Christian Art | Easter To Pentecost | Miraculous Catch Of Fish | Miracles Of Jesus
John 21: 1-14 Audio Bible KJV | King James Version | Daily Verses
1 AFTER these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.
2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
7 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.
8 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.
9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
11 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.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
This is an amazing encounter! The disciples have returned to Galilee, where their story with Jesus began. It was natural for them to return home, while awaiting further instruction from Jesus. It is natural also for the disciples to wish to engage in their old and familiar work. It seems a typically spontaneous gesture of Simon Peter when he declares: ‘I am going fishing!’ Things have changed, though. Through their time with Jesus, the lives of the disciples have changed. They are no longer fishers of fish; they have been called by Jesus to be fishers of men. It must have been a frustrating night for the disciples, to feel one’s experience as a fisherman seemingly counting to no effect. The disciples’ true vocation awaits them.
Jesus is near to the disciples, waiting for them on the shore, though they do not recognize him. He is waiting to help them, to let them know again that anything is possible, to bring them faith.
It must have seemed unusual to be told what to do by a seeming stranger in order to catch some fish. Perhaps what Jesus says goes against their experience; he asks them to do something in a different way from that to which they are accustomed. Nevertheless, they obey him, and the catch of fish that results is miraculous, so many fish that the disciples cannot haul the net in, though the net does not break.
It is now that the disciple whom Jesus loved, whom we think to be John, recognises Jesus: ‘It is the Lord!’ he cries with all the joy of recognition. Their master is with them. The true meaning of their life is here. Peter leaps into the water to be with Jesus first, personifying faith and with energy and daring.
Jesus, now glorified, appears to his disciples in a way which is homely and reassuring. After the night spent fishing, they will be hungry; he has prepared them a meal. There is such tenderness as Jesus makes use of natural things, the fire, the fish, to express his love for his disciples. There is a wonderful sense of togetherness as brothers, of mutual knowledge borne of all the time they have spent together.
As Jesus takes the bread and breaks it to give to the disciples, we are reminded once more of our connection with Jesus through the Eucharist. We celebrate the Supper of the Lord to be at one with Christ, so that we too may be brothers with Jesus, in this life and for evermore.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance toIsrael, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. (Acts of the Apostles 5: 30-32)
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The Character Of Saint Peter In The Gospels
Saint Peter was born in Bethsaida, a small fishing village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. He was the son of Jonah and had a brother named Andrew, who was also a disciple of Jesus. Peter and Andrew were both fishermen by trade and were working together when Jesus called them to be his followers.
According to the Gospels, Jesus first met Peter and Andrew while they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. In Matthew 4:18-20, Jesus sees them casting their nets into the sea and calls out to them, saying, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Peter and Andrew immediately leave their nets and follow Jesus, becoming his disciples.
Throughout the Gospels, Saint Peter is portrayed as a complex and multifaceted character, with both strengths and weaknesses. There is an immediacy about Saint Peter. This is reflected in this passage of the Gospels: ‘I’m going fishing!’ Saint Peter is known for his impulsiveness, his loyalty to Jesus, and his leadership role among the Apostles. The others of the disciples come fishing too!
Saint Peter Is A Man Of Action
One of Peter’s most notable traits is his impulsiveness. Peter is quick to act and speak without fully considering the consequences of his actions, which often leads him into trouble. For instance, in Matthew 14:28-31, Peter asks Jesus to let him walk on water, but when he becomes frightened, Peter starts to sink. Similarly, in Matthew 26:35, Peter boldly declares that he will never deny Jesus, only to do so three times in the following verses.
However, Peter’s impulsiveness is also a sign of his deep love and devotion to Jesus. In John 21:7, Peter is the first to recognize Jesus on the shore and jumps out of the boat to reach him. Later, when Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him, Peter responds with increasing intensity, affirming his love and devotion each time.
Saint Peter’s Loyalty To Jesus
Fundamental to Peter’s character is his loyalty to Jesus. Peter is one of Jesus’ closest friends and disciples, and he shows great courage and bravery in defending him. For instance, in John 18:10, Peter draws his sword to defend Jesus when he is arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. However, Peter’s loyalty is also tested when he denies Jesus three times during Jesus’ trial. Peter’s denials of knowledge of Jesus reveal Peter’s fear and weakness, as well as his need for forgiveness and redemption.
You Are Peter And Upon This Rock I Found My Church
In Matthew 16:16-19, and punning on the Greek word for ‘rock’, which is to say ‘petra’, Jesus declares that Peter is the rock upon which he will build his Church, and Jesus gives to Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. This passage denotes Peter’s leadership role among the Apostles and his authority over the Church.
In the Catholic Church, Saint Peter is regarded as the first Pope, and so the successors of Saint Peter have continued to lead the Church in his name. This view is based on Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16, as well as other passages that emphasize Peter’s role as a leader among the Apostles, such as Acts 2:14 and Galatians 2:7.
Fishers Of Men
Saint Peter’s transformation from a simple fisherman to a leader of the early Church is a testament to the transformative power of Jesus’ teachings and the work of the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Gospels, Peter’s experiences with Jesus and his struggles with faith and doubt provide important lessons for Christians today.
Saint Peter’s leadership role among the Apostles is further emphasized in the Book of Acts. After Jesus’ ascension, Peter takes charge of the group and leads them in selecting a replacement for Judas Iscariot. Peter is also the first to preach to a large crowd on the Day of Pentecost, resulting in the conversion of thousands of people. Throughout the rest of the book of Acts, Peter plays a central role in the growth and organization of the early Church.
