Jesus was surprising his disciples

JESUS WAS SURPRISINGHIS DISCIPLES
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 21:7-8 7
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to
Peter, "It is the LORD!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him
say, "It is the LORD," he wrapped his outer garment
around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the
water. 8
The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the
net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a
hundred yards.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Cry Of Joyful Recognition
John 21:7
J.R. ThomsonFirst uttered by John when he discerned the form of his
beloved Masterupon the beach of the Galilaeanlake, this exclamationhas
passedinto the hearts and the lips of all Christian people, who, amidst the
various scenes oflife, have recognizedtheir Savior's presence, andhave ever
been wont to acknowledgewith reverentialfaith, "It is the Lord!" The
circumstances in which the words were uttered, as well as the words
themselves, are full of instruction, suggestion, and comfort.
I. How JESUS COMES TO BE HIDDEN. Others, beside the twelve, have for
a time failed to recognize the Son of God.
1. It may be through human misapprehension. Many there are who never
really see and know Jesus. Theymisunderstand his characterand purposes,
his dispositionwith reference to themselves;and consequentlythey remain
altogetherestrangedfrom him.
2. It may be through human unbelief. Men may, and do, deliberately draw a
veil betweenthemselves and Christ. Their sins, their unspirituality, are a

complete barrier to their really knowing him; they are without the
receptiveness andsympathy which are necessaryin order to such knowledge.
3. It may be through human perplexity and despondency. In the case ofthe
disciples this seems to have been the explanation of their failure to perceive at
once that the form upon the shore was that of their Lord. Their minds were
preoccupiedwith their own distress, uncertainty, and troubles. And thus they
were for a while blind to that very presence which alone could bring them
relief and blessing.
II. HOW JESUS COMES TO BE RECOGNIZED. He was hidden for a short
seasonfrom the eyes even of his own attachedfriends; but the hiding was not
for long. Nor will he fail to make his nearness andhis grace knownto those
who are prepared to receive the revelation. This he does:
1. By the voice of Divine authority in which he speaks. There was commandin
the tones of Jesus whenhe bade the fishers let down their net. He never speaks
- howevergraciouslyand with howevermuch of encouragementand kindly
invitation - save in a manner divinely authoritative. And the true disciples
recognize that royal tone.
2. By the language ofsympathy and love which he uses. As Jesus pitied the
poor fishermen who had toiled all night in vain; as he addressedthem as his
children, and showedcommiseration;so does he ever appeal to the tenderest
feelings of human hearts, awakening the response which love gives to love.
3. By the provision which he makes for the needs of his own. There is a
practicalaspectin the spiritual ministry of the Savior. He provided breakfast
for the disciples;how could he have given them a homelier welcome? Thus
does he give his flesh for the life of the world. His Deity is recognizedin his
devotion and sacrifice. Theywho once see whathe has done for man cannever
doubt who he is.
III. How THE RECOGNIZED JESUS IS GREETED. Withthe cry, "It is the
Lord!" This is:
1. The cry of faith, on discovering in him the Truth of God. The long-looked-
for vision breaks upon the soul. He who has been desired draws near.
2. The cry of obedience, as his will is felt to be authoritatively binding. He
speaks the language of command; and the obedient soldier adopts the wish as
law, and does the bidding of his Captain; for "it is the Lord!"
3. The cry of submission and resignation, as his hand is discernedin the
chastisements oflife. Let a man say, "It is fate!" or, "It is fortune!" and how

can he submit with profit? But let him say, "It is the Lord!" and he will add,
"Let him do as seemethgood in his sight."
4. The cry of witness, as Christ's presence is proclaimed to all around. It is the
mission of the Church to all the world, to direct attention to the world's Savior
and Lord.
IV. HOW THE RECOGNIZEDJESUS REWARDSHIS FAITHFUL
DISCIPLES.
1. With his societyand friendship.
2. With his liberality and bounty, by which all their spiritual wants are
supplied.
3. With his power and benediction upon the life and work of eachone who
acknowledgesandserves him.
4. With the final vision of his face. They who have seenhim by faith on earth
shall see him as he is above. Blessed, rapturous, shall be the recognition, when
the disciple shall open his eyes in heaven, and shall exclaim, "It is the Lord!" -
T.
Biblical Illustrator
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus lovedsaid unto Peter, It is the Lord.
John 21:7
Variety in unity
A. F. Barfield.I. LOVE RECOGNIZING JESUS. Johnwas distinguished for
his clearand far-reaching vision. Peterwas the embodiment of zeal, John of
love.
1. Love canrecognize where mere earnestness fails. You did not hear anything
as you satin your friend's house, and you were rather surprised when she
broke off her sentence with "Excuse me" and hurriedly left the room — the
fact was the mother had heard the cry of her child. You would have been

earnestenough in doing goodto the little one; but only the mother's ear could
hear its voice. And so in the case before us: let Peter but get half an idea that
Jesus is standing on the shore, and nothing will keephim in the boat; but
Peter, with all his earnestness, wouldperhaps have never said, "It is the
Lord."
2. Love communicates good. Johncould not keepthe goodtidings to himself.
Whether in temporal or spiritual blessings, love invites others to share.
II. IMPETUOSITYAND ZEAL ENDEAVOURING TO HOLD
COMMUNION WITH JESUS.
1. Consistencyofcharacter. The same Peterwho once before walkedupon the
sea — who said, "Though all men forsake Thee yetwill not I" — who ran into
the sepulchre, and compelled John to follow, casts himself into the sea to go to
Jesus.
2. Naturalness. Hadany one else but Peterattempted this, it would have
appearedawkwardand ungraceful; had he refrained from rushing off to
Jesus we should have felt that it was not like Peter. We believe in
individuality. It would be better for the Church and the world if men would
be themselves.
III. THE WISDOM OF CAREFULNESS. The other disciples took care of the
fishes and came to land by the boat, and they were right; for —
1. They were preserving what Jesus had given them.
2. They were showing that they appreciatedHis blessings.
IV. VARIETY IN UNITY. That little ship containedthe infant Church, yet in
that Church you find various types of character. There is the loving John, the
go-aheadPeter, and the quiet, careful people who take care of the necessaries
of life. And so in the Church. We need men who can stand upon the watch
towerand point to Christ; we need others full of fire; and the plodding men
who never do anything out of the way, but nevertheless do a greatdeal of
necessarywork. Thus —
1. God distributes His gifts in various ways and infinite variety.
2. We should beware of jealousy.
3. We ought not to judge eachother. As Matthew Henry says, "Some are
useful as the Church's eyes, some as the Church's hands, and others as the
Church's feet; but all are for the goodof the body."
(A. F. Barfield.)
It is the Lord

A. Maclaren, D. D.It seems very strange that these disciples had not, at an
earlier period, discoveredChrist, inasmuch as it was so manifestly a repetition
of that former event by which they had become "fishers of men." We are apt
to suppose that when once againthey embarked on the lake it must have been
with many a thought of Him. Yonder — perhaps we fancy them thinking — is
where we saw Him coming out of the mountains, when He walkedon the
water; yonder is where He made them all sit down whilst we bore the bread to
them: there is the very spot where we were mending our nets when He came
up to us and calledus to Himself — and now it is all over. "We trusted that it
had been He who should have redeemedIsrael." But there does not seemto
have been any such sentimental remembrance. John takes pains to show them
as plain, rough men, busy about their night's work, and thinking a greatdeal
more of their want of success,than about old associations. Thenthrough the
darkness He comes, and speaks as once before, andrepeats the old miracle,
and their eyes are all holden excepting the eyes of him who loved, and he first
says, "It is the Lord."
I. THEY ONLY SEE ARIGHT WHO SEE CHRIST IN EVERYTHING.
1. No man will understand the world aright, who cannotsay about all
creation, "It is the Lord."(1) If we would pierce to the deepestfoundations of
all Being, we cannotstop until we getdown to the living powerof Christ, by
whom all things were made, and whose will is the sustaining principle which
keeps it from decay.(2)What did Christ work His miracles for? Not solelyas
proof of His Messiahship, but that for once He would unveil to us the true
Author of all things, and the true Foundation of all being. Christ's miracles
interrupted the order of the world in so far as they struck out the intervening
means by which the creative and sustaining word of God acts in nature. We
are then to take all these signs and wonders as a revelation of the real state of
things, and to see in them tokens that into every corner of the universe His
loving hand reaches,and His sustaining power goes forth. Into what province
of nature did He not go? He claimed to be the Lord of life by the side of the
boy's bier at the gate of Nain, &c. He assertedfor Himself authority over all
the powers and functions of our bodily life, when He gave eyes to the blind,
&c. He showedthat He was Lord over the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea,
&c. And He assertedHis dominion over inanimate nature when the fig-tree
withered, and the winds and waves sunk into silence. He let us get a glimpse
into the dark regions of His rule over the unseen, when "with authority He
commanded the unclean spirits, and they came out."(3)All these things He
did, in order that we, walking in this fair world, should be delivered from the
temptation of thinking that it is separatedfrom or independent of Him. Let

