COME AND HAVE BREAKFAST

John 21:1-14 / Keywords 21:12

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

 

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

21:1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.[a] It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus[b]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[c] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Footnotes

a. John 21:1 Greek Tiberias

b. John 21:2 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.

c. John 21:8 Or about 90 meters

1. Risen Jesus had already visited the disciples twice. The sting of death was fading away, yet a full recovery was still a work in progress.

 

2. After a night of unsuccessful fishing, Jesus reached out to the disciples a third time. Jesus offered them some good advice and invited them to a hearty breakfast. Jesus didn’t try to prove himself to them; his presence couldn’t be more real. It was a breath of fresh air, a reminder of Jesus who plants hope amid failures and sustenance in our time of hunger and weariness.

 

3. The power of the gospel and of risen Jesus is not so much in trying to prove his resurrection to doubters but in embodying the love and care that Jesus always offers to those in need. Believing in Jesus is a relationship of love and healing. Jesus lives in each of us when we receive and offer this to others.

 

Prayer Lord, thank you for coming to me when I was lost and weary. You offered me a word of encouragement, a meal, your warm embrace.

One Word Jesus still lives