John 21:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.

NASB: So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

CSB: So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish--153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

NLT: So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

KJV: Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

NKJV: Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

Peter had jumped overboard in excitement after realizing Jesus was waiting for the disciples on the shore (John 21:7). The others followed behind with an enormous catch of fish, which Jesus told them to be sure to bring in (John 21:8–10). The number of fish mentioned here does not have any deeper meaning. There is no symbolism to the number 153, nor any importance other than John is giving an eyewitness account. Presumably, to fishermen of that era, this would have been a meaningful sense of just how many fish were caught.

This miraculous moment echoed a similar incident early in Jesus' ministry (Luke 5:5–8). In that moment, Jesus had called the disciples to become "fishers of men" (Luke 5:10). Though Peter loyally followed Christ, he also succumbed to fear and denied Jesus several times in the hours before the crucifixion (John 18:25–27). As they eat a breakfast of fish and bread, Jesus will restore Peter to his calling as a disciple (John 21:17–19).

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 4/29/2024 3:42:13 AM