Jesus was a fishing advisor

JESUS WAS A FISHING ADVISOR
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 21:6 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.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
A New Manifestation On An Old Scene
John 21:1
D. Young
I. THE OLD SCENE. This verse gets all its suggestiveness just as we remember the place which
Jesus chose for this particular manifestation. Persons and time and place were all combined
together into one complete lesson of truth. Capernaum stood on that sea, the one place that came
nearest to a home for him who all the years of his public life had no true home. While walking
on the margin of its waters, Jesus called his first disciples to become "fishers of men" (Luke 5:1-
11). To the disciples of Jesus gathered on the shores of this lake everything should have been
eloquent with stirring memories of their Master. Everything in the way of circumstance and
association was made, as far as it could be, into a hook and a help.
II. WHAT WAS CHANGED SINCE THE COMPANY HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE? The
interval could not have been very long; yet what momentous things had happened in it! There
was no change to speak of in the scene; a spectator from some coign of vantage would have seen
pretty much the same as before. Nor would there be much change in the disciples. A great
preparation was going on; but the change itself had yet to come. But in Jesus himself, what a
glorious change! The mortal had put on immortality, the corruptible had put on incorruption. A
great gulf separated him and his disciples - an immense difference added on to all the differences
existing before. Best of all, the difference was laden with hope and encouragement for all who
could look at it in the right way. The change in Jesus heralded and initiated a change in every one
of these disciples, and through them a change in many with whom they would have to deal.

III. THE ESSENTIAL JESUS STILL REMAINED. He had not to make confession of former
errors and new discoveries. The change in Jesus was but a metamorphosis; the change in the
disciples was a regeneration. Jesus would look different, for he had put on the body of his glory.
Before long, the disciples, looking outwardly the same, would have been profoundly changed.
IV. THE NEED OF A NEW MANIFESTATION TO US IN THE OLD SCENES OF OUR
LIFE. Most people have to spend their days among scenes that are as familiar to them as ever the
shores of Galilee were to these seven disciples. Life may become very dull and monotonous in
these circumstances. But a manifestation of Jesus will make a wondrous change. Then, and only
then, will there be sense and comfort in the utterance, that "old things have passed away, and all
things become new." The Galilaean cities are gone long ago; but humanity remains, needing all
the manifestations of Jesus as much as ever it did. - Y.
Biblical Illustrator
Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.
John 21:6
Old instrumentalities
D. Thomas, D. D.Christ commanded the disciples to cast the old net in a new way. Thus He ever
does in redeeming souls.
I. HE EMPLOYS OLD INSTRUMENTALITIES. There are many of them, but they are all old.
1. The same old natural facts. He employs the phenomena of nature to quicken, educate and
elevate souls. We have nothing more of nature than the men of remotest generations.
2. The same old gospel principles. Biblical truths are His redemptive forces, but the youngest of
them is eighteen hundred years old.
3. The same old mental faculties. In regenerating men Christ does not create a new intellect,
memory, imagination. He brings out the new moral creature with the old mental idiosyncrasies.
II. HE EMPLOYS OLD INSTRUMENTALITIES IN A NEW WAY. He directs men —
1. To a new method of studying natural facts. Thoughtfully, inductively, devoutly — regarding
them all as mirrors of the Divine.
2. To a new method of dealing with gospel truths. Not desultorily, speculatively, controversially,
but inductively, systematically and practically.
3. To a new method of employing mental faculties. Turning the mental powers away from time
to eternity, from the creature to the Creator.
(D. Thomas, D. D.)

Ministerial encouragements
Dean Vaughan.It was quite natural that this miracle should carry their thoughts back to that
draught when their nets brake — the type of those poor tentative trial missions which alone these
men had been capable of when they knew Christ only after the flesh. This erie was a type of the
works greater than His own which Christ promised. Note —
I. THE ASSURANCE THAT THERE IS A DIRECTING VOICE AND A GUIDING HAND.
The disciples did not yet know the voice, and we do not always discern it; for Christ speaks in
many tones — by circumstance, character, influence. What a relief and comfort this is!
II. It is no play on the words to say that there is A RIGHT AND A WRONG SIDE OF THE
SHIP FOR THE CASTING OF THE NET. When Christ says the right side we must not choose
the left. There is an awkward, clumsy, inappropriate way of offering truth and love to men as
well as a way that is suitable, winning — to use the figure here, adroit, dexterous, and therefore
Christ's way.
III. WHAT IS CAST MUST BE THE NET, THE GOSPEL NET.
1. A prophet speaks of those who sacrifice to their own net. We may have a net of our own, and
take great pains with it in making and mending, and think highly of it as an instrument for
catching, and even fancy that it has caught, because there is a thronging and pressing to hear, and
because men praise the thing heard — and lo! there is what God calls nothing in the net.
2. The great elements of gospel revelation must find place in all teaching — sin, the Divine
Saviour, the Holy indwelling Spirit, sanctification, &c. — these things, not rawly or roughly
flung out, but tenderly and sweetly impressed, must never be thrown behind in comparison with
topics of the day.
IV. YE SHALL FIND. He does not say, "All at once," nor "all you would," nor "so as to see it
now;" but He puts no limit to our hope and prayer. Not one earnest sermon falls to the ground.
Some conscience is quickened, some sorrow comforted, or some life guided.
(Dean Vaughan.)
Fishing for souls
H. W. Beecher.Many men there are who make fishing rods who never use them. To make fishing
rods is one thing, and to catch fish is another. Many men can make good lines who never think of
going out to fish. There are plenty of mechanics that stand by the stithy and make all sorts of
hooks who never catch fish. Many of the men who make reels and baskets do not catch fish. The
man who, having these things at his command, knows where the trout lie, and how to throw his
line, and how to draw back when the fish rises to the hook, he after all is the fisherman. Now
there are hundreds of men who, when they go into the pulpit, make rods and lines (very long
lines), and hooks, and reels, and baskets. They take this or that doctrine and pound it out into a
hook, bending it and kinking it just so, and stick it up on a paper, and label it, and that is the end
of it. And this is called preaching! To know how to make rods and lines, &c., is called sound,
regular, and approved preaching; but Christ says that is preaching which catches men. And, so
far from teaching you that you have no right to introduce into the pulpit anything but the
substance of doctrines, I affirm that the man who does not do it will never catch men. God's
sovereignty may, out of the literal foolishness of his preaching, catch some men; but the
commission of Christ to every man that undertakes to preach is, "Follow Me, and I will make
you a fisher of men." The business of a preacher is to catch men — proud, wicked, worldly men:

and to catch them out of temptations, out of snares, out of wealth, out of poverty: for men are in
more pools, ten thousand times than fishes are And that man who knows all kinds, and what sort
of bait each loves, and how to coax him, and how to catch him, knows how to preach; but the
man who does not know these things though he knows everything else — lacks a knowledge of
the very thing he was sent to do.
(H. W. Beecher.)
The two draughts of fishes
C. H. Spurgeon.(Text, and Luke 5:4): — The whole life of Christ was a sermon. The miracles
attest His mission; but a higher reason for them is to be found in the instruction which they
convey. Some ministers have often preached from the same text, but never the same discourse.
The like may be said of Christ. The two miracles seem to the casual observer to be alike; but
though the text is the same in both, the dis. course is full of variations. Note —
I. THE POINTS OF UNIFORMITY. They are both intended to set forth the way in which
Christ's kingdom shall increase; viz., that —
1. The means must be used. In the first case, the fish did not leap into Simon's boat, nor in the
second, did they lay themselves down upon the coals. No, the fishermen must go out in their
boat, cast the net, and then either drag it ashore, or fill the boats with its contents. It is a miracle,
but human agency is not ignored. In saving souls God works by means. So long as the economy
of grace shall stand, God will by the foolishness of preaching save them that believe. God works
by means of men whom He specially calls to His work, and not as a rule without them. The
outcry against the "one man ministry" comes not of God, but of proud self-conceit. The new
ways of catching fish without nets, and saving souls without ministers, will never answer. I know
not a church that has despised instrumentality but it has come to an end within a few years either
by schism or decay.
2. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. In both cases there was failure — why? They
were no raw hands; they had toiled, and toiled all night. There was no deficiency of fish, for as
soon as the Master comes there they are by shoals. What, then, is the reason? Because there is no
power in the means apart from the presence of Christ. Without Christ we can do nothing. "Not by
might," &c. Put no dependence upon societies, committees, ministries, &c. Let us work as if all
depended upon us; but let us depend upon God, knowing that it rests with Him alone.
3. It is Christ's presence that confers success. It was His will that drew the fish to the net as He
sat in Peter's boat. It was His presence on the dry land that drew the fish to the right side of the
ship. Christ's presence in the midst of the Church is the Church's power.
4. The success developed human weakness. In the first instance the net breaks and the ship began
to sink, and Peter says, "Depart," &c. The very abundance of God's mercy made him feel his
own nothingness. In the last case, they were scarcely able to draw the net because of the
multitude of fishes. If the Lord gives us success in winning souls we shall soon find out what
nothings we are. Little increases such as have been common in our churches for years, are quite
consistent with great self-congratulation, and so is utter barrenness; mark the pompous carriage
of many a fruitless preacher. The man humbles himself in the dust when hundreds are
ingathered, for this cannot be the minister; this is the finger of God.

