him, a statement which John interprets as a prophecy of Peter’s future death as a martyr. Then Jesus says – to Peter alone, we note — “Follow me,” thus reinstating him as a disciple.
20-23: Peter is curious about the disciple whom Jesus loved. Remember, that disciple was present in the courtyard when Peter denied Jesus, so Peter is asking Jesus to “reinstate” him as well. Jesus replies that Peter doesn’t need to know if that disciple, too, will be martyred. We are told that others interpreted the statement to mean that disciple would not die.
24-25: So, finally, the disciple whom Jesus loved is revealed to be the author of the gospel! That identification of John with “the disciple whom Jesus loved” does seem to be authenticated in verse 24. In any case, verse 25 is a beautiful way to end the book, don’t you think?
Takeaway
Christ the Lord was born to save us, lived to teach us, died to take our sins upon himself, and rose to be present with us forever and prove the gift of eternal life.