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In this lesson:
The resurrected Jesus appears again. Breakfast on the beach (21:9-13). Another miracle! Study Tip: Pray before studying the Bible. God will open your heart and pour in more knowledge as you're ready to receive it. |
After the resurrection, Jesus calls to His disciples by the Sea of Galilee.
Painting by Jacopo (Tintoretto) Robusti (1518-1594). |
The Gospel According to St. John
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
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John 21:1-14
Breakfast on the beach 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. |
Margin notes:
"Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples." (21:1) - In forty days, the resurrected Christ made eleven separate appearances to the disciples and hundreds of other witnesses (see list below). Years later, Jesus appeared to Paul (Acts 9:3-6). "The Sea of Tiberias." (21:1) - "The Sea of Galilee" (John 6:1). Per Jesus' instructions (Matthew 28:7; 28:10; Mark 16:7), the disciples went to Galilee to meet Jesus. "And on this wise shewed he himself." (21:1) - "And this is the way He showed Himself." "The sons of Zebedee." (21:2) - They are James and John, the author of this Gospel. "I go a fishing." (21:3) - Despite seeing and talking to the resurrected Christ, the disciples went back to their old profession, fishing. Jesus had to call them again. Once you have accepted the Lord, don't go back to your old ways and make Jesus call you again. "Have ye any meat?" (21:5) - "Have you any fish." In Jesus' day, people used the word meat to describe most foods. "That disciple whom Jesus loved." (21:7) - Refers to John, the author of this Gospel. "He girt his fisher's coat unto him." (21:7) - Means, "He wrapped his fisherman's coat around himself." "Cast himself into the sea." (21:7) - The excited Peter jumped out of the boat and swam to Jesus. "Two hundred cubits." (21:8) - Approximately three hundred feet. "Simon Peter went up." (21:11) - "Simon Peter went aboard (the boat)." "Durst ask him." (21:12) - "Dared to ask him." "This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples." (21:14) - Jesus first appeared to the disciples as they hid behind locked doors (John 20:19). The second visit came eight days later after Thomas had joined the group (John 20:26). Since Mary Magdalene, the women, the travelers on the road to Emmaus, and Peter had also seen Jesus, this was His seventh overall appearance. |
New Living Translation
John 21:1-14
Epilogue: Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
1 Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened.
2 Several of the disciples were there-Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing."
"We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was.
5 He called out, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?"
"No," they replied.
6 Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!" So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 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.
8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.
9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them-fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 "Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus said.
11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't torn.
12 "Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.
14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Epilogue: Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
1 Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened.
2 Several of the disciples were there-Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing."
"We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was.
5 He called out, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?"
"No," they replied.
6 Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!" So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 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.
8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.
9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them-fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 "Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus said.
11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't torn.
12 "Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.
13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.
14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 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." (21:4-6)
"Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead." (21:12-14)
"Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead." (21:12-14)
Today's Question:
1. In Luke 5:1-11 (lesson 113), Jesus performs the first miraculous catch of fish. What was the purpose of this second catch of fish?
2. How many times was the resurrected Jesus seen?
Make God a part of your life by studying His word each day. Your Bible has more to teach than these lessons can cover.
1. In Luke 5:1-11 (lesson 113), Jesus performs the first miraculous catch of fish. What was the purpose of this second catch of fish?
2. How many times was the resurrected Jesus seen?
Make God a part of your life by studying His word each day. Your Bible has more to teach than these lessons can cover.
Answer: (Do you agree?)
1. In Matthew 4:19 (lesson 6), Jesus promised to make His disciples "fishers of men." In addition to its being another mighty demonstration of the power of God, this second miraculous catch of fish served as a foreshadowing of the success the disciples would have winning souls for Christ. Without Jesus, the disciples fished all night with no success (21:3); with Christ, they caught more than they were able to pull in (21:6). Without Christ, they would have no success building the church; with Him, they could not fail.
2. After the resurrection, Jesus was seen a dozen times by hundreds of eye witnesses.
1. Mary Magdalene Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18
2. Other women Matthew 28:9-10
3. Two believers going to Emmaus Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-32
4. Peter Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5
5. Ten disciples Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25
6. Eleven disciples Mark 16:14; John 20:26-31;
7. Seven disciples John 21:1-23
8. Eleven disciples Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18
9. More than 500 people 1 Corinthians 15:6
10. James 1 Corinthians 15:7
11. His disciples Luke 24:36-51; Acts 1:3-9
12. Paul Acts 9:1-19; Acts 22:3-16; Acts 26:9-18; 1 Corinthians 9:1
Application thought for the day:
Are you a fisher of men?
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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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© 2026 evolke