II. THE DISSIMILARITY. The first picture represents the Church of God as we see it; the
second as it really is. Luke tells us what the crowd see; John, what Christ showed to His disciples
alone.
1. There is a difference in the orders given. In the first, it is, "Launch out into the deep," &c. In
the second, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship." The first is Christ's order to every
minister; the second is the secret work of His spirit in the Word. The first shows us that the
ministry is to fish everywhere. The preacher is not to single out any particular character. Those
who preach only to the elect should remember this. What if we be in town, or city, or village?
what if we be among the rich or poor, learned or illiterate? we have nothing to do with that —
our duty is to "launch out into the deep, and let down the net." Christ will find the fish. The
secret truth is, that when we are doing this, the Lord knows how to guide us, so that we cast the
net on the right side of the ship. That is the invisible work of the Spirit, whereby He so adapts
our ministry that He makes it particular and special.
2. In the first instance there is a distinct plurality. The fishermen have nets and boats, and each
man comes out distinctly. In the next, they are all in one boat, and unitedly drag one net. This is
the visible and the invisible.(1) To us the means are various. We are in one boat but there is
another over yonder, and whenever our boat gets too full, we should beckon to our partners in
the other ship to come and help us. We ought not to look upon those brethren who differ from us,
as though they were emptying the sea and rivalling us. The plurality of agency involved in
denominations is a great blessing. We stir one another up, and do far more good then if there
were only one nominal church. There will always be a Paul and a Barnabas, who cannot get on
together.(2) But let us look to the inward. In John they are all on one boat fishing together,
dragging one net. This is what is really the fact. We do not see it, but all God's ministers are
dragging one net, and all God's Church is in one ship. It is no use striving after outward
uniformity. Neither the texture of the human mind nor the will of God require it, It is the unity of
the Spirit in Christ Jesus, in love that God would have us regard.
3. In the first case a great multitude of fish were caught. In the second "a hundred and fifty and
three." It were impossible to reckon how many have been taken in the outward net of the visible
Church. But it is possible for it to be known of God how many shall be brought at last, and how
many now are in the invisible Church. They shall be in heaven a number that no man can
number, for God's elect are not few; but "the Lord knoweth them that are His."
4. The fish that were taken the first time appear to have been of all sorts. The net was broken,
and therefore doubtless some of them got out again; there were some So little that they were not
worth eating, and doubtless were thrown away: "They shall gather the good into vessels and
throw the bad away." In the second ease the net was full of great fishes; they were all great
fishes, all good and worth the keeping. The first gives us the outward and visible effect of the
ministry. We gather into Christ's Church a great number, and there will always be some that are
not good, and not really called of God. Sometimes we have Church-meetings in which we have
to throw the bad away. Let no man be surprised if the tares grow up with the wheat — if there be
wolves in sheep's clothing — it always will be so. There was a Judas among the twelve. Not so
in the invisible Church. In that there is none to throw away. No; the Lord who brought them into
the net brought the right sort in.
5. In the first case, in the visible Church the net breaks. No doubt it is a bad thing for nets to
break; but you need not wonder at it. It is the necessary consequence of our being what we are.
Instead of having some one denomination, we have twenty or thirty? I do not grieve over it. For

until you get a set of perfect men, you never will have anything but these divisions. But the net
does not break in reality, for the invisible Church is one. Take care of the fish and leave the net
alone, but still maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of perfectness.
6. In the first case, you see human weakness; there is the boat ready to sink, the net broken, the
men all out of heart, begging the Master to go away. In the other ease, they are made strong,
dragging the fish to shore. So in the visible Church you will often have to mourn over human
weakness: but in the invisible Church God will make His servants just strong enough to drag
their fish to shore.
7. In the first case, in the visible Church they launched out into the deep. In the second case, they
were not far from the shore. So today our preaching seems to us to be going out into the great
stormy deep after fish. We appear to have a long way to reach before we shall bring these
precious souls to land. But in the sight of God we are not far from shore; and when a soul is
saved, it is not far from heaven. To us there are years of temptation, and trial, and conflict; but to
God, it is finished.
8. In the first case, the disciples had to forsake all and follow Christ. In the second, they sat down
to feast with Him at the banquet which He had spread. So in the visible Church we have to bear
trial and self-denial for Christ, but the eye of faith perceives that we shall soon sit down and feast
in the kingdom of God.
III. THE LESSON WHICH THE TWO NARRATIVES IN COMMON SEEM TO TEACH. In
the first case, Christ was in the ship. Christ is in His Church, though she launch out into the deep.
In the second case, Christ was on the shore. Christ is in heaven. But whether He be in the
Church, or in heaven, all our night's toiling shall, by His presence, have a rich reward. This is the
lesson. Mother, will you learn it? You have been toiling long for your children. It has been night
with you as yet. Your night's toiling shall have an end; you shall at last cast the net on the right
side of the ship. Sunday-school teacher, minister, church, the night is far spent, and the Master
shall soon appear; and His advent shall bring success.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
And ye shall find - The Ethiopic, three copies of the Itala, and St. Cyril, add, They said therefore
unto him, we have labored all the night and caught nothing, nevertheless at thy command we will
let down the net. This is borrowed from Luke 5:5.
For the multitude of fishes - This was intended as an emblem of the immense number of souls
which should be converted to God by their ministry; according to the promise of Christ, Matthew
4:19.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.

Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on John 21:6". "The Adam Clarke Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/john-21.html. 1832.
l " return to 'Jump List'
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
On the right side - Why the right side is mentioned is not known. Grotius supposes that it was the
side nearest the shore, where there was less probability of taking fish. It does not appear that they
yet recognized the Lord Jesus, but from some cause they had sufficient confidence in him to
make another trial. Perhaps they judged that he was one skilled in that employment, and knew
where there was the greatest probability of success.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/john-21.html. 1870.
The Biblical Illustrator
John 21:6
Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find
Old instrumentalities, but new method, an emblem of Christ’s redemptive method
Christ commanded the disciples to cast the old net in a new way.
Thus He ever does in redeeming souls.
I. HE EMPLOYS OLD INSTRUMENTALITIES. There are many of them, but they are all old.
1. The same old natural facts. He employs the phenomena of nature to quicken, educate and
elevate souls. We have nothing more of nature than the men of remotest generations.
2. The same old gospel principles. Biblical truths are His redemptive forces, but the youngest of
them is eighteen hundred years old.
3. The same old mental faculties. In regenerating men Christ does not create a new intellect,
memory, imagination. He brings out the new moral creature with the old mental idiosyncrasies.
II. HE EMPLOYS OLD INSTRUMENTALITIES IN A NEW WAY. He directs men
1. To a new method of studying natural facts. Thoughtfully, inductively, devoutly--regarding
them all as mirrors of the Divine.
2. To a new method of dealing with gospel truths. Not desultorily, speculatively, controversially,
but inductively, systematically and practically.
3. To a new method of employing mental faculties. Turning the mental powers away from time
to eternity, from the creature to the Creator. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
Ministerial encouragements

