After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
⁴ Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. ⁷ That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ 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.
⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

1) What is the context of this passage? What events led up to this story?
This is the last chapter in the Gospel of John. The disciples mentioned in verse 2 had all spent three years with Jesus learning from Him, and had just witnessed His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus had already appeared to them twice since His resurrection, so they knew He was alive.

2) What is the significance of Peter going fishing?
Peter was a fisherman before Jesus called him to be a disciple. He spent three years walking with his Rabbi, and then in one crazy week, that Rabbi was arrested, crucified, and resurrected. Peter likely didn’t know what he was supposed to do next, so he went back to what he knew—fishing—while he waited to hear from his Lord.

3) What was it that made John recognize Jesus?
Jesus told the disciples to cast the net out on the right side of the boat, even though they had been fishing all night with no success. When they followed His instructions, they caught a miraculous amount of fish. Back in Luke 5, Jesus used a miraculous catch to call Peter, James, and John as his disciples in the beginning of his ministry. Now this parallel miracle caused John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) to recognize Jesus.

4) What parallels to previous gospel stories do you see? What is their significance?
We already noticed the parallel of the miraculous catch of fish. When Peter jumped out of the boat to swim to shore to meet Jesus, it was a parallel to the time that Peter left the boat to walk on water to meet Jesus. The meal of fish and bread that Jesus shared with the disciples would have reminded them of the way He multiplied a young boy’s bread and fish to feed 5,000 people. All of these things would have brought to the disciples’ minds the ways that Jesus had worked during the course of His ministry and strengthened their understanding of who He was.

1) What is the context of this passage? What events led up to this story?
The context of this passage is that Jesus had recently been raised from the dead. The disciples’ Lord was alive! Christian, do you reflect on that? Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised to life, defeating death and making a way for you to be right with God. Praise Him!

2) What is the significance of Peter going fishing?
Sometimes, we find ourselves in a period of transition or waiting, where we are unsure of what to do next. Perhaps you feel called to missions, but God has made it clear that it’s not the right timing. Or perhaps you have finished college, but you still don’t know which job to pursue. In a similar situation, Peter chose to go fishing. He didn’t know what Christ had for him to do next, but he knew how to fish. What might Christ be calling you to do in a season of waiting? How can you glorify God in this time of transition?

3) What was it that made John recognize Jesus?
John remembered how Jesus had shown Himself in previous experiences, and it helped him recognize the resurrected Christ. In a similar way, knowing how God has acted previously, both in the Bible, as well as in your own experience, can help you recognize when He is at work in your current situations. Do you know Christ well enough to recognize when He shows up? If not, resolve to study Him more!

4) What parallels to previous gospel stories do you see? What is their significance?
God doesn’t do anything by coincidence. When Jesus called His disciples with a miraculous catch of fish, God knew that a similar catch would help them recognize Jesus later. When biblical stories parallel each other, it is not by accident. God has been orchestrating everything since the beginning of time to tell one, big story about the redemption of His people through Jesus Christ. Praise God for His sovereignty and his Providence!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
See all past studies in Repurposed!