John 21:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.

NIV: When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

NASB: So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal fire already made and fish placed on it, and bread.

CSB: When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.

NLT: When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them — fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

KJV: As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

NKJV: Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

Several of Jesus' disciples went on a nighttime fishing trip (John 21:1–4) while waiting for their master to meet them in Galilee (Matthew 28:9–10). Jesus had appeared on the shore and told them to cast once again, despite catching nothing the entire night. The result was a massive haul, and Peter reacted by jumping overboard so he can swim to shore (John 21:5–7). The others are only now arriving with the boat and its overfilled net (John 21:8).

In the early days of their discipleship, Peter and these other men had seen a similar miracle, when Jesus provided them an enormous catch after a night of failure (Luke 5:5–8). After that, Jesus had called them to be "fishers of men," and they had left their trade behind (Luke 5:10–11). By the time the men arrive at the beach, Peter and Jesus have prepared a small fire to cook a breakfast of fish and bread. This will set the scene for Jesus to remind Peter of another, less happy memory (John 21:17). Both moments will connect as Jesus restores Peter's status as a faithful disciple.

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 1:02:42 AM