1 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and 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 also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
Message: The Disciples Go Fishing
Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."
What the Lord is Saying: This is an interesting passage to me. It almost seems like after leaving the room where they had been hiding ("After these things..."), the disciples including Simon Peter start off on the trek to go fishing. Most recently, Jesus had visited with the disciples and seen him, Jesus shows himself to Thomas. And now the disciples are going fishing. It is almost as if life is back to normal. But they aren't having any luck catching and so Jesus directs them (though it isn't apparent that they are recognizing him from the telling of the passage), but after doing what Jesus has told them to do, suddenly they were able to haul in a great number of fish. It is at this time that Peter recognizes Jesus and proceeds to go to him.
Verse 1 mentions that John has recorded that "Jesus manifested Himself again." Johann Albrecht Mengel (1687-1752) mentions, "More than eight days, as it seems, having intervened, for they had now no longer an expectation of another manifestation as verse 4 states, "the disciples did not know that it was Jesus" so they were not expecting to see Jesus again.
It is also interesting in verse 2 as mentioned by Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910) that the disciples are together. That is, after the resurrection of Jesus and his appearance and then now some time or days since last being together, the disciples have not dispersed, but instead remain together. Sheep scatter, but these disciples remain together. Seven are mentioned here.
And Simon Peter led them to go fishing, at night, which is the most opportune time to go fishing. They returned to their role where they had been at first.
So in verse 4 is the disciples returning to their trade and Jesus is there. They don't realize it, but he is there - with them. This has been Jesus. He is with us. As we return to work, he is there. He mentions when He leaves at some point, the Holy Spirit is with us. God with us is the outcry to us. He is near. I think I can never lose sight of this reality that God is near, Jesus is near, the Holy Spirit is near. Despite the loneliness that I feel, see the promise that God is there. And Jesus understands out situation and understands our struggles. Jesus says to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” - He knows our situation and in this situation he speaks to them and speaks His provision and His solution.
And like clockwork, once His presence and provision is seen, the disciples wake up to the realizing that He is present. The sad thing about our existence is this, that we need to see God provide before we acknowledge Him. John says to Peter, "It is the Lord." They recognize him and then life goes on. Peter is excited it is the Lord. The rest of the disciples gather the fish.
Summary: The disciples go on with their lives having not seen Jesus for 7+ days, and fish, but struggle, then Jesus sees them and provides a large catch. And then the disciples recognize Him.
Promise: From Tabletalk, "Although Peter frequently talked and acted before he should have done so, surely his eagerness to be with Jesus serves as a model to us. We should likewise be eager to spend time with our Savior."
Prayer: O God, you are Savior and You are Lord. I praise you for your presence in my life and for being present with me always. You are there. You are right by my side. Help me to see this and know this, recognize this, believe this and like we said yesterday in our study about the sexual union of a husband and wife, help me to act in way that is glorifying to You always. I want to be excited to be near You God. I do love Your word and love conversations with people about You. Place more of these opportunities in my life - both online but also in real life. Help me to seek them out. Show them to me. Lord, be a light in my life and Lord, help me to be diligent always in my service to You.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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