John 21:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

NIV: The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.

NASB: But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish.

CSB: Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.

NLT: The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.

KJV: And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

NKJV: But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.

Jesus sent the disciples back to Galilee after His resurrection (Matthew 28:9–10). Although most of the men had been fishermen (John 1:35–42), this does not mean Jesus intended them to go back to their old career. Early in their travels, Jesus had miraculously provided a massive catch of fish (Luke 5:5–8), then told the disciples they'd now be "fishers of men" (Luke 5:10–11).

For whatever reason, Peter and six other disciples had gone out to fish overnight and caught nothing (John 21:1–4). A man appeared on shore and told them to cast once more, resulting in another enormous haul (John 21:5–6). This left no doubt that the man was Jesus, so Peter jumped overboard and swam to shore (John 21:7). The remaining men, including John himself, are left to tow the boat to shore.

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 4/28/2024 7:55:59 PM