"It is the Lord" be on our lips, and nature will then be indeed to us the open
secretwhich "The Lord will show to them that fear Him."
2. The same convictionis the only one to explain or make tolerable the
circumstances ofour earthly condition. Either our life is the subject of a mere
chaotic chance;or else it is put into the mill of an iron destiny, which goes
grinding on, regardless ofwhat it grinds up; or else, there is the will which is
love, and the love which is Christ! I understand not how a man can front the
future knowing all his vulnerable points and all the ways by which disaster
may come down upon him, and retain his sanity, excepthe believes that all is
ruled, not merely by a Godwho may be as unsympathizing as He is
omnipotent, but by His elder Brother, the Sonof God. But the riddle of
Providence is solved, and the discipline of Providence is being accomplished,
when we have graspedthis conviction — All events do serve me, for all
circumstances come from His will and pleasure, which is love; and
everywhere where I go — be it in the darkness of disasteror in the sunshine of
prosperity — I shall see standing before me that familiar and beloved shape,
and shall be able to say, "It is the Lord." That is the faith to live by, and to die
by; and without it life is a mockeryand a misery.
3. This same convictionshould guide us in all our thoughts about the history
and destinies of mankind and of Christ's Church. The Incarnation and the
Crucifixion are the pivot round which all the events of the ages revolve. "They
that went before and they that came after," when He entered into the holy city
were a symbol of history. All the generations that went before Him, though
they knew it not, were preparing His way; and all the generations that come
after, though they know it not, are swelling His triumph. The tangled webof
human history is only then intelligible when that is taken as its clue, "From
Him are all things, and to Him are all things," and when all is finished, it will
be found that all things have tended to His glory who is King of kings and
Lord of lords.
4. Such a convictionliving and working in our hearts would change for us the
whole aspectof life. See Christ in everything, and be blessed;or miss Him,
and be miserable. It is a waste, wearyworld, unless it be filled with signs of
His presence. If you want your days to be true, happy, manly, and Godlike, it
will only be when they all have flowing through them this conviction, "It is the
Lord."
II. ONLY THEY WHO LOVE SEE CHRIST. John, the apostle of love knew
Him first.

1. In religious matters, love is the foundation of knowledge. There is no wayof
knowing a person exceptlove. A man cannot argue his way into knowing
Christ. Man's natural capacity within its own limits is strong and good;but in
the regionof acquaintance with God and Christ, the wisdom of this world is
foolishness. "He that loveth not knowethnot God, for God is love."
2. Love will trace Him everywhere, as dearfriends detecteachother in little
marks which are meaningless to others. Love's quick eye pierces through
disguises impenetrable to a colderscrutiny. Love has in it a longing for His
presence which makes us eagerand quick to mark the slightestsign that He is
near, as the footstepof some dear one is heard by the sharp ear of affection
long before any sound breaks the silence to those around. Love leads to
likeness to the Lord, and that likeness makes the clearervision of the Lord
possible. "It is the Lord" is written large and plain on all things, but like the
greatletters on a map, they are so obvious and fill so wide a space, that they
are not seen. They who love Him know Him, and they who know Him love
Him.
3. And is it not a blessedthing that this glorious prerogative does not depend
on what belongs to few men only, but on what may belong to all?
4. But we cannotlove by commandment. The only way is to see the lovely. The
disciple who loved Jesus was "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Generalize
that, and it teaches us that —
III. THEY LOVE WHO KNOW THAT CHRIST LOVES THEM. Our love
can never be anything else than the echo to His voice of tenderness, than the
reflectedlight upon our hearts of the full glory of His affection. "We love
Him, because He first loved us." The fountain that rises in my heart can only
spring up heavenward, because the water of it floweddown into my heart
from the higher level. Oh, then, look to Christ, that you may love Him! Think
of that Saviour who has died for us, and lives for us! Do not ask yourselves, to
begin with, the question, Do I love Him or do I not? If a man is cold, let him
go to the fire and warm himself. If he is dark let him stand in the sunshine,
and he will be light. If his heart is all cloggedwith sin and selfishness, lethim
get under the influence of the love of Christ, and look awayfrom himself and
his ownfeelings, towards that Saviour whose love shed abroad is the sole
means of kindling ours.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Now when Simon Peterheard that... he girt his fisher's coatunto him.
Peter's reverence

W. H. Van Doren, D. D., S. S. Times.forthe Lord is indicated by the careful
observation, even in such a moment of excited feeling, of the petty proprieties
of clothing.
(W. H. Van Doren, D. D.)And did casthimself into the sea. —
I. REGARDLESSOF PERSONALCOMFORT.
II. ABANDONING HUMAN COMPANIONSHIPS.
III. DESPISING TEMPORALGAIN.
IV. EAGERLY SEEKING JESUS.
(S. S. Times.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(7)Therefore thatdisciple whom
Jesus lovedsaith unto Peter.—Comp. Introduction, p 375. The traits of
characterwhich have before met us are exactly preservedhere. John, true to
the life of contemplation, is first to trace in the present draught of fishes an
analogywith the earlier one, and to discern that the Masterwho spoke then is
present now. Peter, true to the life of action, is first to rush into that Master’s
presence whenhe is told that it is the Lord.
He girt his fisher’s coatunto him (for he was naked).—Thatis, as the words in
the originalclearly imply, he put on, and girded round his body the garment
which workmen customarily used. This seems to have been a kind of linen
frock worn over the shirt, and the Talmud has adopted the Greek word here
used to express it. The word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, and
the rendering “fisher’s coat” probably gives a correctidea of what is meant.
The common usage ofthe Greek and Hebrew words answering to the English
word “naked,” makes it probable that St. Peterwas wearing some under-
garment, and that reverence for the Lord, into whose presence he is about to
go, led him to add to this the outer frock. (Comp. Acts 19:12.)
MacLaren's Expositions John- Luke
FEAR AND FAITH
‘IT IS THE LORD!’

John 21:7.
It seems a very strange thing that these disciples had not, at an earlier period
of this incident, discoveredthe presence ofChrist, inasmuch as the whole was
so manifestly a repetition of that former event by which the commencementof
their ministry had been signalised, whenHe calledthem to become ‘fishers of
men.’ We are apt to suppose that when once again they embarked on the lake,
and went back to their old trade, it must have been with many a thought of
Him busy at their hearts. Yonder-perhaps we fancy them thinking-is the very
point where we saw Him coming out of the shadows ofthe mountains, that
night when He walkedon the water;yonder is the little patch of grass where
He made them all sit down whilst we bore the bread to them: there is the very
spot where we were mending our nets when He came up to us and calledus to
Himself; and now it is all over. We have loved and lostHim; He has been with
us, and has left us. ‘We trusted that it had been He who should have redeemed
Israel,’and the Cross has ended it all! So, we are apt to think, they must have
spoken;but there does not seemto have been about them any such
sentimental remembrance. John takes pains in this narrative, I think, to show
them to us as plain, rough men, busy about their night’s work, and thinking a
greatdeal more of their want of successin fishing, than about the old
associationswhich we are apt to put into their minds. Then through the
darkness He comes, as they had seenHim come once before, when they know
Him not; and He speaks to them as He had spokenbefore, and they do not
detectHis voice yet; and He repeats the old miracle, and their eyes are all
holden, excepting the eyes of him who loved, and he first says, ‘It is the Lord!’
Now, besides all the other features of this incident by which it becomes the
revelation of the Lord’s presence with His Church, and the exhibition of the
work of the Church during all the course of the world’s history, it contains
valuable lessons onother points, such as these which I shall try to bring before
you.
Now and always, as in that morning twilight on the Galilean lake, Christ
comes to men. Everywhere He is present, everywhere revealing Himself. Now,
as then, our eyes are ‘holden’ by our own fault, so that we recognise notthe
merciful Presence whichis all around us. Now, as then, it is they who are
nearestto Christ by love who see Him first. Now, as then, they who are
nearestto Him by love, are so because He loves them, and because they know
and believe the love which He has to them. I find, then, in this part of the story
three thoughts,-First, they only see aright who see Christ in everything.