It was quite natural that this miracle should carry their thoughts back to that draught when their
nets brake--the type of those poor tentative trial missions which alone these men had been
capable of when they knew Christ only after the flesh. This erie was a type of the works greater
than His own which Christ promised. Note
I. THE ASSURANCE THAT THERE IS A DIRECTING VOICE AND A GUIDING HAND.
The disciples did not yet know the voice, and we do not always discern it; for Christ speaks in
many tones--by circumstance, character, influence. What a relief and comfort this is!
II. It is no play on the words to say that there is A RIGHT AND A WRONG SIDE OF THE
SHIP FOR THE CASTING OF THE NET. When Christ says the right side we must not choose
the left. There is an awkward, clumsy, inappropriate way of offering truth and love to men as
well as a way that is suitable, winning--to use the figure here, adroit, dexterous, and therefore
Christ’s way.
III. WHAT IS CAST MUST BE THE NET, THE GOSPEL NET.
1. A prophet speaks of those who sacrifice to their own net. We may have a net of our own, and
take great pains with it in making and mending, and think highly of it as an instrument for
catching, and even fancy that it has caught, because there is a thronging and pressing to hear, and
because men praise the thing heard--and lo! there is what God calls nothing in the net.
2. The great elements of gospel revelation must find place in all teaching--sin, the Divine
Saviour, the Holy indwelling Spirit, sanctification, &c.
these things, not rawly or roughly flung out, but tenderly and sweetly impressed, must never be
thrown behind in comparison with topics of the day.
IV. YE SHALL FIND. He does not say, “All at once,” nor “all you would,” nor “so as to see it
now;” but He puts no limit to our hope and prayer. Not one earnest sermon falls to the ground.
Some conscience is quickened, some sorrow comforted, or some life guided. (Dean Vaughan.)
Fishing for souls
Many men there are who make fishing rods who never use them. To make fishing rods is one
thing, and to catch fish is another. Many men can make good lines who never think of going out
to fish. There are plenty of mechanics that stand by the stithy and make all sorts of hooks who
never catch fish. Many of the men who make reels and baskets do not catch fish. The man who,
having these things at his command, knows where the trout lie, and how to throw his line, and
how to draw back when the fish rises to the hook, he after all is the fisherman. Now there are
hundreds of men who, when they go into the pulpit, make rods and lines (very long lines), and
hooks, and reels, and baskets. They take this or that doctrine and pound it out into a hook,
bending it and kinking it just so, and stick it up on a paper, and label it, and that is the end of it.
And this is called preaching! To know how to make rods and lines, &c., is called sound, regular,
and approved preaching; but Christ says that is preaching which catches men. And, so far from
teaching you that you have no right to introduce into the pulpit anything but the substance of
doctrines, I affirm that the man who does not do it will never catch men. God’s sovereignty may,
out of the literal foolishness of his preaching, catch some men; but the commission of Christ to
every man that undertakes to preach is, “Follow Me, and I will make you a fisher of men.” The
business of a preacher is to catch men--proud, wicked, worldly men: and to catch them out of
temptations, out of snares, out of wealth, out of poverty: for men are in more pools, ten thousand
times than fishes are And that man who knows all kinds, and what sort of bait each loves, and

how to coax him, and how to catch him, knows how to preach; but the man who does not know
these things though he knows everything else--lacks a knowledge of the very thing he was sent to
do. (H. W. Beecher.)
The two draughts of fishes
(Text, and Luke 5:4):--The whole life of Christ was a sermon. The miracles attest His mission;
but a higher reason for them is to be found in the instruction which they convey. Some ministers
have often preached from the same text, but never the same discourse. The like may be said of
Christ. The two miracles seem to the casual observer to be alike; but though the text is the same
in both, the discourse is full of variations. Note--I. THE POINTS OF UNIFORMITY. They are
both intended to set forth the way in which Christ’s kingdom shall increase; viz., that
1. The means must be used. In the first case, the fish did not leap into Simon’s boat, nor in the
second, did they lay themselves down upon the coals. No, the fishermen must go out in their
boat, cast the net, and then either drag it ashore, or fill the boats with its contents. It is a miracle,
but human agency is not ignored. In saving souls God works by means. So long as the economy
of grace shall stand, God will by the foolishness of preaching save them that believe. God works
by means of men whom He specially calls to His work, and not as a rule without them. The
outcry against the “one man ministry” comes not of God, but of proud self-conceit. The new
ways of catching fish without nets, and saving souls without ministers, will never answer. I know
not a church that has despised instrumentality but it has come to an end within a few years either
by schism or decay.
2. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. In both cases there was failure--why? They were
no raw hands; they had toiled, and toiled all night. There was no deficiency of fish, for as soon as
the Master comes there they are by shoals. What, then, is the reason? Because there is no power
in the means apart from the presence of Christ. Without Christ we can do nothing. “Not by
might,” &c. Put no dependence upon societies, committees, ministries, &c. Let us work as if all
depended upon us; but let us depend upon God, knowing that it rests with Him alone.
3. It is Christ’s presence that confers success. It was His will that drew the fish to the net as He
sat in Peter’s boat. It was His presence on the dry land that drew the fish to the right side of the
ship. Christ’s presence in the midst of the Church is the Church’s power.
4. The success developed human weakness. In the first instance the net breaks and the ship began
to sink, and Peter says, “Depart,” &c. The very abundance of God’s mercy made him feel his
own nothingness. In the last case, they were scarcely able to draw the net because of the
multitude of fishes. If the Lord gives us success in winning souls we shall soon find out what
nothings we are. Little increases such as have been common in our churches for years, are quite
consistent with great self-congratulation, and so is utter barrenness; mark the pompous carriage
of many a fruitless preacher. The man humbles himself in the dust when hundreds are
ingathered, for this cannot be the minister; this is the finger of God.
II. THE DISSIMILARITY. The first picture represents the Church of God as we see it; the
second as it really is. Luke tells us what the crowd see; John, what Christ showed to His disciples
alone.
1. There is a difference in the orders given. In the first, it is, “Launch out into the deep,” &c. In
the second, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship.” The first is Christ’s order to every
minister; the second is the secret work of His spirit in the Word. The first shows us that the
ministry is to fish everywhere. The preacher is not to single out any particular character. Those

who preach only to the elect should remember this. What if we be in town, or city, or village?
what if we be among the rich or poor, learned or illiterate? we have nothing to do with that--our
duty is to “launch out into the deep, and let down the net.” Christ will find the fish. The secret
truth is, that when we are doing this, the Lord knows how to guide us, so that we cast the net on
the right side of the ship. That is the invisible work of the Spirit, whereby He so adapts our
ministry that He makes it particular and special.
2. In the first instance there is a distinct plurality. The fishermen have nets and boats, and each
man comes out distinctly. In the next, they are all in one boat, and unitedly drag one net. This is
the visible and the invisible.
3. In the first case a great multitude of fish were caught. In the second “a hundred and fifty and
three.” It were impossible to reckon how many have been taken in the outward net of the visible
Church. But it is possible for it to be known of God how many shall be brought at last, and how
many now are in the invisible Church. They shall be in heaven a number that no man can
number, for God’s elect are not few; but “the Lord knoweth them that are His.”
4. The fish that were taken the first time appear to have been of all sorts. The net was broken,
and therefore doubtless some of them got out again; there were some So little that they were not
worth eating, and doubtless were thrown away: “They shall gather the good into vessels and
throw the bad away.” In the second ease the net was full of great fishes; they were all great
fishes, all good and worth the keeping. The first gives us the outward and visible effect of the
ministry. We gather into Christ’s Church a great number, and there will always be some that are
not good, and not really called of God. Sometimes we have Church-meetings in which we have
to throw the bad away. Let no man be surprised if the tares grow up with the wheat--if there be
wolves in sheep’s clothing--it always will be so. There was a Judas among the twelve. Not so in
the invisible Church. In that there is none to throw away. No; the Lord who brought them into
the net brought the right sort in.
5. In the first case, in the visible Church the net breaks. No doubt it is a bad thing for nets to
break; but you need not wonder at it. It is the necessary consequence of our being what we are.
Instead of having some one denomination, we have twenty or thirty? I do not grieve over it. For
until you get a set of perfect men, you never will have anything but these divisions. But the net
does not break in reality, for the invisible Church is one. Take care of the fish and leave the net
alone, but still maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of perfectness.
6. In the first case, you see human weakness; there is the boat ready to sink, the net broken, the
men all out of heart, begging the Master to go away. In the other ease, they are made strong,
dragging the fish to shore. So in the visible Church you will often have to mourn over human
weakness: but in the invisible Church God will make His servants just strong enough to drag
their fish to shore.
7. In the first case, in the visible Church they launched out into the deep. In the second case, they
were not far from the shore. So today our preaching seems to us to be going out into the great
stormy deep after fish. We appear to have a long way to reach before we shall bring these
precious souls to land. But in the sight of God we are not far from shore; and when a soul is
saved, it is not far from heaven. To us there are years of temptation, and trial, and conflict; but to
God, it is finished.
8. In the first case, the disciples had to forsake all and follow Christ. In the second, they sat down
to feast with Him at the banquet which He had spread. So in the visible Church we have to bear

trial and self-denial for Christ, but the eye of faith perceives that we shall soon sit down and feast
in the kingdom of God.
III. THE LESSON WHICH THE TWO NARRATIVES IN COMMON SEEM TO TEACH. In
the first case, Christ was in the ship. Christ is in His Church, though she launch out into the deep.
In the second case, Christ was on the shore. Christ is in heaven. But whether He be in the
Church, or in heaven, all our night’s toiling shall, by His presence, have a rich reward. This is the
lesson. Mother, will you learn it? You have been toiling long for your children. It has been night
with you as yet. Your night’s toiling shall have an end; you shall at last cast the net on the right
side of the ship. Sunday-school teacher, minister, church, the night is far spent, and the Master
shall soon appear; and His advent shall bring success. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Exell, Joseph S. "Commentary on "John 21:6". The Biblical Illustrator.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/john-21.html. 1905-1909. New York.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right aide of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
One can never cease to be amazed at the type of mind which cannot find anything out of the
ordinary in this episode. Hunter said, "There is no need to find anything miraculous or symbolic
here. The Lake of Galilee swarmed then, as it still does, with fish. Jesus had evidently noticed a
large shoal!"[7] If, as Hunter says, Jesus "noticed a large shoal of fishes" a hundred yards
offshore in the semi-darkness of early morning, and against what light there was (they were on
the western shore), it would not have removed the miraculous element from this incident; but it
would have made Jesus' vision, at such a time and distance, of fishes under the surface of the
water, to have been one of the most notable miracles the Lord ever performed.
The entire narrative here cannot be explained at all except in a frame of reference including the
supernatural power of Jesus. Can it be doubted that Jesus already knew exactly where to find the
apostles, that he knew of their fruitless night's work, or that he had built a fire and prepared food
at exactly the place where Peter would swim shore, or that he already knew that they had nothing
to eat?
Rationalization of Jesus' miracles is essentially dishonest. One may have a certain carnal respect
for an avowed infidel; but so-called Christian scholars who attempt to rationalize the miracles are
not entitled to either credence or respect. Dishonest handling of the sacred text is incapable of
producing an honest argument.
ENDNOTE:
[7] Ibid., p. 194.

Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene Christian University
Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Coffman Commentaries on the Old and
New Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/john-21.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And he said unto them,.... Willing to make himself known by a miracle, since they knew him not
by his person, nor voice:
cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find; that is, a large multitude of fish, as
they did. The ship was an emblem of the church in its present afflicted state; the right side of it
points to the elect, and where they are to be found in this world; the casting of the net signifies
the preaching of the Gospel; the promise of finding fish, the assurance Christ gives of the success
of his word, which he owns and blesses for the conversion of elect sinners:
they cast therefore; the net, willing to try what success they might have at the instance of this
person, whom they knew not. The Ethiopic version reads the passage thus, "and they said unto
him, we have laboured all night, and have found nothing, but at thy word we will let down";
which seems to be taken out of Luke 5:5. However, they obeyed his orders and directions, as the
faithful ministers of the Gospel do, and should, and, succeeded.
And now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. The Syriac adds, "which it
held"; being in number, as in John 21:11 an hundred and fifty, and three great fishes; which was
an emblem and presage of that large number of souls both among the Jews and Gentiles, which
they should be instrumental in bringing to Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel.
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by
Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr,
Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on John 21:6". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/john-21.html. 1999.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship — no doubt, by this very specific
direction, intending to reveal to them His knowledge of the deep and power over it.
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text scanned by Woodside

Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown Commentary is in the public domain and
may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on John 21:6".
"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/john-21.html. 1871-8.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
The right side (εις τα δεχια μερη — eis ta dexia merē). Jesus knew where the fish were. For “net”
(δικτυον — diktuon) see Matthew 4:20, here alone in John.
Were now not able to draw it (ουκετι αυτο ελκυσαι ισχυον — ouketi auto helkusai ischuon).
Imperfect active picturing the disciples tugging at the net.
Copyright Statement
The Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament. Copyright Broadman Press 1932,33,
Renewal 1960. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman Press (Southern Baptist
Sunday School Board)
Bibliography
Robertson, A.T. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Robertson's Word Pictures of the New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/john-21.html. Broadman Press
1932,33. Renewal 1960.
Vincent's Word Studies
The net ( δίκτυον )
See on Matthew 4:18; see on Matthew 13:47.
Were not able ( οὐκ ἴσχυσαν )
See on Luke 14:30; see on Luke 16:3; see on James 5:16.
To draw ( ἑλκῦσαι )
Into the boat. Compare σύροντες , John 21:8, dragging the net behind the boat.
Copyright Statement
The text of this work is public domain.
Bibliography
Vincent, Marvin R. DD. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Vincent's Word Studies in the New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/vnt/john-21.html. Charles
Schribner's Sons. New York, USA. 1887.

Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast
They were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes — This was not only a demonstration of
the power of our Lord, but a kind supply for them and their families, and such as might be of
service to them, when they waited afterward in Jerusalem. It was likewise an emblem of the great
success which should attend them as fishers of men.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available on the
Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on John 21:6". "John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/john-21.html. 1765.
The Fourfold Gospel
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find1. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes2.
1. Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. The movements of large
bodies of fish in the waters of Galilee are frequently visible to one standing on the shore.
2. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Supposing that the stranger thus saw fish upon the right side of the boat, the disciples
readily obeyed his command, without suspecting who it was that gave it.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available on the
Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website. These files were made available by Mr. Ernie
Stefanik. First published online in 1996 at The Restoration Movement Pages.
Bibliography
J. W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton. "Commentary on John 21:6". "The Fourfold Gospel".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tfg/john-21.html. Standard Publishing Company,
Cincinnati, Ohio. 1914.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
6.Cast the net on the right side of the ship. Christ does not command with authority and power as
Master and Lord, but gives advice like one of the people; and the disciples, being at a loss what
to do, readily obey him, though they did not know who he was. If, before the first casting of the
net, any thing of this sort had been said to them, they would not have so quickly obeyed. I
mention this, that no one may wonder that they were so submissive, for they had already been
worn out by long and useless toil. Yet it was no small proof of patience and perseverance, that,

though they had labored unsuccessfully during the whole night, they continue their toil after the
return of daylight. And, indeed, if we wish to allow an opportunity for the blessing of God to
descend on us, we ought constantly to expect it; for nothing can be more unreasonable than to
withdraw the hand immediately from labor, if it do not give promise of success.
That Simon Peter Was Naked, is a proof that the disciples had labored in earnest; and yet they do
not hesitate to cast the net again to make another trial, that they may not neglect any opportunity.
Their obedience to the command of Christ cannot be ascribed to faith; for they hear him speak as
a person who was unknown to them. Now, if we dislike our calling, because the labor which we
undertake appears to be unproductive, yet, when the Lord exhorts us to steadiness and
perseverance, we ought to take courage; in the end we shall obtain a happy result, but it will be at
the proper time.
And now they were not able to draw it (228) Christ here exhibited two proofs of his Divine
power. The first consisted in their taking so large a draught of fishes; and the second was, when,
by his concealed power, he preserved the net whole, which otherwise must unavoidably have
been broken in pieces. Other circumstances are mentioned, namely, that the disciples find
burning coals on the shore, that fishes are laid on them, and that bread is also prepared. As to the
number of the fishes, we ought not to look for any deep mystery in it. Augustine enters into
ingenious reasonings about the statement of the number, and says that it denotes the Law and the
Gospel; but if we examine the matter carefully, we shall find that this is childish trifling.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Calvin's Commentary on the Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/john-21.html. 1840-57.
James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary
THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SHIP
‘Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.’
John 21:6
‘Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.’ There is a right and a left in all our
endeavours; and some people have an unfortunate way of doing everything in a left-handed sort
of fashion; and so, too often, with the best intentions, they defeat their own object, and destroy
their usefulness in the Lord’s cause.’
Let three requisites be mentioned for prosecuting the sacred duty of service for God—humility,
tact, and love. A few words must suffice on each of these gifts.
I. Humility.—We have all, no doubt, at one time or another, encountered the busy, bustling,
doctrinaire reformer, who impresses all with whom he comes in contact with his own sense of
his immeasurable superiority to those he is striving to reclaim, who lets you know how far he is
stooping in order to reach the outcast, and how very self-sacrificing and heroic it is of him to
undertake and persevere in so disagreeable a task. It is not thus that we should go to those
between whom and ourselves whatever disparity there may be is due to God’s strong grace. We

