John 21:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.

NIV: Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

NASB: 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 on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.

CSB: The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, "It is the Lord! "When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea.

NLT: Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It’s the Lord!' When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.

KJV: Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

NKJV: Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Peter, John, and five other disciples (John 21:2–3) ended a night of fishing without any success. The common way to work on a fishing boat in that era involved removing one's outer garments. Though the English term "naked" means entirely lacking clothes, the Greek term gymnos more generally means someone lightly or poorly clothed.

As the dawn breaks, the men hear a man standing on shore asking about their catch, telling them to cast on the right side of the boat (John 21:4–6). The result is an enormous haul: so big it can't be pulled on board. John, as he often does, refers to himself indirectly as "that disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:3).

The miraculous results of the man's advice echo a similar incident from the disciples' early days with Jesus (Luke 5:4–6). Recognizing the supernatural power of that event, Peter had reacted in faith (Luke 5:8). Here, the instant appearance of so many fish makes the identity of the man on shore obvious: this is Jesus.

Peter's reaction is typically dramatic. He hastily throws on his outer clothes and jumps into the water so he can swim to shore. The others will follow, as they can, hauling the overloaded net (John 21:8).

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.