Martyrdom Of Saint Peter
According to tradition, Saint Peter was martyred in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero. The exact circumstances of his death are unclear, but early Christian writings suggest that he was crucified upside down. This gruesome method of execution was considered especially humiliating, and some believe that Peter may have requested it as a way of honoring Jesus’ own death.
The details of Saint Peter’s martyrdom have been the subject of debate. Some scholars have questioned whether Peter was actually martyred in Rome, while others have suggested that he may have been executed at an earlier date. However, the majority of early Christian writers, including Tertullian, Clement of Rome, and Eusebius, all attest that Peter died in Rome.
Saint Gregory of Nazianzen speaks of God’s generosity and the responsibility it places on us. Everything we have, he says — our life, our breath, our understanding, our hope — is a gift from God. Even our ability to know God is not something we create but something we receive [ … ]
We process. Glass exhibition cases, old reliquaries. A forearm here; here a nun’s fingertip. In chapel, at a glance, there are the usual faces. But they all stand to attention. Jonathan breaks from the procession to – fire the organ with oomph and dignity: Ride on! ride on in majesty! The angel-squadrons of the sky look down with sad and wondering eyes to see the approaching sacrifice. When we’ve done the readings, the Arch holds that tree in his hands to deliver the homily. He rocks quietly on his feet, some few seconds, as if balance defeated it. A way you might affect as the Spirit moves… Copying. Then he says: ‘Our palm fronds may seem to us today rather dry. I mean this not in a literal sense, but by the standards of those who originally lined the roadways in order to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, as they proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, who would be clambering up and ripping their palm branches fresh from off the trees. I think perhaps also our faith is somewhat distant from that of the people there on that highroad into Jerusalem, and something of our sense of the meaning has shifted in vividness from what it was then. And of course the expectation of all those many people is markedly different, but in many important respects the same. There are the same essential qualities to all our faith in God, which springs complete from our humanity, and that is one and the same in value for all of us, and time is consistent on this point. So then, let us renew the fullness of Catholic faith, and let us ask the Lord’s blessing as we embark upon our Holy Week. ‘Our Lord enters into Jerusalem in order to refresh us. He is to die in order that we may have life. There is a living reality here, both spiritual and as entangled in the joy of our daily living. We have Ladies’ Day where I grew up. They still have it, and they close the roads off, and little children parade, dressed-up like spring brides. When I was a boy, there was a May Day festival, and there was a May pole on the field, with the people dancing, like Morris dancers might be one way of visualizing this if you’ve never seen it, with their ribbons tied onto the top of the May pole, and they would weave around each other, dressing the pole, which is what we called it. It was like a dance with red and white and blue ribbons all hung off of the top of the May pole, which stood there all year, only like a telegraph pole, but it was concreted in, and then there was a slide, and swings – one baby-swing and two you could have a go at – terrible health and safety but that’s what it was in those days. ‘There was a round-a-bout – we used to run it round and round to try to get it off its central axis. It were rusty as anything and creaked like mad – on concrete. And climb up where it was all greased up at the top. Ruth, who was big as the next four of us, used to sit there sucking on the lollipops we nicked for her from Raddies, and she’d direct matters. We were trying to destroy it, and get it to dislodge from its central axis, and fly away – roll off into that farmer’s field, which he only ever kept for silage, but we never succeeded. There was a car someone had left there so we spent forever smashing that up, until someone who lived in one of the houses there took exception to our doing that, so he put thick grease under the door handles and gave us a right talking to. ‘It would only be a few stands, hot-dogs and things like that. The man selling the hot dogs would have his records on full blast. There’d be a couple of set-up stalls. Air-rifles – that sort of thing. But we all had them, and we all went shooting, of course, if not with twelve bores then with smaller gauge. Or pay a pound – I have no idea how much it was in actual fact then – it might have only been a few pennies – and we’d get all that time smashing up the crockery the man would put up for us to smash on the dressers. That was my particular favourite thing to do at these festivals, by the way, in case you were wondering. You got a little bucket of so many cricket balls. ‘I dread to think what went into those hot dogs. Probably EE rules would forbid it now. But it was a fair mix in those days. A lot of young people then were C of E. We’ve done a lot to hang onto our young people, which is a tremendous encouragement when you consider how things are, while in recent decades the Church of England hasn’t been so successful. People still want it on feast days and what are essentially now civic celebrations. It’s strange to see, though, how all the little stands there people have are run by the police and people like that along those lines. There’s no May pole. That was a sort of faith that ran and ran beneath all the theoreticals of it in the 1960s and the 1970s and into the 1980s. The May pole isn’t there now in the particular place I’m thinking of. Considering May poles were officially suppressed hundreds of years ago – as a part of the protestant reformation. One or two of you are probably thinking I’m remembering things from that time! ‘I should have liked to say that those processionals were so hardwired into us, that even after the last thirty years, when I became a bishop, they are still with us. They were […]
Jesus has challenged the malice of the Pharisees by curing the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. In response to the pure goodness of Jesus, the Pharisees take council together and decide to kill Jesus. Their response to absolute good is evil, even as Jesus gives the Pharisees every reason to see the ways in which they have fallen into error. The refusal of the Pharisees to respond to Jesus’ call to reform compounds their evil. They have locked their hearts [ … ]