must approach them feeling how unworthy we are of the hallowed privilege of being in any
degree helpful to their imperilled souls; conscious of the debt we owe to Him Who has drawn us
to Himself.
II. Tact. How often in God’s work have we to deplore in the human agent a lack of prudential
wisdom. ‘The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.’
Forethought, consideration of others’ prejudices and difficulties, the happy gift of putting people
at their ease, of not spoiling a wholesome message by its setting or its cutting, of not causing
another whom we wish to benefit to feel gauche and awkward, these are very real helps in
Christian work with individuals.
III. Love. Here is the all-powerful requisite. A loving spirit is what we chiefly need in dealing
with souls. This transfigures the routine of Church work; and whatever methods are not fully
compatible with this spirit must be rejected. Souls are not to be coerced into acceptance of the
truth, dragooned into discipleship. The bruised reed has to be strengthened, not broken; the
smoking flax not extinguished, but fanned to a flame. Love will know how to do this. She needs
no hard and fast lines to indicate the right path. All this will come naturally to her.
Bishop Alfred Pearson.
Illustration
‘Amongst Mohammedans, it is required of every man who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca,
that he should consider himself pledged to do something directly to spread his faith. The visit to
the Kaaba binds him to missionary effort. We may well ask, Ought the pilgrimage to Calvary to
be less potent?’
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Nisbet, James. "Commentary on John 21:6". Church Pulpit Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cpc/john-21.html. 1876.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast
Ver. 6. Cast the net on the right side, &c.] This counsel he gives as a stranger, who haply might
see a confluence of fish there, being on the shore, which they in the ship saw not. They obey him
therefore, as content to lose one labour more, if it must be so; they knew not what another
draught might produce. It is good to be doing in God’s way: sooner or later success will ensue.
Bind not the Lord to a day; wake not my beloved till he please; he will pay us for all our pains
and patience. Consider but our, 1. distance, 2. dependence, and we will wait.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on John 21:6". John Trapp Complete Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/john-21.html. 1865-1868.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
John 21:6. Cast the net on the right side of the ship,— The disciples, not knowing Jesus, but
imagining that he might be a person acquainted with the places proper for fishing, did as he
directed, and caught a multitude of fishes. This was not merely a demonstration of the power of
our Lord, but a kind of providential supply for his disciples and their families, which might be of
service to them when they waited afterwards in Jerusalem, according to his order. See Luke
24:49. And it was likewise a sort of emblematical representation of the great success which
should attend their endeavours to catch men in the net of the gospel. See Luke 5:9-10 and the
Inferences on that chapter.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentary on John 21:6". Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/john-21.html. 1801-1803.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary
6.] See Luke 5:6.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Alford, Henry. "Commentary on John 21:6". Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/john-21.html. 1863-1878.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament
John 21:6. δεξιὰ, the right side) A most precise and unerring command. The power of the Lord
collected together the fishes thither.— ἑλκύσαι) [to draw] The verb σύρειν, John 21:8 [to drag],
implies the employment of greater force.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bengel, Johann Albrecht. "Commentary on John 21:6". Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the
New Testament. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/john-21.html. 1897.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Though they had before laboured in vain, yet their Master’s command encourages them to go to
work again; then they take a multitude of fishes; a presage, say some, of that great success which
the apostles should have in their fishing for men.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentary on John 21:6". Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy
Bible. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/john-21.html. 1685.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
For success in our worldly business we are dependent upon God; and whenever we receive
earthly blessings it is from him, who openeth his hand and supplieth the wants of every living
thing. Psalms 145:15-16.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Edwards, Justin. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Family Bible New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/john-21.html. American Tract Society. 1851.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
6. There is no need to seek symbolical meanings for the right and left side. The difference is not
between right and left, but between working with and without Divine guidance.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
"Commentary on John 21:6". "Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/john-21.html. 1896.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
‘And he said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find something.”
They cast therefore and now they were not able to draw the net for the abundance of fish.’
When it was suggested that they cast their nets on the right (starboard) side of the boat they did
as requested. Possibly they thought the man might have seen something from the shore that they
had missed for he spoke with a kind of authority. Or perhaps it was just that they felt that they
may as well have a go as there was nothing to lose. But to their astonishment they not only
caught some fish, but pulled the nets up overflowing with fish. This immediately struck a chord
as they remember the similar incident some time before when Jesus had done a similar thing
(Luke 5:1-11). The incident paralleled that at Peter’s first calling and could therefore be seen by
him as an indication that Jesus was still ready to act on his behalf and therefore as a renewal of
his call to discipleship following his denial (see later).
The overall lesson from the acted out parable is clear. With Jesus absent the disciples are
fruitless. Once, however, they have responded to His word fruitfulness abounds. The previous
incident in Luke had resulted in their call to follow Christ and had resulted in the forecast that
these men would become ‘fishers of men’. Here is the indication that the time has come and the
guarantee that with Jesus’ help they will be abundantly successful.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Pett, Peter. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible ".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/john-21.html. 2013.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
6. The right side—His divine power could have given the same success to the left side; but he
makes and announces his choice that they might see that the result was produced by his will and
power. The apostles here knew not, thus far, this stranger; but he directs them with a persuasive
power by which they are induced to make the trial he directs.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Whedon's Commentary on the Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/john-21.html. 1874-1909.

Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
Their nets had been hanging over the left-hand side of their fishing boat. The unknown authority
on the shore now promised that if they would cast their net on the right-hand side they would
catch some fish. Such a suggestion must have seemed ludicrous to these seasoned fishermen. The
idea that such an insignificant change would accomplish anything was laughable. Yet amazingly
the disciples followed Jesus" orders.
Why did they do so? Perhaps they remembered another night of unsuccessful fishing when Jesus
had told Peter, James , and John to lower their nets. They had encountered such a large school of
fish that their nets began to break ( Luke 5:1-11). That had been the time when Jesus first called
those disciples to follow Him. They had responded by leaving their fishing trade to follow Jesus
full-time as His disciples. Nevertheless it seems clear that even after they obeyed the unknown
armchair fisherman on the shore this dark morning they still did not realize that He was Jesus.
The reason for the disciples" obedience is not as important as the fact of it. Had they not obeyed
Jesus" command they would have failed to catch any fish. However because they obeyed, they
experienced overwhelming success, success far exceeding their natural ability. They even had
trouble managing the results of their success because it was so great.
These men would reflect on this experience and realize that Jesus had been teaching them how
important it was to obey His word. Obedience to Jesus was the key to supernatural success.
Indeed obedience to His word, even though they did not know it was His word, yielded an
unbelievable reward.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Constable, Thomas. DD. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas
Constable". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/john-21.html. 2012.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
John 21:6. And he said onto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find.
They cast therefore, and no longer had they strength to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Comp.
Luke 5:6.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/john-21.html. 1879-90.

The Expositor's Greek Testament
John 21:6. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν … καὶ εὑρήσετε. “Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will
find.” They supposed the stranger had been making observations from the shore, had seen a
shoal or some sign of fish, and unwilling to come in empty, ἔβαλον οὖν … ἰχθύων. “They cast
therefore, and were no longer (as they had been before) able to draw it [ ἑλκύσαι, not ἑλκῦσαι,
see Veitch’s Irreg. Verbs, seems here to be used as we use ‘draw’ in connection with a net,
meaning to draw over the side of the boat so as to secure the fish. Contrast σύροντες in John
21:8] for the multitude of fishes”; ἀπό often means “on account of” in Dionysius Hal., Plutarch,
and even in Thucydides and Sophocles as shown by Kypke.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Nicol, W. Robertson, M.A., L.L.D. "Commentary on John 21:6". The Expositor's Greek
Testament. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/egt/john-21.html. 1897-1910.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
Cast. Greek. ballo, as in John 20:25, John 20:27.
net. A bag or purse net. Greek. diktuon, as in Matthew 4:20. Mark 1:18. Luke 5:2. For other
words for "net", see Matthew 4:18; Matthew 13:47.
now they were not = no longer (Greek. ouketi) were they.
draw. Greek. helkuo. See on John 12:32.
for = from. Greek. apo, App-104. This was the eighth sign. See App-176.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on John 21:6". "E.W. Bullinger's Companion bible
Notes". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/john-21.html. 1909-1922.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side - no doubt, by this very specific direction,
intending to reveal to them His knowledge of the deep and power over it.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on John 21:6".
"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/john-21.html. 1871-8.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(6) Cast the net on the right side of the ship.—Comp. Note on Luke 5:6. Here the special
direction is to cast the net on the right side. We must suppose that the net was cast on the left
side, and that they think the speaker who stands on the shore sees some indication of fishes on
the other side, for He is still as a stranger to them, and yet they at once obey Him.
They were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.—That is, they were not able to draw it
up into the boat. In John 21:8 they are described as dragging it to the shore.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on John 21:6". "Ellicott's Commentary for English
Readers". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/john-21.html. 1905.
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
Cast
Matthew 7:27; Luke 5:4-7
They cast
2:5; Psalms 8:8; Hebrews 2:6-9
the multitude
Acts 2:41; 4:4
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Torrey, R. A. "Commentary on John 21:6". "The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/john-21.html.
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/heg/john-21.html#6
Ver. 6. "And 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."
The ship signifies the Church, the net her missions. The left side is, in the Divine fishery, the side of
the Jews, the right side that of the Gentiles. The right is the better hand, and therefore the right side
is the good side. The meaning of the name Benjamin, the son of the right hand, is, "His father loveth
him," Genesis 44:22, and, "the beloved of Jehovah," Deuteronomy 33:12 : compare my commentary
on Psalms 80. In Genesis 48 the youth on whom the right hand was laid is more blessed than he on
whom the left. "The right hand," says Gesenius (Thes. ‫,)ןימי‬ "boni ominis erat." Because the right
hand is the better. Matthew 5:20, the Lord places His sheep on the right hand and the goats on the
left. The multitude of the fishes here represents the "great multitude which no man could number,
out of every nation, and tribe, and people, and tongue," Revelation 7:9. That the disciples without
hesitation acted on the suggestion of the Unknown, shows that His being had for them an imposing
majesty.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRIAN BILL
John 21:1-14
Dealing With Disappointment
Brian Bill Jul 9, 2004
Summary: Today I want to tell you about a fishing trip that took place after the Resurrection.
Hi, my name is Simon Peter. You’ve probably heard of some of my most embarrassing
moments. It would take me all day to tell you about how my mouth has messed me up,
and about how I let Jesus down, as well as the other disciples. Today I want to tell you
about a fishing trip that took place after the Resurrection. My buddy John wrote about it
in some detail – you can follow along if you’d like in John 21:1-14.
Jesus told us to go to Galilee, where He would meet with us (Matthew 26:32). It was
amazing how Jesus would appear briefly and then go away. He first made Himself known
to Mary Magdalene and the other women, but we didn’t really believe their report. He
then appeared to me and then revealed Himself to two disciples as they walked to
Emmaus. I’ll never forget that day; I only wish He would have stayed longer because I
still felt so bad about my failure. On Easter Sunday night, Jesus came through locked
doors and proclaimed peace to us. One week later, when Thomas was present, He visited

