Breakfast with the Risen Lord Text: John 21:1-11
Introduction: The Awkward In-Between
There are moments in the Christian life that are defined by a kind of awkward waiting. The disciples in our text are in one such moment. The central event of all history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, has occurred. They have seen Him. They have touched His wounds. They have heard His commission. And yet, He is not with them in the same way He was before. He appears and disappears. The Day of Pentecost has not yet come. The Spirit has not yet been poured out in power. So what do you do in the meantime? What do you do when you know the world has been turned upside down, but your little corner of it still feels stubbornly normal?
This is a temptation for all of us. We live in the "already, but not yet." Christ has already conquered, but the final consummation has not yet arrived. And in that gap, the allure of the old life, the familiar routines, can be very strong. The disciples are Galilean fishermen. The resurrection is glorious, overwhelming, and frankly, a bit confusing. Fishing, on the other hand, is something they understand. It is tangible. It has the feel of nets and the smell of the sea. And so Peter, ever the man of action, makes a declaration that is entirely understandable and entirely wrongheaded: "I am going fishing."
What we have in this chapter is not just a quaint story about a miraculous catch of fish. This is a profound lesson in the nature of Christian service, the futility of self-effort, and the gracious, restorative power of Jesus Christ. It is a re-enactment of their initial call, a reminder of first principles. Before they can be sent out to catch men, they must be reminded that they cannot even catch fish apart from the direct, commanding word of their Lord. Their night of fruitless labor is a picture of every ministry, every endeavor, every life that operates on human strength and wisdom alone. It is a picture of a great deal of the modern church.
But the good news is that the night does not last forever. The day breaks, and with the dawn comes the Lord. He stands on the shore, ready to turn their failure into a feast, and to recommission them for the work He has called them to do.
The Text
After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 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 his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and cast himself into the sea. 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. So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire in place and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
(John 21:1-11 LSB)
The Futility of Going Back (v. 1-3)
We begin with the disciples in a state of suspended animation.
"After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias... Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said to him, 'We will also come with you.' They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing." (John 21:1-3)
John carefully sets the scene. This is another post-resurrection appearance, another manifestation. The disciples are gathered, a core group of seven of them. And Peter, likely wrestling with the shame of his denial and impatient in the waiting, decides to do something. "I am going fishing." This is not a sin, in one sense. Fishing is an honorable trade. But in another sense, it is a profound retreat. Jesus had called him from these very nets, saying, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." For Peter to say "I am going fishing" is perilously close to saying, "I am going back to what I was." It is an attempt to find purpose and identity in the old life, because the new life is still so uncertain.
The others are quick to follow his lead. "We will also come with you." This is how leadership works, for good or for ill. Peter's regression becomes a corporate regression. They get in the boat, they go through the motions, they apply all their professional expertise, and the result is stark and absolute: "that night they caught nothing."
This is not an accident. This is a sovereignly ordained object lesson. God is teaching them, and us, a foundational principle of the kingdom: all human effort, divorced from the enabling word and blessing of Christ, comes to nothing. You can have the best boat, the most experienced crew, the finest nets, and you can work all night with diligence and skill, and the result will be empty nets. This is true of evangelism programs, church growth strategies, political movements, and personal sanctification. If it is our plan, our strength, our initiative, it will produce nothing of eternal value. God will let us toil in our own strength until we are exhausted and defeated, precisely so that we will be ready to hear His voice.
The Command from the Shore (v. 4-6)
Just as their own efforts are proven completely bankrupt, the Lord appears.
"But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus... He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.' So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish." (John 21:4-6)
The timing is perfect. Jesus arrives at dawn, at the transition from darkness to light. This is always when He does His best work. But they do not recognize Him. Why? Perhaps the morning mist, the distance. But it is also a spiritual reality. Often, the Lord is present and speaking to us in our failures, and we do not recognize His voice. We think it is just a random thought, a piece of advice, a stranger on the shore.
His first words are a gentle exposure of their need. "Children, do you have any fish?" The word for children here is a term of familiar affection. He is not scolding them so much as He is a father asking his sons how their project went. Their answer is a short, defeated, "No." They have to admit their total failure.
Then comes the command. "Cast the net on the right side of the boat." From a fisherman's perspective, this is a foolish suggestion. What difference could a few feet make? Why the right side? This is not a fishing tip. This is a test of obedience. Will they obey a simple, specific, seemingly arbitrary command from a stranger, after their own professional expertise has failed them all night? The essence of faith is not understanding the reason for the command, but knowing the one who commands. They obey. "So they cast."