Secondly, they only see Christ who love Him. Lastly, they only love Him who
know that He loves them,
I. First then, they only see aright who see Christ in everything.
This word of John’s, ‘It is the Lord!’-ought to be the conviction with the light
of which we go out to the examination of all events, and to the considerationof
all the circumstances ofour daily life. We believe that unto Christ is given ‘all
powerin heavenand upon earth.’ We believe that to Him belongs creative
power-that ‘without Him was not anything made which was made.’ We
believe that from Him came all life at first. In Him life was, as in its deep
source. He is the Fountain of life. We believe that as no being comes into
existence without His creative power, so none continues to exist without His
sustaining energy. We believe that He allots to all men their natural
characters andtheir circumstances. We believe that the history of the world is
but the history of His influence, and that the centre of the whole universe is
the cross ofCalvary. In the light of such convictions, I take it, every man that
calls himself a Christian ought to go out to meet life and to study all events.
Let me try, then, to put before you, very briefly, one or two of the provinces in
which we are to take this conviction as the keynote to all our knowledge.
No man will understand the world aright, to begin with, who cannot sayabout
all creation, ‘It is the Lord!’ Nature is but the veil of the invisible and
ascendedLord: and if we would pierce to the deepestfoundations of all being,
we cannot stop until we get down to the living power of Christ our Saviour
and the Creatorof the world, by whom all things were made, and whose will
pouring out into this greatuniverse, is the sustaining principle and the true
force which keeps it from nothingness and from quick decay.
Why, what did Christ work all His miracles upon earth for? Not solelyto give
us a testimony that the Father had sentHim; not solelyto make us listen to
His words as a Teachersentfrom God; not solelyas proof of His
Messiahship,-butbesides all these purposes there was surely this other, that
for once He would unveil to us the true Author of all things, and the true
Foundation of all being. Christ’s miracles interrupted the order of the world,
because they made visible to men for once the true and constantOrderer of
the order. They interrupted the order in so far as they struck out the
intervening links by which the creative and sustaining word of God acts in
nature, and suspended each event directly from the firm staple of His will.
They revealedthe eternalOrderer of that order in that they showedthe

Incarnate Word wielding the forces ofnature, which He has done from of old
and still does. We are then to take all these signs and wonders that He
wrought, as a perennial revelation of the real state of things with regard to
this natural world, and to see in them all, signs and tokens that into every
corner and far-off regionof the universe His loving hand reaches, and His
sustaining powergoes forth. Into what province of nature did He not go? He
claimed to be the Lord of life by the side of the boy’s bier at the gate of Nain,
in the chamber of the daughter of Jairus, by the grave of Lazarus. He asserted
for Himself authority over all the powers and functions of our bodily life,
when He gave eyes to the blind, hearing to the deaf, feet to the lame. He
showedthat He was Lord over the fowlof the air, the beasts of the earth, the
fish of the sea. And He assertedHis dominion over inanimate nature, when
the fig-tree, cursed by Him, withered awayto its roots, and the winds and
waves sunk into silence at His gentle voice. He let us get a glimpse into the
dark regions of His rule overthe unseen, when ‘with authority He
commanded the unclean spirits, and they came out.’ And all these things He
did, in order that we, walking in this fair world, encompassedby the glories of
this wonderful universe, should be delivered from the temptation of thinking
that it is separatedfrom Him, or independent of His creative and sustaining
power; and in order that we should feel that the continuance of all which
surrounds us, the glories of heaven and the loveliness of earth, are as truly
owing to the constantintervention of His present will, and the interposition
beneath them of His sustaining hand, as when first, by the ‘Word of God’ who
‘was with God and who was God,’speaking forth His fiat, there came light
and beauty out of darkness and chaos.
O Christian men! we shall never understand the Christian thought about
God’s universe, until we are able to say, Preservationis a continual creation;
and beneath all the ordinary workings ofNature, as we faithlesslycall it, and
the apparently dead play of secondarycauses, there are welling forth, and
energising, the living love and the blessedpower of Christ, the Maker, and
Monarch, and Sustainerof all. ‘It is the Lord!’ is the highest teaching of all
science. The mystery of the universe, and the meaning of God’s world, are
shrouded in hopeless obscurity, until we learn to feelthat all laws suppose a
Lawgiver, and that all working involves a divine energy;and that beneath all
which appears there lies for ever rising up through it and giving it its life and
power, the one true living Being, the Father in heaven, the Son by whom He
works, and the Holy Ghostthe Spirit. Darkness lies on Nature, except to those
who in

‘the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean, and the living air,
And the blue sky,’
see that Form which these disciples saw in the morning twilight. Let ‘It is the
Lord!’ be the word on our lips as we gaze on them all, and nature will then be
indeed to us the open secret, the secretof the Lord which ‘He will show to
them that fear Him.’
Then again, the same convictionis the only one that is adequate either to
explain or to make tolerable the circumstances ofour earthly condition. To
most men-ah! to all of us in our faithless times-the events that befall ourselves,
seemto be one of two things equally horrible, the play of a blind Chance, or
the work of an iron Fate. I know not which of these two ghastly thoughts
about the circumstances oflife is the more depressing, ruining all our energy,
depriving us of all our joy, and dragging us down with its weight. But
brethren, and friends, there are but these three ways for it-either our life is
the subjectof a mere chaotic chance;or else it is put into the mill of an iron
destiny, which goes grinding on and crushing with its remorselesswheels,
regardless ofwhat it grinds up; or else, through it all, in it all, beneath it and
above it all, there is the Will which is Love, and the Love which is Christ!
Which of these thoughts is the one that commends itself to your own hearts
and consciences, andwhich is the one under which you would fain live if you
could? I understand not how a man can front the awful possibilities of a
future on earth, knowing all the points at which he is vulnerable, and all the
ways by which disastermay come down upon him, and retain his sanity,
unless he believes that all is ruled, not merely by a Godfar above him, who
may be as unsympathising as He is omnipotent, but by his Elder Brother, the
Son of God, who showedHis heart by all His dealings with us here below, and
who loves as tenderly, and sympathises as closelywith us as ever He did when
on earth He gatheredthe wearyand the sick around Him. Is it not a thing,
men and women, worth having, to have this for the settledconviction of your
hearts, that Christ is moving all the pulses of your life, and that nothing falls
out without the intervention of His presence and the powerof His will
working through it? Do you not think such a belief would nerve you for
difficulty, would lift you buoyantly over trials and depressions, and would set
you upon a vantage ground high above all the petty annoyances oflife? Tell
me, is there any other place where a man can plant his foot and say, ‘Now I

am on a rock and I care not what comes’? The riddle of Providence is solved,
and the discipline of Providence is being accomplishedwhen we have grasped
this conviction-All events do serve me, for all circumstances come fromHis
will and pleasure, which is love; and everywhere I go-be it in the darkness of
disasteror in the sunshine of prosperity-I shall see standing before me that
familiar and beloved Shape, and shall be able to say, ‘It is the Lord!’ Friends
and brethren, that is the faith to live by, that is the faith to die by; and without
it life is a mockeryand a misery.
Once more this same conviction, ‘It is the Lord! should guide us in all our
thoughts about the history and destinies of mankind and of Christ’s Church.
The Cross is the centre of the world’s history, the incarnation and the
crucifixion of our Lord are the pivot round which all the events of the ages
revolve. ‘The testimony of Jesus was the spirit of prophecy,’ and the growing
powerof Jesus is the spirit of history, and in every book that calls itself the
history of a nation, unless there be written, whether literally or in spirit, this
for its motto, ‘It is the Lord!’ all will be shallow and incomplete.
‘They that went before and they that came after,’ when He entered into the
holy city in His brief moment of acceptanceandpomp, surrounded Him with
hosannas and jubilant gladness. It is a deep and true symbol of the whole
history of the world. All the generations thatwent before Him, though they
knew it not, were preparing the way of the Lord, and heralding the advent of
Him who was ‘the desire of all nations’ and ‘the light of men’; and all the
generations that come after, though they know it not, are swelling the pomp of
His triumph and hastening the time of His crowning and dominion. ‘It is the
Lord!’ is the secretof all national existence. It is the secretof all the events of
the world. The tangled web of human history is only then intelligible when
that is takenas its clue, ‘From Him are all things, and to Him are all things.’
The oceanfrom which the stream of history flows, and that into which it
empties itself, are one. He beganit, He sustains it. ‘The help that is done upon
earth He doeth it Himself,’ and when all is finished, it will be found that all
things have indeed come from Christ, been sustained and directed by Christ,
and have tended to the glory and exaltation of that Redeemer, who is King of
kings and Lord of lords, Makerof the worlds, and before whose throne are
for evergathered for service, whetherthey know it or not, the forces ofthe
Gentiles, the riches of the nations, the events of history, the fates and destinies
of every man.
I need not dwell upon the wayin which such a conviction as this, my friends,