with us again. But then Jesus was gone. As I think back, it was almost as if He was
weaning us from His presence.
As we headed to Galilee, I was pretty down in the dumps. The other disciples couldn’t
believe how quiet I was. I was disappointed in myself and frankly felt like giving up.
When I saw the Sea of Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee, my heart starting
racing as I remembered how successful I had been as a professional fisherman. I even had
hired men working for me. The smell of the water and the sound of the waves did
something to me. Since I wasn’t any good at this “disciple” thing, maybe I could go back
and just catch fish again. I announced to the six others that I was going fishing. They
could tell from my tone of voice and the words I used that I was ready to retire as a
follower of Christ. Part of me just wanted to relax, but another part of me felt rebellious. I
was surprised when they all said they would join me. I guess I still felt like they wouldn’t
want to be around me because of what I had done.
At first I was pretty pumped up to fish but the feelings faded quickly. I had forgotten how
hard it was to hurl the nets into the sea and then drag them back into the boat. It all
seemed monotonous, especially since we got skunked. We had worked all night and
didn’t even catch a pan fish! This made me feel even more discouraged as the empty nets
were a metaphor of my life at that moment.
As the sun was beginning to come up, we saw someone standing on the shore, but we had
no idea who it was. He then called out to us, in a voice that sounded vaguely familiar,
“Friends, haven’t you any fish?” This was disarming for two reasons. First, fishermen
never like to admit that they’ve not caught anything. Second, this man used a term that
literally meant, “children.” I had heard that before. When we told Him we had not caught
a thing, he told us to throw our nets on the other side of the boat and we’d find some fish.
We decided to listen to him, and when we did, we couldn’t even pull in the nets because
they were so full!
As we strained at the nets, my mind went back three years earlier to a very similar scene.
I had déjà vu, all over again. After fishing all night and catching nothing, Jesus used my
boat as a pulpit – it certainly wasn’t good for much else. When he was done teaching, He
told us to go back out in the boat and drop our nets in deeper water. What does a
carpenter know about fishing? I lot more than me, actually. We caught so many fish that
we had to ask for help because the nets began to break. When I realized what had
happened I was so overwhelmed by my sinfulness in the presence of holiness that I asked
Jesus to depart from me. Jesus told me not to be afraid and commissioned me to catch
men. I pulled my boat up on shore, left everything and followed Him. And now I was
back in that same boat…
John put into words what I was beginning to formulate in my mind: “It’s the Lord!”
That’s all I needed to hear. I put my outer garment back on and jumped into the water,
and started swimming to shore. Being in the water reminded me of the time Jesus allowed
me to walk on the waves. This time I was making waves as I yelled and screamed and
thrashed around. When my feet hit the shore, I raced over to Jesus and saw that He was
cooking breakfast for us, over a charcoal fire. And then my mind filled with failure again
as the fire reminded me of how I was warming myself right before I denied Jesus three
times. Just then Jesus shouted out, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught!” I raced

back to the water and helped drag the net ashore. It was full of fish, 153 in all (you know
how fishermen like to count their catches).
Jesus then invited us to have breakfast but we were all so astonished that we didn’t even
ask if it was Him. We didn’t have to because we knew it was the Lord. Jesus served us
fish and bread, and in so doing invited us back into fellowship with Him, and setting the
table for my personal restoration, which we’ll look at in greater detail next Sunday. He
was sautéing fish; but for me He was serving forgiveness.
Disappointments are His Appointments
God allows disappointments to come into our lives. In fact, we could say that disappointments
are His appointments because He has some things He wants us to learn through the lean times.
Before Jesus reveals Himself to the disciples, they are dogged by discouragement. Many of us
feel that way this morning as recent events have rocked us. At least three elements make this a
pervasive problem.
It’s universal. All of us are predisposed to discouragement. Everyone you have ever
known has been discouraged at one time or another. Billy Graham once said, “I have my
moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes,
and say, ‘O God, forgive me,” or ‘Help me.’”
It’s recurring. Being discouraged once does not give you immunity to the disease. It can
happen over and over again. In fact, you can even be down by the fact that you are
discouraged a lot.
It’s highly contagious. Discouragement spreads by even casual contact. People can
become disheartened because you are discouraged. You can be bummed out because
other people are downcast.
I see seven ways to deal with disappointment from our text for today.
1. Don’t bail when we’re bummed out.
When Peter was feeling blue, he wanted to go back and do those things that he used to do. But
when he did, he found that it didn’t work. I wonder if some of you are tempted to do the same
thing. Perhaps you’re going through a hard time right now and you just want to chuck this whole
Christianity thing. Maybe you feel like people have let you down so you just want to get away
from everything. Peter discovered the hard way that we can’t go back, but we can get through it.
Several years later, he wrote in 1 Peter 5:10: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make
you strong, firm and steadfast.” As Rick Warren states, “You’ll never know that God is all you
need until God is all you’ve got.”
In fact, if you’re a Christian, God won’t let you find satisfaction in those things you once did
because He loves you too much to see you stray. God posed a question through the prophet
Jeremiah to His people, when they were considering going back to the life they once had: “Why
do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were
by Assyria. You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the LORD has
rejected those you trust; you will not be helped by them” (Jeremiah 2:36-37).
Clyde Billingsley asks two probing questions: “How much discouragement can you take for
God? What would it take for you to quit your service to the Lord?” Are you close to giving up?

With all that God has done for you, don’t bail on Him or His church. Keep serving Him
faithfully no matter what happens.
2. We can do nothing apart from Christ.
It’s fascinating to me that there were at least three professional fishermen in the boat that night.
They knew how to fish but they didn’t even catch one little perch. Verse 3 puts the emphasis on
the word “that,” so it would read: “But that night they caught nothing.” To not catch anything
was very unusual and no doubt led to a deeper level of disappointment and discouragement
among the disciples. After all, they had decided to go fishing to get rid of the blahs. But Jesus
was teaching them the truth of what He had said earlier in John 15:5: “…apart from me you can
do nothing.”
They couldn’t rely on their experience or their expertise to accomplish anything. They, like us,
needed to reaffirm the truth of Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says
the LORD Almighty.” It’s so easy to go through the motions, isn’t it? I confess that I often lean
on my own abilities instead of surrendering to God’s Spirit. And for that, I ask your forgiveness.
It’s so easy for us to be fooled into thinking that we’re accomplishing something for God, when
in fact; our mediocrity must rise like a stench in God’s nostrils.
This past Monday night I took our younger girls to see the circus. As we got out of the car, we
immediately saw (and smelled) the elephants. As we hurried over to them, I couldn’t believe my
eyes. They had two elephants, and they looked like most sleepy and lethargic circus pachyderms.
People were lined up to take rides and next to the 12,000 pound beasts was their trainer. He had a
thin whip in his right hand, and in his left hand he was holding a cell phone up to his ear, and he
was talking into it! He wasn’t paying much attention to his task and his lackadaisical approach
made me wonder how committed he was to his vocation. Incidentally, he was still talking on the
phone when he brought the elephants into the ring about 45 minutes later!
Friends, we must stop meandering through the motions of religious routine. Let’s allow times of
disappointment to reveal how easy it us for us to get bored with our faith. Have we lost our
passion for Christ? When Jesus addressed the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2, He commended
them for their hard work and perseverance. They had certainly labored for the Lord, but Jesus
then points out that something was significantly wrong in verses 4-5: “Yet I hold this against
you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen!
Repent and do the things you did at first.” Brothers and sisters in Christ, have we as a church
forsaken our first love? If so, let’s repent and get back on track, refusing to settle for second best.
Jesus does not tolerate anyone taking His rightful place in our individual lives, or in our church.
In Luke 22:31, Jesus tells Peter that he is about to be spiritually sifted: “Simon, Simon, Satan has
asked to sift you as wheat.” I wonder if this is a season of spiritual sifting for us. As we walk
through trials and difficulties, God strips away the junk so that we will see that we can do
nothing apart from Christ. And, when we realize that our “nets” are empty, we see the need for
God to fill us. Beth Moore says that we will then either bend our knees to Him, or we will be
broken. I sense that some bending and breaking is taking place within our church right now, and
that’s not a bad thing. We can also take comfort from the next verse as Jesus tells Peter that he
will get through the trying times because the Lord Himself is praying for him: “But I have
prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen
your brothers” (Luke 22:32).
3. Obedience is always the right thing to do.

