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Second miraculous catch of fish

John 21:1–14 · Post-Resurrection

Scripture

John 21:1–14

fter these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2There 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. 3Simon 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. 4But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6And 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. 7Therefore 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. 8And 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. 9As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11Simon 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. 12Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

King James Version · public domain

Joani 21:1–14

astaj Jisuj u’a dëfteu vetëhen’ e ti përsëri nxënëset ndë dett të Tiveriadhësë; edhe e dëfteu kështu. 2Ishinë bashkë Simon Pjetri edhe Thomaj që thuhetë Binjak, edhe Nathanaili që është nga Kanaja e Galilesë, edhe të bijt e Zevedheut, edhe dy të-tjerë nga nxënësit’ e ati. 3Simon Pjetri u thot’ atyre, Vete të gjuanj pishqe. I thonë, Vijmë edhe neve bashkë me ty. Duallnë edhe hipnë ndë lundrët për-një-here, edhe atë natë nukë zunë asgjë. 4Po tani si ubë mëngjes, Jisuj ndënji ndë buzët të detit; po nxënësitë nuk’ e njohnë se është Jisuj. 5Jisuj pra u thot’ atyre. Djemthit’ e mi, mos keni ndonjë gjë për të ngrënë? 6I upërgjeqnë, jo. Edhe ay u tha atyre, Hithni rrietënë mb’anët të-djathtë të lundrësë, edhe dotë gjeni. E hothnë pra, edhe s’muntnë më t’a hiqninë nga shumica e pishqevet. 7Ay nxënësi pra, që donte Jisuj, i thotë Pjetrit, Eshtë Zoti. Edhe Simon Pjetri, kur dëgjoj se është Zoti, upshtuall me petkunë, (sepse ishte lakuriq,) edhe uhoth ndë dett. 8Edhe nxënësit’ e-tjerë erthnë me lundrëzënë, (sepse nuk’ ishte lark tokësë, po sindonja dy qint kut,) dyke hequrë rrietën’ e pishqevet. 9Edhe si sbritnë pra mbë tokët, shohënë, se atje ishte një zjarr i-ndezurë, edhe një peshk vënë mbi atë, edhe bukë. 10Jisuj u thot atyre, Bini nga pishqetë që zutë tashi. 11Simon Pjetri hipi edhe hoqi rrietënë mbi tokët plot me pishke të mëdhenj, një qint e pesë-dhjet’ e tre. 12Jisuj u thot’ atyre. Ejani e drekohi. Po asndonjë nga nxënësitë nukë kuxonte t’a pyesë, Cili je ti? sepse e dininë se është Zoti. 13Vjen pra Jisuj edhe merr bukënë e u’a ep, edhe peshkunë gjithashtu. 14Këjo ësht’ e-treta herë që udëftye tashi Jisuj te nxënësit’ e ti, passi ungjall prej së-vdekurish.

Kristoforidhi, Dhiata e Re Toskërisht 1879 · zotërim publik

In their own words

For He no longer made things out of matter already subsisting, as, through a certain dispensation, He did before the Crucifixion.

St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily LXXXVII, section [2] (on John xxi. 1–14); NPNF1 Vol. 14

The Second Catch of Fish (John 21:1–14)

The texts below are quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations; nothing is paraphrased.

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)

From his Homilies on the Gospel of John (Homily 87, on John 21), NPNF translation. Public domain.

On why they had gone back to fishing:

Do you see that He remains not with them continually, nor as before? ... Simon, therefore, comes to fish. For since neither was He with them continually, nor was the Spirit yet given, nor they at that time yet entrusted with anything, having nothing to do, they went after their trade.

On the several signs, and that he no longer worked from existing matter:

For no ordinary signs were they which had taken place. What were they? First, that so many fish were caught; then, that the net did not break; then, that before they landed, the coals had been found, and fish laid thereon, and bread. For He no longer made things out of matter already subsisting, as, through a certain dispensation, He did before the Crucifixion.

On Peter's love, that could not wait for the boat:

When therefore Peter knew Him, he threw down all, both fish and nets, and girded himself. Do you see his respect and love? Yet they were only two hundred cubits off; but not even so could Peter wait to go to Him in the boat, but reached the shore by swimming.

On the reverent silence of the disciples at the meal:

And none of them dared ask Him. For they no longer had the same boldness, nor were they so confident, nor did they now approach Him with speech, but with silence and great fear and reverence, sat down giving heed to Him. For they knew that it was the Lord.

St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444)

Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, Book 12 (on John 21:1–14) Source: trans. P. E. Pusey & T. Randell, 1874–1885. Public domain. Full text: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_john_12_book12.htm

On why the risen Christ grants a third appearance, and works a visible miracle to confirm His promise:

Our Lord Jesus Christ once more gladdens His disciples with the enjoyment of the sight of Himself, Whom they so greatly longed to see, and vouchsafes unto them a third visit, in addition to the other two, in order that He might confirm their minds, and render them unchangeably steadfast in faith towards Him. ... In order, then, that He might convince them by a palpable sign that every Word that He had spoken would surely come to pass, and that His promise would result in complete fulfilment, He draws a convincing proof from the trade at which they were at work.