living and working in our hearts, would change for us the whole aspectof life,
and make everything bright and beautiful, blessedand calm, strengthening us
for all which we might have to do, nerving us for duty, and sustaining us
againstevery trial, leading us on, triumphant and glad, through regions all
sparkling with tokens of His presence and signs of His love, unto His throne at
last, to lay down our praises and our crowns before Him. Only let me leave
with you this one word of earnestentreaty, that you will lay to heart the
solemn alternative-eithersee Christ in everything, and be blessed;or miss
Him, and be miserable. Oh! it is a waste, wearyworld, unless it is filled with
signs of His presence. It is a dreary seventy years, brother, of pilgrimage and
strife, unless, as you travel along the road, you see the marks that He who
went before you has left by the wayside for your guidance and your
sustenance. If you want your days to be true, noble, holy, happy, manly, and
Godlike, believe us, it is only when they all have flowing through them this
conviction, ‘It is the Lord!’ that they all become so.
II. Then, secondly, only they who love, see Christ.
John, the Apostle of Love, knew Him first. In religious matters, love is the
foundation of knowledge. There is no way of knowing a Personexceptlove.
The knowledge ofGod and the knowledge ofChrist are not to be won by the
exercise ofthe understanding. A man cannot argue his way into knowing
Christ. No skill in drawing inferences will avail him there. The treasures of
wisdom-earthly wisdom-are all powerlessin that region. Man’s understanding
and natural capacity-let it keepitself within its own limits and region, and it
is strong and good; but in the region of acquaintance with God and Christ, the
wisdom of this world is foolishness, and man’s understanding is not the organ
by which he can know Christ. Oh no! there is a better way than that: ‘He that
loveth not knowethnot God, for God is love.’ As it is, in feebler measure, with
regard to our personalacquaintance with one another, where it is not so much
the powerof the understanding, or the quickness of the perception, or the
talent and genius of a man, that make the foundation of his knowledge ofhis
friend, as the force of his sympathy and the depth of his affection;so-with the
necessarymodification arising from the transference from earthly
acquaintances to the greatFriend and Lover of our souls in heaven-so is it
with regard to our knowledge ofChrist. Love will trace Him everywhere, as
dear friends candetect eachother in little marks which are meaningless to
others. Love’s quick eye pierces through disguises impenetrable to a colder
scrutiny. Love has in it a longing for His presence whichmakes us eagerand
quick to mark the lightest sign that He for whom it longs is near, as the

footstepof some dear one is heard by the sharp earof affectionlong before
any sound breaks the silence to those around. Love leads to likeness to the
Lord, and that likeness makes the clearervision of the Lord possible. Love to
Him strips from our eyes the film that self and sin, sense and custom, have
drawn overthem. It is these which hide Him from us. It is because men are so
indifferent to, so forgetful of, their best Friend that they fail to behold Him, ‘It
is the Lord!’ is written large and plain on all things, but like the greatletters
on a map, they are so obvious and fill so wide a space, that they are not seen.
They who love Him know Him, and they who know Him love Him. The true
eye-salve for our blinded eyes is applied when we have turned with our hearts
to Christ. The simple might of faithful love opens them to behold a more
glorious vision than the mountain ‘full of chariots of fire,’ which once flamed
before the prophet’s servant of old-even the august and ever-presentform of
the Lord of life, the Lord of history, the Lord of providence. When they who
love Jesus turn to see ‘the Voice that speaks withthem,’ they ever behold the
Son of Man in His glory; and where others see but the dim beach and a
mysterious stranger, it is to their lips that the glad cry first comes, ‘It is the
Lord!’
And is it not a blessedthing, brethren! that thus this high and glorious
prerogative of recognising the marks of Christ’s presence everywhere, of
going through life gladdenedby the assurance ofHis nearness, does not
depend on what belongs to few men only, but on what may belong to all?
When we saythat ‘not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called’-whenwe saythat love is the means of knowledge-we
are but in other words saying that the way is open to all, and that no
characteristicsbelonging to classes, no powers that must obviously always
belong to but a handful, are necessaryfor the full apprehensionof the power
and blessednessofChrist’s Gospel. The freeness and the fullness of that divine
message, the glorious truth that it is for all men, and is offered to all, are
couchedin that grand principle, Love that thou mayest know; love, and thou
art filled with the fullness of God, Not for the handful, not for the elite of the
world; not for the few, but for the many; not for the wise, but for all; not for
classes, but for humanity-for all that are weak, andsinful, and needy, and
foolish, and darkenedHe comes, who only needs that the heart that looks
should love, and then it shall behold!
But if that were the whole that I have to say, I should have said but little to the
purpose. It very little avails to tell men to love. We cannot love to order, or
because we think it duty. There is but one way of loving, and that is to see the

lovely. The disciple who loved Jesus was ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’
Generalise that, and it teaches us this, that
III. They love who know that Christ loves them.
His divine and eternal mercy is the foundation of the whole. Our love,
brethren, can never be any thing else than our echo to His voice of tenderness
than the reflectedlight upon our hearts of the full glory of His affection. No
man loveth God except the man who has first learned that God loves him. ‘We
love Him, because He first loved us.’ And when we say, ‘Love Christ,’ if we
could not go on to say, ‘Nay, rather let Christ’s love come down upon you’-we
had said worse than nothing. The fountain that rises in my heart can only
spring up heavenward, because the water of it has floweddown into my heart
from the higher level. All love must descendfirst, before it can ascend. We
have, then, no Gospelto preach, if we have only this to preach, ‘Love, and
thou art saved.’But we have a Gospelthat is worth the preaching, when we
can come to men who have no love in their hearts, and say, ‘Brethren! listen to
this-you have to bring nothing, you are called upon to originate no affection;
you have nothing to do but simply to receive the everlasting love of God in
Christ His Son, which was without us, which beganbefore us, which flows
forth independent of us, which is uncheckedby all our sins, which triumphs
over all our transgressions, andwhich will make us-loveless,selfish, hardened,
sinful men-soft, and tender, and full of divine affection, by the communication
of its ownself.
Oh, then, look to Christ, that you may love Him! Think, brethren, of that full,
and free, and boundless mercy which, from eternity, has been pouring itself
out in floods of grace and loving-kindness over all creatures. Think of that
everlasting love which presided at the foundation of the earth, and has
sustainedit ever since. Think of that Saviour who has died for us, and lives for
us. Think of Christ, the heart of God, and the fullness of the Father’s mercy;
and do not think of yourselves at all. Do not ask yourselves, to begin with, the
question, Do I love Him or do I not? You will never love by that means. If a
man is cold, let him go to the fire and warm himself. If he is dark, let him
stand in the sunshine, and he will be light. If his heart is all cloggedand
clotted with sin and selfishness, lethim get under the influence of the love of
Christ, and look awayfrom himself and his own feelings, towards that
Saviour whose love shed abroad is the sole means of kindling ours. You have
to go down deeperthan your feelings, your affections, your desires, your
character. There you will find no resting-place, no consolation, no power. Dig

down to the living Rock, Christ and His infinite love to you, and let it be the
strong foundation, built into which you and your love may become living
stones, a holy temple, partaking of the firmness and nature of that on which it
rests. They that love do so because they know that Christ loves them; and they
that love see Him everywhere;and they that see Him everywhere are blessed
for evermore. And let no man here torture himself, or limit the fullness of this
messagethat we preach, by questionings whether Christ loves Him or not. Are
you a man? are you sinful? have you brokenGod’s law? do you need a
Saviour? Then put awayall these questions, and believe that Christ’s personal
love is streaming out for the whole world, and that there is a share for you if
you like to take it and be blessed!
There is one last thought arising from the whole subject before us, that may
be worth mention before I close. Did you ever notice how this whole incident
might be turned, by a symbolical application, to the hour of death, and the
vision which may meet us when we come thither? It admits of the application,
and perhaps was intended to receive the application, of such a symbolic
reference. The morning is dawning, the grey of night going away, the lake is
still; and yonder, standing on the shore, in the uncertain light, there is one dim
Figure, and one disciple catches a sightof Him, and another casts himself into
the water, and they find ‘a fire of coals, and fish laid thereon, and bread,’ and
Christ gathers them around His table, and they all know that ‘It is the Lord!’
It is what the death of the Christian man, who has gone through life
recognising Christeverywhere, may well become:-the morning breaking, and
the finished work, and the Figure standing on the quiet beach, so that the last
plunge into the cold flood that yet separates us, will not be taken with
trembling reluctance;but, drawn to Him by the love beaming out of His face,
and upheld by the power of His beckoning presence, we shallstruggle through
the latestwave that parts us, and scarcelyfeelits chill, nor know that we have
crossedit; till falling blessedat His feet, we see, by the nearerand clearer
vision of His face, that this is indeed heaven. And looking back upon ‘the sea
that brought us thither,’ we shall behold its waters flashing in the light of that
everlasting morning, and hear them breaking in music upon the eternal shore.
And then, brethren, when all the wearynight-watchers on the stormy oceanof
life are gatheredtogetheraround Him who watchedwith them from His
throne on the bordering mountains of eternity, where the day shines for ever-
then He will seatthem at His table in His kingdom, and none will need to ask,
‘Who art Thou?’ or ‘Where am I?’ for all shall know that ‘It is the Lord!’ and
the full, perfect, unchangeable vision of His blessedface will be heaven!

