John 21:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”

NIV: He called out to them, 'Friends, haven't you any fish?' 'No,' they answered.

NASB: So Jesus *said to them, 'Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?' They answered Him, 'No.'

CSB: "Friends," Jesus called to them, "you don't have any fish, do you? ""No," they answered.

NLT: He called out, 'Fellows, have you caught any fish?' 'No,' they replied.

KJV: Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

NKJV: Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”

At sunrise, and after an unsuccessful night of fishing (John 21:1–3), the disciples are not likely to recognize anyone standing far away on the shores of Galilee (John 21:4). The figure they see is Jesus, who calls out to ask if they've caught anything. The Greek term paidia literally refers to "children," but can also be a figure of speech. One can imagine a modern person calling out in English, "you kids didn't catch anything, did you?"

A few years before, Jesus responded to a fruitless night of fishing by commanding Peter to cast his nets off the other side of the boat (Luke 5:3–5). The result was a clear miracle (Luke 5:6–7), resulting in Peter's declaration of faith (Luke 5:8). In this encounter, Jesus will give a similar instruction (John 21:6), with similar results (John 21:7).

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 5/5/2024 5:44:15 AM