In John 21:5, we see Jesus gently calling out to his disciples, greeting them as “friends,” or
literally, “dear children” as He asks them how the fishing is going. He wants them to admit the
obvious fact that they’ve caught nothing. John uses this exact phrase in 1 John 2:13: “I write to
you, dear children, because you have known the Father.” This term of endearment reveals that
Jesus loves us even when we’re going astray. He watches us rely on our own expertise and His
eyes fill with tears. He sees our empty nets and longs to load them up. As I’ve stated before,
borrowing from Max Lucado: “He loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to
let you stay that way.”
And the way He changes us is through obedience. When we decide to obey Him, no matter how
we’re feeling, no matter how empty we are, and no matter whether it makes sense or not, He is
honored. In Jeremiah 42:5, God’s people make a commitment to obey: “Whether it is favorable
or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God…” That’s what He wants from us. And that’s
exactly what the disciples did when Jesus told them to throw the net on the right side of the boat.
That didn’t make much sense because they had been trying all night to find some fish. But they
chose to obey.
In his book called, “The Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis imagines a dialog between the devil and
his young apprentice:
“It is during the tough periods, much more than during the peak periods…hence the
prayers offered in the state of dryness are those that please Him [God] best…He wants
them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk
is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood.
Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still
intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round a universe from which every trace of Him
seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys” (Page 25).
Henri Nouwen refers to those times when God feels distant as the “ministry of absence.” It’s
then that we must honor and obey Him, for it’s out of obedience that God will reveal Himself to
us.
In Zechariah 6:5, God promises His people that they will have enough workers to complete the
Temple, providing that they obey Him: “This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your
God.” I wonder how many blessings we’ve blown it simply because we haven’t always obeyed
Him.
4. Blessings are closer than we think.
The difference between an empty net and an engorged one was the width of the boat! Jesus kept
the fish from swimming into the nets during the night and now He sends the school of fish right
where He wants them. Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the
morning.” We can’t fish the blessings out of life but we can catch what God sends our way. The
disciples, in their own strength came up empty. But when they obeyed, God sent His blessings.
And when God blesses, He does so abundantly as Ezekiel 34:26 states: “I will send down
showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”
5. Do whatever it takes to get close to Jesus.
I love how John was the first to recognize Jesus. Maybe that’s because of all the disciples; it was
John who hung in there while Jesus hung on the cross. His love for His Master was never
questioned and Jesus had a special place in His heart for him as well. As they’re wrestling with

the wet nets, John turns to Peter and says, “It is the Lord!” Verse 7 says that as soon as Peter
heard this, he grabbed his outer garment and jumped in the water. While John is contemplative;
Peter is courageous. When Jesus performed the first fish miracle in Luke 5, Peter wanted Jesus to
depart from him; now He jumps into the lake in order to get to Jesus. Earlier when Peter walked
on the water, He asked Jesus if it was really Him (Matthew 14:28); now, He doesn’t need any
confirmation because He knows. And once again, He can’t stay in the boat. He has to get to
where Jesus is.
I love this about Peter. He won’t let anything stop Him from seeing the Savior. While He
certainly still had some guilt and shame, He knew that Jesus would fully forgive Him. Friend,
will you do whatever it takes to get as close to Jesus as you can? We can’t be passive about this.
Spiritual growth only happens when we become disciplined to read our Bibles, to pray fervently,
to worship with other believers, to serve others, and to fish for the souls of people. We must take
action. Proverbs 18:10 tells us that the Lord will protect those who run to Him for shelter: “The
name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Will you run to the
Redeemer every day?
I don’t know how disappointed or disillusioned you are today but I do know that you are as close
to Jesus as you want to be. Rick Warren mentions that at least eight times in the New Testament
we are told to “make every effort” in our spiritual growth. We can’t sit around and just wait for
growth to happen. We must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in
growing. It always begins with a decision (“Purpose Driven Life,” page 175, 179). It’s time to
get out of the boat and seek Him passionately like Peter did.
6. Everything we accomplish is by His grace.
My favorite verse in this passage is John 21:10 when Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish you
have caught.” Jesus already has some fish frying and some bread baking but He invites them to
share what they have. What is very interesting here is that Jesus asks them to bring the fish they
have caught. The disciples knew that they didn’t do anything to catch the fish. It was Jesus who
lured the little (actually big) fishies into the net. All they did was put the net in the water and
bring it back up. The Greek prefix “mega” is used to describe the size of these fish. These fish
were definitely “keepers” and shows the magnitude of the miracle, as the empty nets are now
filled with mega muskies! Their paucity has been replaced with Gods’ bountiful provision.
This is a great lesson for us to remember. While we may do something for the Lord, it’s all by
His grace. We really can do nothing, and yet we often take credit for those things that go well in
our lives, and in our church. And yet, Jesus allows us to participate in the blessings, and partner
with Him in His work in the world. That’s amazing to me.
Friends, we need to make sure we are free from pride because it has some ugly consequences as
Proverbs 11:2 states: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes
wisdom.” The disciples couldn’t high-five each other, and celebrate their fishing prowess
because Jesus was the one who filled their nets. Daniel 4:37: “And those who walk in pride he is
able to humble.” Hosea 13:6 reminds us how easy it is for us to take credit and become
spiritually lethargic and proud of our own accomplishments: “When I fed them, they were
satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.” And James 4:6
puts it strongly and succinctly: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” It’s all
about God and yet I often think it’s about me. Do you do the same? I wonder if we’ve been too
proud as a church, taking credit for what God alone has done.

7. Jesus longs to rebuild what is broken.
The emphasis in this passage is not really on the fish; it’s on the fishermen. They needed to be
restored and the only way that was going to happen was through spending time with Jesus. Look
at John 21:12-13: “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 came, took the bread and gave it to
them, and did the same with the fish.” This invitation is similar to the one Jesus gave in John
7:37: “Come to me and drink.” Here Jesus recognizes that they’ve labored all night and are cold
and hungry and so he invites them to breakfast. Jesus knew that they needed to have their
physical needs met before He could minister to their deeper needs.
It’s as if He is giving them time just to sit and enjoy His presence. As they eat, their failures fade
away as Jesus passes around His forgiveness. In this setting, the disciples didn’t have much to
say because they were in awe. They had come to the shores of God’s amazing grace and were
invited back into fellowship with Him and to restored community with one another. In short,
Jesus wanted them to be at peace with Him, and with each other. Go back to verse 2 for a
moment. As John tells the story, he lists Peter first and then right after his name, we read about
Thomas. Thomas learned the hard way to not live in isolation. From here on, he lives in
community with the other disciples.
While we certainly need to wait on the Lord, this passage reminds us that Jesus is waiting on us.
He’s on the shore right now and He’s inviting us to sit down with Him and be restored. He wants
to rebuild what is broken in our lives. The empty net reminds us that He’s not finished with us
yet. Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it
on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Because so many of us live with some conflict in our lives, and at times find ourselves
disconnected from God and from others, we are going to host a very practical Peacemaker
Seminar June 11-12. I urge you to make every effort to attend. We’ll begin taking registrations
next Sunday. The Peacemaker Seminar is designed to equip us to resolve conflict in a biblically
faithful manner. The principles covered in this seminar have been used to resolve hundreds of
actual disputes, ranging from simple personal offenses to family and marital conflicts, church
divisions, and business and employment disputes. The training covers topics such as confession,
confrontation, forgiveness, and restitution, and uses gripping examples and case stories drawn
from everyday life.
The Sign of the Fish
Peter never forgot his fishing failure and the breakfast on the beach, and I hope we won’t either.
Have you seen the symbol of a fish on cars? Maybe you even have one. This was actually a sign
by which the early Christians identified themselves. The Greek word for fish is ixthus. The
letters that spell fish are an acrostic that describes who Jesus is – Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and
Savior. When meeting another Christ follower, one person would draw an arc in the sand, and a
fellow believer would draw another arc to complete the symbol of the fish. Sometimes three fish
were drawn together, signifying the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At a time during the
Roman Empire when Christianity was illegal and Christians were put to death for practicing their
faith, worship had to be held in secret places. A fish painted on the outside door of a house let
Christians know that worship would be held inside.
1. Don’t bail when we’re bummed out.
2. We can do nothing apart from Christ.