BensonCommentaryHYPERLINK "/context/john/21-7.htm"John21:7-8.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved— Seeing such astonishing success
after their preceding fruitless toil and disappointment; saith unto Peter, It is
the Lord — Who has, on this occasion, renewedthat miracle which he
wrought in thy ship some years ago, when he first called us to attend him.
Now when Peterheard, and saw, that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat
unto him — Or upper garment, as επενδυτης properly signifies, reverencing
the presence ofthe Lord. For he was naked — Or rather, was stripped of it;
for the word γυμνος, here used, does not always, like the English word naked,
signify having no clothes on, or being totally uncovered, but not having all the
clothes usually worn. In this sense the word seems to be used Acts 19:16, and
in severalpassagesofthe Old Testament. And did casthimself into the sea —
To swim to him immediately. The love of Christ draws men through fire and
water. And the other disciples — Making the bestof their way; came in a little
ship — That is, in their small fishing vessel;dragging the net with fishes —
Which doubtless considerablyimpeded their progress.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary21:1-14 Christmakes himself known
to his people, usually in his ordinances; but sometimes by his Spirit he visits
them when employed in their business. It is goodfor the disciples of Christ to
be togetherin common conversation, and common business. The hour for
their entering upon action was not come. They would help to maintain
themselves, and not be burdensome to any. Christ's time of making himself
known to his people, is when they are most at a loss. He knows the temporal
wants of his people, and has promised them not only grace sufficient, but food
convenient. Divine Providence extends itself to things most minute, and those
are happy who acknowledge Godin all their ways. Those who are humble,
diligent, and patient, though their labours may be crossed, shallbe crowned;
they sometimes live to see their affairs take a happy turn, after many
struggles. And there is nothing lost by observing Christ's orders;it is casting
the net on the right side of the ship. Jesus manifests himself to his people by
doing that for them which none else can do, and things which they lookednot
for. He would take care that those who left all for him, should not want any
goodthing. And latter favours are to bring to mind former favours, that eaten
bread may not be forgotten. He whom Jesus loved was the first that said, It is
the Lord. John had cleavedmost closelyto his Masterin his sufferings, and
knew him soonest. Peterwas the most zealous, and reachedChrist the first.
How variously God dispenses his gifts, and what difference there may be
betweensome believers and others in the way of their honouring Christ, yet
they all may be acceptedofhim! Others continue in the ship, drag the net, and

bring the fish to shore, and such persons ought not to be blamed as worldly;
for they, in their places, are as truly serving Christ as the others. The Lord
Jesus had provision ready for them. We need not be curious in inquiring
whence this came;but we may be comforted at Christ's care for his disciples.
Although there were so many, and such greatfishes, yet they lost none, nor
damagedtheir net. The net of the gospelhas enclosedmultitudes, yet it is as
strong as ever to bring souls to God.
Barnes'Notes on the BibleTherefore that disciple whom Jesus loved - John,
John 13:23.
It is the Lord - He was convinced, perhaps, by the apparent miracle, and by
looking more attentively on the personof one who had been the means of such
unexpected and remarkable success.
His fisher's coat - His upper or outer garment or tunic, in distinction from the
inner garment or tunic which was worn next the skin. In the case ofPeterit
may have been made of coarse materials suchas fishermen commonly wore,
or such as Peterusually wore when he was engagedin this employment. Such
garments are common with men of this occupation. This outer garment he
probably had laid aside.
He was naked - He was undressed, with nothing on but the undergarment or
tunic. The word does not require us to suppose a greaterdegree ofnakedness
than this. See the Mark 14:51 note; also 1 Samuel 19:24 note.
Did casthimself into the sea - With characteristic ardor, desirous of meeting
againhis Lord, and showing his affectionfor him.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary7-11. that disciple whom Jesus
loved, said, It is the Lord—again having the advantage of his brother in
quickness of recognition(see on [1927]Joh20:8), to be followedby an alacrity
in Peterall his own.
he was naked—his vest only on, worn next the body.
casthimself into the sea—the shallow part, not more than a hundred yards
from the water's edge (Joh21:8), not meaning therefore to swim, but to get
soonerto Jesus than in the full boat which they could hardly draw to shore.
Matthew Poole's Commentary There is a greatdispute amongstcritical
writers what this
fisher’s coatwas;whether a loose coat, orthe garment next his skin, or a
fisherman’s slop. It is a point not worth the disputing: it was some garment

that might modestly cover him when he came to Jesus, and yet not hinder him
in his swimming.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleTherefore that disciple whom Jesus
loved,.... Which was John the Evangelistand Apostle, the writer of this
Gospel:
saith unto Peter, it is the Lord; which two disciples were very intimate with
eachother, and communicated their thoughts freely to one another. John
knew that it was the Lord, either by some specialrevelation, or from the
multitude of fishes which were taken, and which showeda divine hand and
powerto be concerned. So faithful ministers of the Gospelknow when Christ
is with them, by his powerattending their ministrations to the conversionof
souls. The Cambridge copy of Beza's reads, "ourLord"; as do the Syriac,
Persic, and Ethiopic versions;and it is reasonable to think, John speaking to a
fellow disciple, who had equal interest in him with himself, might so say.
Now when Simon heard that it was the Lord; faith came by hearing, he was
immediately convinced, and thoroughly satisfied, having receivedthe hint
upon a reflection on the surprising capture of the fishes, that it must be the
Lord:
he girt his fisher's coatunto him. The Greek word here used, is manifestly the
of the Hebrews;and which, the Jewishwriters say (b), was a strait garment,
which a man put on next his flesh to dry up the sweat;and a very proper one
for Peter, who had been toiling all night, and very fit for him to swim in; and,
by what follows, appears to be put on him next his flesh: for he was naked;for
to suppose him entirely naked, whilst fishing, being only in company with
men, and those parts of nature having a covering, which always require one,
was not at all indecent and unbecoming:
and did casthimself into the sea;the Syriac adds, "that he might come to
Christ"; and the Persic, "and he came to Christ"; showing his greatlove and
eagerness to be with him; and, as fearless ofdanger, risks all to be with
Christ; his love being such, that many waters could not quench, nor floods
drown.
(b) Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Sabbat, c. 10. sect. 3.
Geneva Study BibleTherefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter,
It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his
fisher's {a} coat unto him, (for he was naked,)and did casthimself into the
sea.
(a) It was a linen garment which prevented him from swimming freely.

EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT CommentaryHYPERLINK "/john/21-7.htm"John21:7. Πάλιν τὰ
ἰδιώματα τῶνοἰκείωνἐπιδείκνυνται τρόπωνοἱ μαθηταὶ Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης.
Ὁ μὲν γὰρθερμότερος, ὁ δὲ ὑψηλότερος ἦν· καὶ ὁ μὲν ὀξύτερος ἦν, ὁ δὲ
διορατικώτερος. Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννης πρῶτως ἐπέγνω τὸν Ἰησοῦν· ὁ δὲ
Πέτρος πρῶτος ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτόν, Chrysostom. Comp. John 20:3 ff.
τὸν ἐπενδύτην διεζώσατο]He had laid aside the ἐπενδύτης, and was in so far
naked, which, however, does not prevent his having on the shirt, χιτωνίσκος,
according to the well-knownusage of γυμνός,[280]nudus, and ‫רַע‬‫םּו‬ (see
Perizonius, ad Ael. V. H. vi. 11;Cuper. Obss. i. 7, p. 39, Interpp. zu Jes. xxx.
2; Grotius in loc). In order, however, not to appearunbecomingly in his mere
shirt before Jesus, he girded around him the ἐπενδύτης, i.e. he drew it on, so
that he gatheredit togetherby means of a girdle on his body. Hengstenberg
says incorrectly: he had the ἘΠΕΝΔΎΤ. on, and only girded himself in the
same (accus. ofcloserdefinition), in order to be able to swim the better. The
middle with accus. ofa garment always denotes to gird oneselftherewith
(Lucian, Somm. 6, de conscrib. hist. 3). Comp. περιζώννυσθαι, Revelation
1:13. The ἐπενδύτης is not equivalent to χιτών(Fischer, Kuinoel,
Bretschneider), but an overwrap, an overcoat. Any garment drawn over may
be so called(see the LXX. in Schleusner, Thes. II. p. 436;Soph, fragm. in
Pollux, vii. 45; Dind. 391, comp. ἘΠΈΝΔΥΜΑ in Plut. Alex. 32); it was,
however, according to Nonnus and Theophylact, in the case offishermen, and
according to the Talmud, which has even appropriated to itself the word
ylbissop) gnihtolc fo elcitra nenil a ,yllareneg nemkrow fo esac eht ni,‫אטונדתא‬
a short frock or blouse)which, according to the Talmud, was worn, provided
with pockets, overthe shirt (according to Theophylact, also over other articles
of clothing). See especiallyDrusius in loc. According to Euth. Zigabenus, it
reachedto the knees, andwas without sleeves.
γυμνός]He had, in point of fact, no other clothing on except the mere shirt
(comp. Dem. 583. 21 : γυμνὸν ἐν τῷ χιτωνίσκῳ);for preciselyδιὰ τὴν
γύμνωσιν (Theodoret, Heracleus)he quickly put on the ἐπενδύτης, which had
been laid aside during his work.
He reachedthe land swimming, not walking on the water(Grotius and several
others), which is an imported addition. The ἔβαλεν ἑαυτόνgraphically
represents the rapid self-decision.

