John 21:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”

NIV: Jesus said to them, 'Bring some of the fish you have just caught.'

NASB: Jesus *said to them, 'Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.'

CSB: "Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus told them.

NLT: Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,' Jesus said.

KJV: Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

NKJV: Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”

After Jesus' resurrection (Matthew 28:9–10), He told the disciples to meet Him in Galilee. At some point, seven of them went fishing, but caught nothing over an entire night of work (John 21:1–4). At dawn, Jesus appeared and told them to cast again, resulting in a huge netful of fish (John 21:5–6). In typical fashion, Peter responded by jumping overboard and swimming to shore (John 21:7–9). When the others arrived, they found a small fire, with a few fish already cooking, and bread, along with Peter and Jesus.

Though there's food already being cooked, there's no reason to waste the catch. Jesus' instruction here is practical. The shared meal will be the backdrop of a conversation that restores Peter (John 21:17) after his embarrassing fall (John 18:25–27).

John 21:1–14 begins by describing another encounter between the disciples and Jesus, after His resurrection. Seven of them have an unsuccessful night fishing; this is possibly a sign that their calling is to be evangelists, not anglers. A figure on the beach tells them to cast their net to the other side of the boat, resulting in a massive catch. John realizes the man is Jesus, and Peter dives overboard to swim to shore. There, the other disciples arrive to find a breakfast of bread and fish waiting for them, along with Jesus.

After Jesus' resurrection, a group of disciples goes fishing while they wait in Galilee. From a distance, a figure appears and tells the men to cast again. Despite a fruitless night, they obey, and the net is immediately overflowing with fish. This confirms that the man on the shore is Jesus. As the disciples eat a meal with Christ, He presses Peter to reaffirm His faith. Jesus then predicts the nature of Peter's death; He does not do so for John. The gospel of John ends with an affirmation of its source, and a reminder that no single book could contain every detail of Jesus' ministry.

The final chapter of the gospel of John evokes the recent trend of a "post-credits scene" from films. After the main story has been told, John includes one last scene to further add details about what is to come. After Jesus' resurrection and appearances, He meets with the disciples near Galilee. A major outcome of this meeting is Peter's restoration to his former status. No finite work could fully explain Jesus' ministry, so John's eyewitness account is only part of those truths.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/2/2024 12:05:57 PM