3. Obedience is always the right thing to do.
4. Blessings are closer than we think.
5. Do whatever it takes to get close to Jesus.
6. Everything we accomplish is by His grace.
7. Jesus longs to rebuild what is broken.
He is Jesus Christ, God, Son and Savior, risen from the dead. And because He’s alive today, He
can deal with any disappointment you may have. He loves to make Himself known when you are
most at a loss. Will you come to Him? Will you respond to His invitation?
I want to end this morning by having us listen to a song by Point of Grace called, “Jesus Will
Still Be There.” Think of the Savior standing on the shore…just waiting for you.
Things change, plans fail
You look for love on a grander scale
Storms rise, hopes fade
And you place your bets on another day
When the going gets tough
When the ride’s too rough
When you’re just not sure enough
Jesus will still be there
His love will never change
Sure as the steady rain
When no one else is true
He’ll still be loving you
When it looks like you’ve lost it all
And you haven’t got a prayer
Time flies, hearts turn
A little bit wiser from lessons learned
But sometimes, weakness wins
And you lose your foothold once again
When the going gets tough
When the ride’s too rough
When you’re just not sure enough
When it looks like you’ve lost it all
And you haven’t got a prayer

ALAN CARR
John 21:1-19
A TENDER MOMENT
Intro: There was a certain man who had been faithful in worshiping with other believers for
many years. Then he became lax and stopped coming to the services. The pastor was burdened
for his spiritual welfare, so one day he called in his home. The man invited him in and offered
him a chair by the fire. The Pastor mentioned to the man how much missed seeing him in the
worship services. The man replied that he was saved and saw no need to go to church. He felt
that he could worship just fine at home.
For several long moments they sat in silence and watched the burning embers. Then, taking the
tongs, the pastor removed a hot coal and laid it by itself on the hearthstone. As it began to cool,
its red glow soon faded. The man, who had been expecting a verbal rebuke, quickly caught the
message. He was at church for the next service!
This is a fact of life that I have become very familiar with over these last 21 years. There have
been many occasions when I have failed the Lord and I seen the flame of love and devotion burn
very low within my heart and life. When those times came around, I had to come before the
Lord, confessing my sins and failures and seeking forgiveness and restoration. Each time I have
come to Him for cleansing, I have found Him to be a faithful Friend to those who have fallen by
the wayside.
Today, I would like to speak directly to those who aren’t as close to the Lord today as you should
be. Maybe the things of God aren’t as sweet as they used to be. Maybe there isn’t a hot, burning
love for the Lord, His house, His Word and His people like there used to be. Maybe even your
church attendance has become a thing of drudgery and toil. My duty today is to tell you that it
does not have to stay way! Jesus Christ is still the Friend of the fallen today.
In our text, we are told about a face to face encounter between the risen Lord Jesus and Simon
Peter. It was Peter, you will remember, who denied the Lord 3 times. As we look into how the
Lord handled Peter, I want you to know that He can and will do the same for you if you will
respond in the correct manner. Its tough being out of the Lord’s will, but it is possible to make
things right again! With that in mind, let’s take a few minutes to consider together A Tender
Moment.
I.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS TENDER MOMENT
A. To Confront Peter’s Failure - Matt. 26:69-75 (Ill. Before we can see how the Lord restored
this fallen preacher, we must first understand what happened to Peter and how he came to be
fallen in the first place.)

1. The Place Of His Failure - Peter was in the wrong place altogether. In the beginning, Peter had
made his boast that he would never forsake the Lord, Luke 22:33-34. Yet, when the time came
and Jesus was arrested, Peter, like all the others forsook Jesus and fled, Matt. 26:56. However
verse 58 tells us that Peter decided to follow the Lord and see what happened, but that he
followed Jesus “afar off.” When Peter found himself surrounded by the Lord’s enemies, it
became hard for him to stand by his earlier boast. Now, he takes the low road and denies that he
even know the Lord Jesus, v. 69-74.
(Ill. Essentially, all backsliding begins in the same manner! Instead of staying as close to the
Lord as we should, we begin to follow Him “afar off.” It may begin as simply missing a few
services here and there. Maybe you just stop praying like you should. Maybe the Bible isn’t
opened and read as frequently as it ought to be. Wherever and however it begins, it will
eventually lead to the same place. It will eventually lead you into a backslidden and cold
condition! Peter’s problem was that he found himself in the wrong place with the wrong people!
Dear friends, being just a clear as I can be with you, some of you are in the wrong place also!
You aren’t as close to the Lord as you used to be. You need to rekindle that old flame and make
things right with Him. Being in the wrong place is dangerous! Just ask David -
2 Sam. 11:1-17.)
2. The Pain Of His Failure - When Peter denied the Lord that night, the Bible tells us that he
went out and “wept bitterly.” Peter was miserable in his new condition. He knew that he had
wronged the Lord. He knew that he had violated something very precious and sacred. He was a
miserable man!
(Ill. So it is with every child of God who decides to walk away from the will of God. You will
soon realize that sin brings with it pain, suffering and misery, Pro. 13:15. Gone will be the peace
of God and the sense of God’s presence. Gone will be His power and that joy in the soul that is
worth more than gold.
Sin is a thief and a robber! It steals youth and beauty. It destroys innocence and effectiveness.
Sin has the ability to make you into a very miserable person! Ill. The Prodigal Son - Luke 15:11-
17. Was he happy in the pig pen when the friends and the money were gone? No! His primary
thought was of how much better off he had been back in the Father’s house. Sin will make you
miserable, and if it doesn’t, then you probably aren’t saved, Heb. 12:8!)
(Ill. God loves you so much that He will allow you to sin if you choose to; but, He loves you too
much to allow you to enjoy it!)
3. The Price Of His Failure - After Peter sinned, he felt a definite loss of fellowship, peace and
joy. He knew that things were different.
(Ill. I am speaking primarily to those who claim to know Jesus as the personal Savior today. You
need to know that when you decide to walk a different way than the Lord intends, your decision
carries with it a very high price tag. If you are saved, then you can expect to lose much when you
walk away from the Lord. You can never lose your salvation, but you will feel like you have.
You can most certainly lose your fellowship with the Lord. There will be the loss of peace, joy
and contentment. There will be the loss of blessings and rewards. Sin is a cruel taskmaster and it
will beat you silly. By the way, if you persist in your sin and rebel against the Lord’s efforts to
call you home, then there is a sin unto death for the child of God, 1 John 5:16, Ill. 1 Cor. 5:5.)
B. To Confront Peter’s Foolishness – His foolishness is revealed in:

1. His Choices - After the resurrection, Peter must have assumed that his ministry was over. He
had denied the Lord and so he decided to return to the old way of life. I am sure that he might
have tried to justify it by saying, “Well, I have a family to support.” Whatever the motivation,
Peter had been called to forsake all those things and to follow Jesus, Matt. 4:19. The Lord’s call
had been a call to come and be a fisher of men!
(Ill. People who are out of God’s will always make the wrong choices! They always base the
decisions on fleshly motives rather than spiritual ones. They have lost the ability to hear the
voice of the Spirit. He is your moral compass and failing to hear Him will cause you to wander
off course! There may be some here today who have started to go back to the old life. You may
even be able to justify it to some degree, at least to your own satisfaction. But, you need to know
today that if you are not following the Lord and loving Him like you should, like Peter, you too
are backslidden and out of God’s will! That may sound harsh, but those are just the facts!)
(Ill. Your spiritual condition shows on you! It shows in the priority you place on the things of
God. Don’t think for a minute that you are fooling anyone. No one, that is, but yourself!)
2. His Companions - When Peter went back to the old life, he took others with him. These other
Disciples weren’t as sold out to the Lord as they should have been either! If they had been, they
would have been waiting for their marching orders. After all, Jesus had told them to go into
Galilee and wait for Him,
Matt. 28:10.
(Ill. Have you noticed that sin loves company? When a person backslides, they usually aren’t
content to go it all alone and they will try to drag others down with them. You see it in families
all the time! One will get cold on the Lord and before long everyone in the family is out of God’s
will.
What a shame it is when we feel the need to drag others into the same foolish pit into which we
have placed our self! What’s equally sad is the fact that there always seems to be those who are
willing to follow the wayward child of God! Why are things this way? Because we like to
surround ourselves with people who are on about the same level as we are. If we are right with
God, we want to be around others who are right with God. If we are out of God’s will, we feel
rebuked by the lives of those who are living for the Lord and seek out those who are like we are.
Sadly, we will often try to reproduce our spiritual temperature in the lives of those who are close
to us. This is merely an effort to make self more comfortable.)
3. The Consequences - Peter and his cronies fished all the night long and did not catch a single
fish! Most of these men had been professional fishermen before they met the Lord and this must
have been a devastating thing to have to deal with. They toiled and labored all the night and
produced nothing of value!
(Ill. This is just the way it works for those who are out in sin. No matter what they try to
accomplish in their own strength, it always comes to naught! The Prodigal Son found this out as
he sat in the pig pen and watched the hogs eat those husks. He couldn’t even fill his own belly
through self effort! I would like to remind every person in this room today that you are totally
dependent on Jesus Christ for everything, John 15:5. You can produce nothing of lasting value in
your own effort! Some might argue that they have been living a slack Christian life and that they
are still thriving and prospering materially and physically. May I remind you that both of those
things are temporary and will soon pass away? In the final analysis, all that lasts are those things
you do through Jesus,

Jesus was a fishing advisor

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was a fishing advisor

Similar to Jesus was a fishing advisor (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was a fishing advisor