[280]This also in opposition to Godet, according to whom Peter was quite
naked. This would have been disgracefulevenamongst barbarians. See
Krüger on Thuc. i. 6. 4.
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK"/john/21-7.htm"John21:7. This
sudden change of fortune John at once tracedto its only possible source, Ὁ
Κύριός ἐστι. “Vita quieta citius observatres divinas quam activa.” Bengel.
Σίμων οὖν … θάλασσαν. The different temperaments of the two Apostles as
here exhibited have constantly been remarkedupon; as by Euthymius, “John
had the keenerinsight; Peterthe greaterardour”. Peterτὸν ἐπενδύτην
διεζώσατο. Some writers identify the ἐπενδύτης with the inner garment or
χίτων, others suppose it was the outer garment or ἱμάτιον. And the reason
assigned, ἦνγὰρ γυμνός, they say, is that he had only the χίτων. That one who
was thus half-dressedmight be calledγυμνός is well known (see Aristoph.,
Clouds, 480); but it was not the outer garment round which the belt was girt,
but the inner. And besides, Petermust often have appearedbefore Jesus in
their boat expeditions without his upper garment. And to put on his Tallith
when about to plunge into the sea was out of the question. He was rowing,
then, with as little on as possible, probably only a subligaculum or loin-cloth,
and now picks up his ἐπενδύτης, a garment worn by fishers (Theophylact),
and girds it on, and casts himself into the sea.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges7. Thereforethat disciple] The
characteristicsofthe two Apostles are againmost delicately yet clearly given
(comp. John 20:2-9). S. John is the first to apprehend; S. Peterthe first to act
[9].
Now when Simon Peterheard] Simon Petertherefore having heard.
fisher’s coat]The Greek word(ependutes) occurs here only. It was his upper
garment, which he gatheredround him “with instinctive reverence for the
presence ofhis Master” (Westcott). ‘Naked’neednot mean more than
‘stripped’ of the upper garment. “No one but an eye-witness wouldhave
thought of the touch in John 21:7, which exactly inverts the natural actionof
one about to swim, and yet is quite accountedfor by the circumstances.” S. p.
267.
casthimself] with his habitual impulsiveness.
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK"/john/21-7.htm"John21:7. Λέγει, saith) A
quiet life more quickly observes Divine things, than an active life: and yet this
latter furnishes an opportunity of doing so, and does not fail to produce fruit

in the case ofsaints.—ἐπενδύτην)Suidas explains ἐπενδύτης as τὸ ἐσώτατον
ἱμάτιον, the inmost garment. But the LXX. render by the word ἐπενδύτης,
.(knar fo snosrep yb nrow tnemrag reppu gnol eht) ‫—מעיל‬διεζώσατο, girton
himself) Peter[did so, because he]reverencedthe presence ofthe Lord,
whereas he had been previously engagedwith his fellow-disciples in a more
familiar manner.—γυμνὸς)He had script off (whilst fishing with his fellow-
disciples)τὸν ἐπενδύτην.[401]—ἜΒΑΛΕΝἙΑΥΤῸΝ ΕἸς ΤῊΝ
ΘΆΛΑΣΣΑΝ, he casthimself into the sea)being likely to reach the Lord
soonerby swimming than by ship. Comp. Matthew 14:28, “Petersaid, Lord, if
it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.”[402]The love of Jesus
draws one through fires and waves.
[401]Wahl Clav. New Testamentmakes it the upper tunic, somewhat
approaching to the pallium or toga, and put on betweenthe shirt and the
outer garments, and therefore different from the shirt or chemise, χιτώνισκος
or ὑποδύτης. Th. ἐπὶ and ἐνδύω.—E. and T.
[402]Archbishop Whately, in a MS. note kindly furnished to me, observes,
that “εἰς, with the Accusative, probably means on, upon, not into. Had Peter
been going to wade or swim, he would not have grit on his coat, but rather
thrown it off (unless, as Beng. suggests, from reverence to the Lord). He
received, probably, an intimation, that he should now perform the miracle in
which his faith had formerly failed”—viz. walking ON the water.—E. andT.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 7. - Therefore, as a distinct consequence ofthe vivid
reminiscence of the past; with sudden intuition given to him by the event, and
a fresh realization of the identity of the risen Lord with the MasterJesus, that
disciple therefore whom Jesus loved - who must have been either one of the
sons of Zebedee or one of the two unnamed disciples. The latter supposition is
inapposite from the intimacy betweenPeter and John, which the synoptic
narrative, and references in the Acts and Galatians it., have recorded;that
disciple and no other, the one so often referred to, one of the seven, saith unto
Peter, It is the Lord. Had he not again and again done wondrous things of
power, wisdom, and love on this very spot, in these very waters? So John
comes intuitively and with true insight to the sacredtruth and reality, and his
conduct is againcontrastedwonderfully with the energetic and impulsive
Peter(John 20:5, 6). The same relative characteristicsofthe two apostles have
been preserved throughout the fivefold narrative. Such a contrastso delicately
and persistently sustainedlends certainty to the objective reality. Accordingly
Simon Peter, when he heard, It is the Lord - for the words flashed conviction

into him - hurried at once to put his new idea to practicalproof. The word of
John satisfiedhim, and, not seeing for himself what John saw with mental eye,
he acceptedthe joyful news, and was the first to spring into the sea, and, with
his usual energy, to casthimself at his Master's feet. He girt his coatabout
him (for he was naked). The word γυνός does not mean perfectly nude. A man
who had simply the χιτών or tunic upon him was practicallythus regarded.
The word γυμνός occurs in Isaiah20:2; 1 Samuel19:24; Job 24:10 in the same
sense. The proper name for the tunic, or garment next the skin, was ὑποδύτης,
and that which was put over the tunic was ἐπενδύτης and ἐπένδυμα (Meyer
and Wettstein, in loc.). The Talmud has Aramaized the word, calling it ‫אתדגפא‬
(ependetha), and used it for the workman's frock or blouse, often without
sleeves, andfastenedwith a girdle. Dr. Salmond truly says that this reference
to an actwhich to ordinary men would have suggesteda different
arrangementof dress, reveals the eye-witness. Hengstenbergsuggeststhat
Petersimply girded his upper garment for the purpose of swimming more
easily;but, as Luthardt observes, with this ἐπενδύτης alreadyupon him, he
would not have been "naked" And he casthimself into the sea, intending,
whatevermight be the fate of the laden net, to be the first to greetand
worship the Lord. Of the reception he met with John says nothing: he knew
nothing. The Lord had some specialinstruction for him a little later. It is not
in harmony with the words, as Gerhard supposed, that Peter walked
triumphantly upon the waters. Nota hint of it occurs. The hundred yards
were rapidly covered, either by swimming or wading to the shore meanwhile.
Vincent's Word StudiesFisher's coat (ἐπενδύτην)
An upper garment or blouse. Only here in the New Testament. In the
Septuagint, 1 Samuel 18:4, the robe which Jonathangave to David. 2 Samuel
13:18, the royal virgin garment of Tamar. The kindred verb, ἐπενδύομαι,
occurs twice (2 Corinthians 5:2, 2 Corinthians 5:4), meaning "to be clothed
upon," with the house which is from heaven,
Naked
Not absolutely, but clothedmerely in his undergarment or shirt.
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Visits From The Lord BY SPURGEON
“Therefore, thatdisciple whom Jesus lovedsaid unto Peter, It is the
Lord. Now when Simon Peterheard that it was the Lord, he put on his
outer garment (for he was naked), and plunged into the sea. But the
other disciples came in the little boat; for they were not far from land
(about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fishes.”
John 21:7, 8
UNTIL our Lord should pour out the Spirit upon His Apostles, they had to
wait. It was expedient for them that He should go awayand ascendinto His
Glory. Then when He had receivedgifts for men and had distributed those
gifts, they would be able to go forth in the powerof the Spirit, preaching the
Gospel. Until then they must wait, and they must not be idle. Therefore they
returned to their ordinary trades and once againthe little boat plowedthe
familiar waves of the sea of Tiberias. There they had many old associations
brought up before them. And there, moreover, on the memorable night of
which we are now to speak, theylearned a lessonwhich would be instructive
to them throughout the whole course of their fishing for men! Their condition
and position were very much like our own. We, as a Christian Church, are
engagedin the greatsoul-fishery, seeking by any means to bring some to
Christ. Out on the dark waters of the Dead Sea ofSin we seek to bring the
souls of men, not to destroy them, but that Christ may save them! This is to be
theChurch’s perpetual work. She must never ceasefrom it. Forthis purpose is
she kept in the world and if she does not answerthis purpose, she is faulty
before her Lord.
Just now we are much in the condition of these Apostles. There is upon some
of our spirits a dissatisfactionwith the success thatwe have had of late–infact,
a dissatisfactionwith all the success thateither we or the Christian Church
generallyhave had for years past. We cannot quite say, with the Apostles, that
we have caught nothing. Glory be to God, there are thousands of souls that
have been won to Christ in this house, and in many other places where Christ
is preached! But compared with the great mass of mankind–comparedwith
the world that “lies in the WickedOne–we might almostsay, "We have
caught nothing.” Relatively, it comes to very, very, very little–and the Gospel-
fishery does not grow, today, as it did at the time of Pentecost, oras it has
done at other seasons whenGodhas granted revival and refreshing from His
Presence.We are, therefore, like the disciples–we are engagedin the fishing,
but we are not satisfiedwith the results! Now we know what they, perhaps, at
the time forgot–thatthere is only one thing that can change the aspectof

