Bible Commentaries
John 21

Verses 1-25

XXI 1-14 Manifestation at the Lake—1. After the Paschal octave, the Apostles returned to Galilee. The homes of many of them were near the sea of Tiberias.

2. Seven of their number were to be witnesses of a second miraculous catch of fishes. Simon Peter was the chief, and with him were Thomas, whose name is again interpreted, Nathanael (Bartholomew) designated here as a native of Cana, the (two) sons of Zebedee, and two whose identity we have no means of establishing. Some commentators, appealing to Jn’s habitual reticence about himself and his, regard ’the sons of Zebedee’ as a gloss, but the MSS should be decisive.

3. Six disciples therefore went with Peter (probably from Capharnaum) and spent a fruitless night fishing on the lake.

4. As morning was coming (rather than ’when morning was come’), a figure appeared standing on the shore, a hundred yards away. He was not recognized as Jesus, presumably because of the distance and the obscurity of early dawn, and perhaps also because Jesus did not himself wish to be recognized immediately.

5. To draw attention to the miracle about to take place Jesus asked them: ’Young men, have you any fish?’ The word of address is one of familiarity, and the Gk substantive, which means something-to-eat-with-bread, is in the circumstances a polite synonym of ’fish’. The unwillingness with which fishermen admit that they have caught nothing is probably reflected in the curt ’No’ that came over the water.

6. As the boat was probably moving south close to the western shore, the order to put the net out on the right side meant putting it out where fish were less likely to be. Nevertheless the catch was enormous.

7. John was the first to recognize the Master—ubi amor, ibi oculus: love gives eyesight. But if John was a better contemplative, Peter was more prompt in action. His undress meant that he was clothed only in a sort of overall (without tunic) which he quickly girded to come to Jesus directly, more by wading than swimming through the water.

8. The others followed in the boat, dragging the net.

9. The breakfast prepared by Jesus on the shore is a touching instance of his solicitude for hungry men—a fire of coals, a fish roasting, bread read.

10 f. His order to bring some of the catch was only intended to provoke the count. The number 153 has been given many symbolic meanings, mostly in the sense of the catholicity of the Church (Jerome’s 153 species of fishes) or the total number of the elect. St Augustine discovered—one can hardly guess how —that 10 (the commandments) and 7 (the gifts of the Holy Ghost) in the addition of the whole series 1, 2, 3 . . . 17 give exactly 153. That the net was not rent suggests the unity and integrity of the Church. The net was used by Christ himself for a parable of the kingdom of heaven.

12-14. The kindly invitation, the respect of the disciples, who knew who he was and in a sense did not know, and yet did not question him, the charity of the risen Lord ministering—these show that the intimate contact of friendship with Jesus is always the same, yesterday, today, and for ever. 14b. Jn numbers this as the third manifestation to the disciples in a body.

15-17 The Primacy of Peter —After the meal Jesus proceeded to an act which was of the utmost importance for the future of his Church. From the first day Jesus had called Simon son of John Kêphâ, 1:42, and had declared many months ago that on ’this rock’ he would build his Church, Matthew 16:18. Weak as the Rock was during the Passion, the prayer of Jesus for the future confirmer of his brethren, Luke 22:32, was necessarily efficacious. Therefore the Rock is restored to its proper strength in a triple profession of love intended to undo the triple denial. The questions and the answers show that the devoted but presumptuous Peter has found the strength of his devotedness in humility. The whole admirable drama, in which Peter’s love of his Master is turned to care of his Master’s sheep, is founded on the parable of the Good Shepherd. The first question of Christ, with its term of comparison ’Lovest thou me more than these?’ was evidently set against the Apostle’s boast ’Although all shall be scandalized in thee, I will never be scandalized’, Matthew 26:33. Peter does not now dare to say that he loves more than the others, but he does assert that he loves, and appeals to Jesus’ knowledge of his heart. The emotion of his third answer, under the sadness of being asked three times, is most touching. To each response the same commission corresponds, expressed in a variety of terms which give it emphasis. ’Feed my lambs—shepherd my sheep—feed my sheep’ mean the same thing, for there is no reason for the supposition that sheep and lambs mean pastors and people. The whole flock (all the sheep of the Good Shepherd) are committed to Peter’s care. To understand this commission as anything less than a primacy of authority over the universal church is to falsify the text. The passage has been dogmatically interpreted in this traditional sense by the Vatican Council, Dz 1822.

18-19 Prediction of Peter’s Martyrdom —A vision of Peter’s future destiny is annexed to the supreme commission with the solemnity of a double ’Amen’. The chief shepherd will follow the Good Shepherd even in the manner of his death. The words have some of the mysterious obscurity of prophecy. Against the liberty of Peter’s younger days (girding himself and walking where he pleased) is set this mysterious future event of his old age. If the counterpart contains only two terms, namely, girding by another, as an old man is helped to dress himself, and being led to a place not naturally desired (a place of execution), the prophecy envisages a violent death only, not the mode of death by crucifixion. The extension of the hands must therefore be the term specifically corresponding to crucifixion, but as the extension of hands is set before girding and being led away, it is difficult to discern how it must be conceived. If the order is part of the prophecy, we must suppose the prisoner lashed to the patibulum before being girded and led out to execution. Jn writing after Peter’s death notes that Jesus said this ’signifying by what death he should glorify God’. The words ’Follow me’ which Jesus spoke immediately afterwards to Peter are so general as to include imitation, ’even to the death of the cross’.

20-23 Rectification concerning John’s Future —The Prince of the Apostles there and then did turn his footsteps to go with Jesus, but seeing John walking just behind, he was seized with a friend’s interest in the beloved disciple. Affection and curiosity moved him to ask the question, ’Lord, and this man what?’ (as the original Rheims translates). The change of si to sic in many Vg MSS and the adoption of that reading in the Clementine edition has given us the present Vg translation. But read: ’If I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? do thou follow me’. This answer really means: Even if I should let him remain till my second coming, what concern is it of thine? Follow me and leave the destinies of others in my hands. In view of a current rumour making Jesus say that the beloved disciple would not die—a rumour which spread on account of his longevity —Jn here draws attention to the exact form of the word of Jesus concerning him.

24-25 Second Epilogue —The mixture of first plural with first singular in these final words seems to justify the view that St John dictated them surrounded by the presbyters of Ephesus, but cf.1 Jn 1-2. These, according to the Muratorian canon had requested him to write the Gospel, and are now giving testimony of its veracity together with him: ’This is that disciple who giveth testimony of these things, and hath written these things: and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did: which if they were written every one, the world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books that should be written’. Semitic hyperbole, no doubt, like comparing a people to the stars of heaven in multitude or to the sand at the lip of the sea, but how amply justified by the multitude and the magnitude of the things which Jesus did!