The result is immediate and overwhelming. A whole night of their labor produced nothing. A single moment of obedience to His word produces more than they can handle. The net is so full they cannot even haul it into the boat. This is the divine contrast. This is the law of the kingdom. Fruitfulness is not the result of our striving; it is the result of our obedient response to the word of Christ.
Recognition and Response (v. 7-8)
The miracle triggers recognition, and recognition triggers two very different but equally valid responses.
"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 his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and cast himself into the sea." (John 21:7)
John, the disciple of love and spiritual perception, is the first to understand. He sees the pattern. He remembers their first call in Luke 5, which also involved a miraculous catch of fish after a night of failure. He connects the dots and makes the declaration: "It is the Lord."
Peter's response is pure Peter. He does not reason; he reacts. The moment he hears it is Jesus, his only thought is to get to Him. He was "stripped for work," meaning he was likely in a loincloth. In a move of glorious, impractical reverence, he puts his outer tunic on before jumping into the water to swim to shore. He is not thinking about the fish, the nets, or the money. He is thinking only of the Lord. He abandons the blessing to get to the Blesser. This is a beautiful picture of repentance. Peter, who had denied the Lord, now swims frantically toward Him. He does not wait to tidy up or bring his successful catch to impress Jesus. He brings only himself, dripping wet and desperate.
The other disciples are more practical. They stay with the boat and do the hard work of dragging the massive catch to the shore. Both responses are necessary in the church. We need the fiery, impulsive devotion of the Peters, who are ready to jump in the water for Jesus. And we need the steady, faithful work of the other disciples, who bring the nets in carefully.
The Feast of Grace (v. 9-11)
When they arrive on the shore, they are met with a staggering sight.
"So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire in place and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, 'Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.' Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn." (John 21:9-11)
Jesus already has breakfast cooking. He has a charcoal fire, fish, and bread. Think about this. He commanded them to catch fish, but He did not need their fish. He is the Lord of creation; He can produce cooked fish on a beach out of nothing. His command was not for His benefit, but for theirs. He wanted to teach them the lesson of obedience, to demonstrate His power, and to give them the dignity of participating in His work.
Then, with grace upon grace, He says, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught." He invites them to contribute to the meal from the abundance He just provided. This is the paradigm for all Christian service. God does not need our good works, our ministries, or our offerings. But He graciously designs the world in such a way that He invites us to participate, to bring our fish, caught by His power, and place it on His fire. Our work is consecrated when it is joined to His.
Peter, now on the shore, goes and single-handedly drags the net to land. This is the restored Peter, full of renewed strength and purpose. And John, the careful observer, gives us the details. There were 153 large fish. And the net was not torn. Why 153? The early church father Jerome pointed out that Greek zoologists of that day cataloged 153 different species of fish in the known world. This number is very likely a symbol of the scope of the Great Commission. The disciples are to be fishers of men, and they will bring in converts from every nation, tribe, and tongue. The catch will be universal. And the fact that the net does not tear, despite this massive, diverse haul, is a promise of the resilience of the Church. God's grace and power will hold His people together.
Conclusion: From Failure to Fruitfulness
This story is our story. Every one of us has a tendency to go back to our own boat, to our old way of fishing. We rely on our own strength, our own plans, our own wisdom. And we toil all night, and we catch nothing. We experience spiritual emptiness, ministerial burnout, and personal frustration.
The solution is not to try harder. The solution is to listen for the voice of the stranger on the shore. The risen Christ is always present in our failures, waiting for the dawn, waiting for us to confess our emptiness. And He will give a simple, specific command. It may not make sense to our expertise. It may seem small. "Cast the net on the right side." But our obedience in that one small thing is the hinge upon which everything turns.
When we obey, He provides an abundance we could never have achieved on our own. And what is His goal? It is not simply to give us success. It is to bring us to shore, to a charcoal fire of fellowship with Him. He wants to feed us. He wants to restore us. This breakfast on the beach is a picture of the continual grace of God. He meets us at the point of our greatest failure and shame, symbolized by that charcoal fire, which would have reminded Peter of the fire where he denied his Lord. And at that very place, Jesus does not condemn, but provides a meal.
He takes our failure and turns it into fruitfulness. He takes our shame and turns it into fellowship. He takes our empty nets and fills them to breaking. And then He sends us out again, not in our own strength, but in the power of His word, to be fishers of men, promising that the nets will hold.