affairs, and that is for Jesus to appear in our midst and speak to us, giving us
the word of direction and, also, Himself acting as the attractive powerto the
souls of men, that they may come to the Gospelnet! I may go round to all our
agencies, if Jesus is absent, and ask them, “Whatis your success?”The
Sunday schoolwill have to say, “We have takennothing.” The Evangelists at
the streetcorners will have to say, “We have takennothing.” The young men
sent forth from the college to preachwill have to return the same sorrowful
answer!And alas, for us who stand here and preach to this congregation, we,
too, shall have to say, if the Masteris not with us, “We have toiled all night,
but we have takennothing.”
Oh, sorrowful accountto have to render to God and our fellow men! Yet such
it must be. But if Jesus shallcome, how changedit all shall be! Then shall the
preacherbecome wise!He shall know where and how to castthe net! He shall
selectthose topics that shall stir the soul–thatshall fire the heart! And then,
Jesus being present, men shall be as willing to receive the Gospelas the
preacheris to preachit! It shall be as much the will of the fish to getinto the
net, as it is of the fishermen to castthe net! Oh, may the Mastercome to us! I
believe He has come. I think I see Him. Some of my Brothers and Sisters tell
me they already perceive it. He has never been entirely absent from us, but we
need Him to speak a mighty word, a majestic word–a word that shall compel,
by sweetconstraints of Grace, tens of thousands of souls to come to Him and
live!
Now tonight my one subject is to the Church here, and to God’s people
elsewhere,who are in the same state of hope and anxiety. I want to speak
about Jesus Christ’s coming. The all-importance of it you all feel. You all, I
trust, as workers for Christ, desire it. Now, Beloved, letus notice, first, when
Jesus comes–
1. WHO WAS THE FIRST TO SEE HIM.
The first to see Jesus was John. He said, “It is the Lord.” The other disciples
perceivedHim by-and-by. We know they did, for it is written, “Knowing that
He was the Lord”–but the first to see Him was John. What do we gather from
this?
Why, first, that the brightest eyes in the Church are the eyes of those who love
most. They perceive Christ first whohave most affectionfor Him! If He is
gone, these are the first to sigh. If He returns, these are the first to rejoice with
unspeakable joy. Knowledge is said to open the eyes, but as for me, the dust of
many learned tomes has often beclouded them. It is thought that men of
educationwill be the first to perceive the Savior, but it was not so in the

Savior’s day, for these things were hidden from the wise and prudent–but
they were revealedunto babes! Let love be your education. Grow in love. To
love is better than to know, for a man may know, and only eat of the Tree of
Knowledge of Goodand Evil–and perish by it–but he that loves, obeys, and he
shall eat of the Tree of Life and dwell in the midst of the Paradise of God!
BlessedJohn!Your head had been on the Savior’s bosom and, therefore, your
eyes were like the eagle’s. No angel, one would think, could see as well as
Milton’s angel, Uriel, that dwelt in the midst of the sun. He was familiar with
the light. He dwelt in the full blaze of the orb of day–in the very midst of it!
And, “He that dwells in love dwells in God.” And “God is Light,” so he who
dwells in the Light of God sees allthings. “Blessedare the pure in heart, for
they shall see God.” The heart that is purified with the celestialflame of
Divine Love is the heart that can see God!
But note that in the text John does not describe himself as loving Christ. Much
more humbly and instructively does he put it. “Thatdisciple who loved Jesus
said unto Peter, It is the Lord!” No, that is my misreading of it! It is, “That
disciple whom Jesus loved.” Oh, yes, and that is the waythat Grace in the
heart always teaches us to read it! It is not so much that we love Him, as that
He loved, and still loves us! Superabundant love in the heart of the Man,
Christ Jesus, towards thatchoice and chosenspirit had made John a loving
disciple. He had not loved so much if Christ had not loved more. He would
have told you if you had questioned him about his love, as Peter did–“The
Lord who knows all, knows that I love Him.” But if you had spokenabout
Christ’s love to him, ah, then his face would have brightened, his eyes would
have flashed with delight and he would have said, “He loves me. Ah, and I
have had many a sweetwordfrom Him. And my head has often been healed
of all its aches whenI have laid it down upon His breast.” He would have
ascribedit all to Christ’s love and had little to say of his own! So, Brothers
and Sisters, if the love of God is shed abroad in your hearts, you will be quick
to see the same. It will not be so much your love as His love that makes you
quick of the eye. Then will your eyes become like the eyes of the spouse in the
song, “As the eyes of doves by the rivers of water, washedwith milk and fitly
set.” Now the dove, no doubt, can see its home from a very, very long way. Let
the pigeonloose and it flies to its dove-cote atonce. Ah, those whose eyes
Christ has “washedwith milk and fitly set” cansee their Lord afar off, and
they fly to Him with swift and clipping wings–norare they satisfiedtill they
roostonce more at His feet or on His bosom.
Thus, then, those that are quick to see the Saviorare those who love Him–
better still, those whom He loves much.

Now note that even John appears to have perceivedthe Presence ofChrist
very much through His work. As soonasthe fishes were takenin the net, then
John said, “It is the Lord.” And, Brothers and Sisters, if we want to be
assuredof the Master’s Presencein the Church, it must be by the results! I
am ashamedof some Christians who are afraid of anything like a holy
excitement, or a gracious revival. If there are two or three added to the
Church in a year, they say, “This is the finger of God,” but if there are many,
then straightwaythey begin to question! Now I think this is not reasonable,
for surely when there are greatfishes, a hundred and fifty and three, then we
may say, “It is the Lord.” We may be pretty sure when there are so many
brought that God is at work there, and we may perceive the Presenceof
Christ. I was noticing the other day some statistics that have been given of
certain revivals in different districts of the United States. It has been said that
those gatheredin during a period of revival are usually an injury to the
Church, and more frequently backslide than any other–but taking a range of
some eight years in certainchurches, it was found that of those persons added
during seasons ofrefreshing from God, the percentage who afterwards
backslidwas much less than–scarcely, indeed, one half–the percentage of
backsliderin those churches which had not experiencedrevival, but had only
grown at the slow plodding rate which some of our “sound” Brothers and
Sisters so greatly admire! It was found that insteadof being worse material,
they were better material–and that these stoodthe fire even better than any
other. This I know–thatI would like to run the risk–I would like to run the
blessedrisk of seeing thousands coming forward to profess their faith in
Christ! ‘Tis true, we will have some, no doubt, that will turn out to be
hypocrites, but I would not refuse some chaff if I could getten times as much
wheat! Who will give up a gold mine because there is quartz in it? Who is it
that will shut up a coalpit because there happen to be some slates amidst the
coal? No, blessedMaster, come!and let us have the net full to bursting if You
will–and then we shall say–“Itis the Lord!” His great works revealHim even
to the eyes of love!
Note, further, that the man who first discoveredthat Christ was present did
not long keepthe secret, but, turninground to his neighbor in the boat, he
whispered to him, “It is the Lord.” Ah, and this is a lessonto us. If any of you
that are the King’s favorites and have close fellowshipwith Him, should
perceive that He is in the Church, oh, tell it to us, for we are of your mind! We
count the King’s Company to be the most grand blessing out of Heaven!
Whisper to some of us, for we shall be so rejoicedto hearthe blessednews!
But John did not tell all of them. He told it to Peter, for Peterwas very near to

