After Easter 2026 pt3

John 21 doesn’t give us a time frame from Jesus last appearance. We do know this is the 3rd time Jesus appeared to the disciples. There are many call backs to earlier times when Jesus had spoken to them. They were in a place that they needed to remember what He had already said. 

It begins with Peter stating that he was going fishing and 6 others went with him. They didn’t catch anything but Jesus gave instruction and they caught a boat full. This goes way back to Luke 5. Jesus had been teaching a crowd from Peter’s boat

Luke 5:1-11 ESV

1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”[a] 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

• Peter is doubtful that they will catch anything due to them fishing all night. But calls Him master and does what he asked. 

Master - a revered religious leader qualified to teach apprentices

• After the catch Peter calls Him Lord. 

Lord - one having power and authority over others

• He openly admitted who he was. 
• Jesus spoke to the fear.
• He called them to a different type of fishing. 
• They followed Him immediately. 

In John chapter 21 after they had the big catch they realized that it was Jesus who had spoke to them. He was cooking breakfast over a charcoal fire. This was a call back to Jesus’ arrest and the beginning of Peter’s repeated denial which took place by a charcoal fire from John 18

John 18:17-18 ESV

17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants[e] and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

John 18:25-27 ESV

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

• We don’t know if this fire brought back the moments of denial.
• What we do know is that Jesus had no intention of condemning him but redeeming him. 

The next few verses of John 21 directly reflect Peter’s denial. 

John 15:15-19 ESV<