John 21

1 – 3

Later, Jesus showed Himself to His followers by Lake Galilee. This is how it happened:

Some of the followers were together. They were Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee, and two other followers.

Simon Peter said, “I am going out to fish.” The other followers said, “We will go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.

Peter believed in Jesus but he was not acting like someone who is following Jesus. Peter decided to go back to his old life. Peter also led the other disciples to get their minds off of what they should be doing.

Peter did not catch any fish and he did not know Christ when he saw Him. God has a way of blocking us when we go in a way that He does not want us to go. What they should have been doing is asking the Lord what to do -as they finally did in Acts 1:14

4 – 6

Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore. But the followers did not know that it was Jesus. Then He said to them, “Friends, have you caught any fish?” They answered, “No.”

He said, “Throw your net into the water on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they did this. They caught so many fish that they could not pull the net back into the boat.

God is taking them back to the first time they met in Luke 5:5.

7. The follower whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Peter heard him say this, he wrapped his coat around himself. (Peter had taken his clothes off.) Then he jumped into the water.

Peter must have thought, “Wait a minute. This has happened before. That must be Jesus!” Pay close attention when the Lord reminds you of things that you have done together.

8 – 11

The other followers went to shore in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. They were not very far from shore, only about 100 yards.

When the followers stepped out of the boat and onto the shore, they saw a fire of hot coals. There were fish on the fire, and there was bread. Then Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish that you caught.”

Simon Peter went into the boat and pulled the net to the shore. It was full of big fish. There were 153. Even though there were so many, the net did not tear.

Peter went and got the fish even though the net was too heavy for seven men to pull it. God sometime gives us a job to do for Him after we have fallen down and it is very healing for us to have the privilege of doing something for Him.

12 – 14

Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the followers dared ask Him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them. He also gave them the fish. This was now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His followers after He was raised from death.

The Lord blesses us with breakfast first and then speaks to us about some things that need to be corrected.

Do you not see how kind and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can you not see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? Romans 2:4

15. When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John do you love Me more than My other followers?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love You.” Jesus said, “Take care of my lambs.”

The original language shows that Jesus was saying, “Do you love Me with the highest type of love?” Peter was saying, “I cannot say I love you with the highest type of love, but I do love you.”

Peter was saying, “During your trial I said that I do not know You, so I do not deserve to say that I love You the way that I should.”

16. Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John do you love Me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love You.” Jesus said, “ Take care of my sheep .”

Here are the words of Pastor Samuel Shoemaker:

“I like to stay close to the door of the Kingdom. There are blind men walking around the walls feeling for the door. They know there must be a door somewhere but they cannot find it. There are others who know the Master of the Kingdom and they go through the door into many beautiful rooms and learn many beautiful things. I enjoy visiting these rooms also but I always come back to the door.”

“There are some who stand in the door for a while and are not sure what to do. I tell them that they have already seen enough of the old life and I put their hand on the door latch. It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord.” Psalm 84:10

Can you name some of the unbelievers that you are praying for every day?

17. A third time He said, “Simon son of John do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, You know everything. You know that I love You!” He said to him, “Take care of my sheep.

We know when it feels like when there is something wrong between us and someone else. Jesus knows how Peter is feeling and wants to heal his mind. The devil would come back to Peter and accuse him again, but Peter could say, “I spoke against the Lord three times, and He forgive forgave me three times. My sin was not covered, but now it is covered. Get behind me Satan!”

Jesus knows that the best healing for you is to feed His sheep. Sharing the Gospel and sharing in the hurts of others is the best way to be healed of a wasted life. If you put the Lord's work first everything else will fall into place. Matthew 6:33

The Lord might ask you if you love Him more than other Christians do. He might ask you if you love Him more than some of the things that you have been spending time with.

You can love the Lord in many ways but if you do not love Him more than these things then you will not have any power to feed the sheep.

18 – 19

I tell you the truth. When you were younger, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will tie a rope around your waist.. They will take you where you do not want to go.”

(Jesus said this to show how Peter would die to give glory to God.) Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me!”

Peter was killed on a cross in Rome by Nero. Church history says that he asked that the cross be upside down because he was not worthy to die in the same way that Jesus died.

20 – 21

Peter turned and saw that the follower Jesus loved was walking behind them. (This was the follower who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who will turn against you?”) When Peter saw him behind them he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

Before you start thinking that Peter was jealous of John. Remember that the women found Peter and John together. John was helping Peter put his life back together and they were very good friends. Peter could be saying, “Lord, it will be an honor to die for you, will my friend John have some way to honor you also?”

22 – 25

Jesus answered, “If I want him to live until I come back. That should not be important to you. You follow Me.”

So a story spread among the brothers that this follower would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die. He only said, “Perhaps I want him to live until I come back. That should not be important to you.”

That follower is the one who is telling these things. He is the one who has now written them down. We know that what he says is true.

There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I think the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.

There were false stories in the early church about evil men trying to kill John but were not able to. We know from the book of Revelation that John was a prisoner on the island of Patmos and lived to a very old age. Revelation 1:9