On the fruitless night as the old preaching, and the cast on the right side as the surpassing teaching of Christ:

For the blessed Moses also let down the line of instruction, that is, by the letter of the Law; but this was fishing on the left side, the commandment of Christ unto us being on the right. For incomparably greater, then, and far exceeding in honour and glory the commandments of the Law, is the teaching of Christ; for the reality greatly surpasses the type, and the Master the servant, and the grace of the Spirit, which justifies, surpasses the letter, which condemneth.

On the fire of coals and the fish already caught, showing that it is Christ's own power, not the Apostles', that begins the work:

Then they see a fire of coals, for the Saviour had kindled a fire miraculously, and put a fish upon it that He had caught by His ineffable power; and this too He had done of design. For it was not the hand of the holy Apostles, or the preaching of these spiritual fishermen among men, but the power of the Saviour that started the work. For He first caught one as the firstfruits of those who were to come ... then afterwards the disciples caught the multitude in their nets, being enabled by His Divine bidding to take something of what they sought.

On the meal at which Christ Himself feeds the labourers, as a type of the blessings He will apportion:

They did not take food for themselves, and eat thereof, but Christ gave to them of it; that we might learn, as in a type, that on that day Christ will Himself provide us with Divine blessings, and apportion unto us those things which may be profitable unto us as our Lord.

Theophylact of Ohrid (c. 1055–1107)

From his Explanation of the Gospel of John, as compiled in the Catena Aurea on John. Public domain.

On Peter's girding himself as a mark of modesty:

Peter's girding himself is a sign of modesty. He girt himself with a linen coat, such as Thamian and Tyrian fishermen throw over them, when they have nothing else on, or even over their other clothes.

On the fish brought to prove the reality of the risen body:

To shew that it was no vision, He bade them take of the fish they had caught.

On the night without the Sun as a figure of the prophets before Christ:

In the night time before the presence of the sun, Christ, the Prophets took nothing; for though they endeavoured to correct the people, yet these often fell into idolatry.

Blessed Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

From his Tractates on the Gospel of John, as compiled in the Catena Aurea on John. Public domain.

On the disciples returning to a lawful craft for their living:

after that He has risen from the grave, after seeing the marks of His wounds, after receiving ... the Holy Ghost, all at once they become what they were before, fishers, not of men, but of fishes. We must remember then that they were not forbidden by their Apostleship from earning their livelihood by a lawful craft, provided they had no other means of living.

On the draught as a figure of the Church at the end of the world:

Mystically, in the draught of fishes He signified the mystery of the Church, such as it will be at the final resurrection of the dead ... The number seven, which is the number of the disciples who were fishing, signifies the end of time ... The shore is the end of the sea, and therefore signifies the end of the world.

On the two draughts, the right side, and the net unbroken:

In a former draught the nets are not thrown to the right, or to the left ... meaning that the good and bad were mixed together. But here it is, Cast the net on the right side of the ship; to signify those who should stand on the right hand, the good ... In the first draught the net was broken, to signify schisms; but here to shew that in that perfect peace of the blessed there would be no schisms ... yet was not the net broken.

On the number of the fishes, a hundred and fifty-three:

The number which signifies the law is ten, from the ten Commandments. But when to the law is joined grace ... the number seven is brought in, that being the number which represents the Holy Spirit ... The seven of the Spirit added to the ten of the law make seventeen; and the numbers from one up to seventeen when added together, make a hundred and fifty-three ... this number represents all who partake of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

St. Gregory the Great (c. 540–604)

From his Homilies on the Gospels (Homily 24), as compiled in the Catena Aurea on John. Public domain.

On the craft that may be resumed after conversion, and the one that may not:

The craft which was exercised without sin before conversion, was no sin after it. Wherefore after his conversion Peter returned to fishing; but Matthew sat not down again for the receipt of custom. For there are some businesses which cannot or can hardly be carried on without sin; and these cannot be returned to after conversion.

On the sea as this world and the shore as the rest eternal:

The sea signifies the world, which is tossed about with various causes of tumults, and the waves of this corruptible life; the shore by its solidity figures the rest eternal. The disciples then, inasmuch as they were still upon the waves of this mortal life, were labouring on the sea; but the Redeemer having by His resurrection thrown off the corruption of the flesh, stood upon the shore.

On the meal of the seven as the banquet of the perfected:

By holding this last feast with seven disciples, he declares that they only who are full of the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit, shall be with Him in the eternal feast.

St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735)

From his Exposition of the Gospel of John, as compiled in the Catena Aurea on John. Public domain.

On the two hundred cubits as the twofold love:

By the two hundred cubits is signified the twofold grace of love; the love of God and the love of our neighbour; for by them we approach to Christ.

On the broiled fish as Christ, who became bread for us:

The fish broiled is Christ Who suffered. He deigned to be hid in the waters of human nature, and to be taken in the net of our night; and having become a fish by the taking of humanity, became bread to refresh us by His divinity.

Patristic sources

Read the sources: Chrysostom on John (CCEL) · Augustine, Tractates on John (CCEL)