him. I think John had been partly the means of Peter’s falling. I think so. You
notice how John tells us and no one else does–thathe was a kinsman to one
who kept the door and he took Peterin? And I fancy that he used to smite
himself about that, and say, “I ought not to have run the risk of taking Peter
there. I ought not to have put him where he would have those questions
asked.” And he seems always to stick hard and fastto Peterand to be with
him, because though he, of course, had none of Peter’s sin, he felt that
somehow, accidentallyorunwittingly, he had led Peterinto the place where he
sinned–and so he loved him very much and he gave him the first intimation of
the goodnews. Saidhe to him, “Brother Peter, it is the Lord.” Oh, if you
perceive the Lord, tonight–if you geta goodword from His lips–have not you
some Belovedone that you can tell–one, perhaps, that has been a backslider
and is now returning to the Lord with broken bones? Oh, tell him! Tell him!
Tell him at once, “The Lord is here amidst us. Our Belovedstands and shows
His wounds and His pierced hands. Look, my Brother! Look to Him and
rejoice with me!” Ah, but you may also tell it to whomeveryou will, for this is
a piece of goodnews that nobody need ever keepsecret!Tellit! Tell it
whereveryou have the opportunity–that Jesus Christ is visiting His Church!
Bid poor sinners come and look to Him whom they have pierced, and live!
When you have told it to some, tell it to many more and bid them
communicate the blessedtidings that Jesus, mighty to save, still waits to
receive sinners and to blot out their transgressions–
“Tellit unto sinners–tell–
Jesus Christ cansave from Hell,”
and is present, revealing Himself to His Church and doing wonders in the
congregation!
Thus much upon those who first see Him. Now a few words upon–
II. THOSE WHO FIRST GET AT JESUS CHRIST.
Peter–quick, hot, impulsive–no soonerhears that it is the Lord than he
buckles on his coat, plunges into the sea, and swims to shore to reachhis
Master!They were not all Peters–itwas a mercy they were not. But there was
one Peterand it was mercy that there was. Nobodymay blame Peter. Nobody
may blame those who did not follow Peter. They were quite as right who
stayed in the boat as Peterwas, who swamto the shore! But I know that
whereverJesus Christ is truly present, there will be some bold noble spirits
that will make a dash to get at Him. They love Him–they will be among the
first to reachHim–to enjoy His Presence.Yet if any of them feelmoved
tonight to do some deed of enthusiasm, let me take them by the hand a

moment. Peterwould reach his Master, but he first girds on his coat. There is
reverence in Peter, though there is haste and enthusiasm. He will not come
before Christ all in a carelessmanner–unclothed. He has too much respectfor
His Master. O Soul, if you would serve the Lord, serve Him with holy fear, for
though He is very near to you, He is God–and you are man. Take offyour
shoes whenyou would serve Him, for the place where youstand is holy
ground! Be not rash in your worship, nor in your vows, nor in your actions!
Gird yourself and then serve Him.
But that once done, Petercommits himself boldly to the waves!Sink or swim,
he will be at his Master’s side and so he strikes out right gallantly for the
shore. Nothing can stophim. He impetuously gets through the breakers and
the surf, and is at his Master’s feet!Oh, how I wish there were some Peters in
this congregation, true lovers of Christ, who, feeling that Christ is come
among us, would say, “Forthe love I bear His name, I will be one of the first
to serve Him! Here I wrap myself in the garment of zeal. It shall be my cloak
and from this day I will give up all for Christ. I will serve Him beyond all
others if I can, and if any can exceedme, it shall be my lack of powerthat
makes me second, but not my lack of will!” It would not do for me to say who
Peteris, nor to suggestto a man who is not Peter that he should act as Peter
would, but I have noticed that every so often in the Church there will rise up
men and womenwho will say, “We will consecrate ourselvesunto the Lord.”
Sometimes they do it by going forth into the mission field. Perhaps I have a
young Peter here who, like Careyof old, and Marshman, and that band of
heroes, may feel in his soulthe fire burning and say, “I must, and I will preach
Christ in the regions beyond.” Possibly, however, it may be at home that the
same gifts and Graces maybe exercised, andI have one here, perhaps, who
says–oh, I would I had many hundreds who are saying–“Godhelping us, we
will enter upon something which, though it is apparently beyond our strength,
and rather venturesome, yet shall be done! We will plunge into the sea to
reachour Master. We will brave anything so that we may getto Him!”
Ah, there are those who will always repress anything like Divine enthusiasm
and yet, mark you, the brightest ages of the Church have been those in which
men consecratedto God have risen above the dictates of common prudence
and have dared for Christ what others of a coolertemperament could have
not dared! Oh, may the Mastersend the sacredfire into this congregation!I
shall never rest content until I have going out of this Church many who count
not their lives dear to them to preach the Gospelamong the heathen! I wonder
how it is this has not broken out among us before? Is it my ministry that is
faulty in this respect? It may be so. Then will I cry to Heaven to be taught

better. But at Hermansberg, under PastorHarms, the whole village seemedto
be moved with a desire to carry Christ’s Gospelto Africa–and they emigrated
in shiploads to become missionaries there!Of course, many said that Harms
was infatuated. Blessedinfatuation! May it fall upon many of Christ’s
ministers! The Moravian Church in years gone by had scarcelya member
who was not a missionary. When they joined the Church, they gave
themselves up to the Church and to Christ. Oh, when shall we come to this–if
not all of us, yet, at any rate, the Peters who shall throw themselves into the
sea that they may get to their Master? Knowing that it is the Lord who is in
their midst, they shall be able to do venturesome deeds, brave deeds, for the
glory of His name!
But I will not dwell on that, but just mention next how the rest came to Christ.
We have seenwho first saw Him. Afterwards they all saw Him. We have seen
who first reachedHim. Afterwards they all reachedHim and I think the
seconddid no worse than the first. For how came the rest of the disciples? In a
little boat–I suppose in their fishing vessel, dragging the net after them. I feel
that to be my particular department and suppose the lot of most of my dear
Brothers here. We are tied to this Church, and we have the net. And though I
would gladly enter often into fellowship with Christ by a bold dash, somehow
or other I generally have to drag a net after me! I want to commune with
Christ, but I have about a thousand souls that I have to preachto on the
coming Sabbath. I want to rejoice in the Lord with unspeakable joy, but often
get cumbered with much serving. There is this poor soul in trouble, and that
poor heart who needs consolation. Well, well, if the Masterbids us drag the
net, we won’t leave it, but keepa hold of it and if we come a little more slowly,
nevertheless, if we are doing His bidding, our slow pace shall be as acceptedas
Peter’s swimming! And many of you, dear Friends, would be very wrong if
you were to give up your common callings. You are like the fishermen with
the net–you have to drag it. If you should say, “I will give myself up to Christ.
I will row to shore. I shall renounce my business. I shall leave all my earthly
callings”–Ithink, unless I was quite certain you were a Peter, I would say,
“Brother, go back! Drag the net. It must be brought to shore. There are your
children. Oh, what a care they need and how wrong you would be if you
neglectedthem!”
I remember a man, whose children were most neglected, who used to
frequently go out preaching in the country villages. I know that once or twice
he was spokento about it, but he never mended matters. While he would be
preaching, his children would be in the streets!He lived to see them grow up
reprobates–andthe sin was at his door. Stick to Christ! Drag your net and

bring your family after you. Let this be your vehement desire–thatyour
children shall be brought to Him! Or you have servants, or a little district in
some place in London. Don’t run awayfrom your work! A Brother wrote to
me some time ago telling me how much distressedhe was in his mind. He said
he thought he should never be happy till he got out of business. I said, “Don’t
run awayfrom Satan. Fight the devil where you are! Tell the devil you will
grapple with him where you are, and you mean to beat him right there.” Oh,
if God in His Providence has made you a servant, very well–beatthe devil as a
servant! And if you are a tradesman, don’t say, “I cannotkeepthis trade and
honor God.” Do not let it be said that our God is the God of the hills and not
the Godof the valleys, and that it is only certain people in certainplaces who
can honor Him! No, in every place you canhonor your Master!Keep to your
net. Drag it to Christ, however. Oh, what a drag it will be, sometimes, to bring
it Christ’s way!–all the business and all the work you have to do–to do all for
Christ! Yet this is true religion–to sanctify not only the vessels ofthe altar, but
the pots and the bells that are upon the horses–to make everything holiness
unto the Lord! God grant us Grace to do this! May He send us here and there
a Peterand, at the same time, may He keepthe bulk of you, while steadfastin
your callings and diligent in business, to be “fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord.” Oh, blessedChurch that shall thus unanimously be drifting towards
Christ and be heartily seeking afterfellowshipwith the dearRedeemer–some
impetuously, all industriously–and all successfully!
Now this leads me a little farther on. Supposing we should reachthe Savior, as
I trust we may, eachman after His ownorder–
III. WHAT WILL BE THE RESULT OF COMING TO CHRIST?
Three results. The first will be refreshment. He will say to us, “Come and
dine.” Ah, how well fed are those whomChrist feeds! When we go up to the
House of Prayerand look to the pulpit, we are disappointed. But if we go and
look to the hills from where comes our help, we are never disappointed! What
can the pastor do unless the superior Shepherd shall give us the daily food? I
might well say to hungry souls, as the King of Israelsaid to the womanin
Samaria, when she spoke oftheir having eatenher child in famine, and asked
the king to help her–“Woman, if the Lord does not help you, how shall I help
you?” And so might we all, with the most anxious desire to do good, yet reply,
“If the Lord does not help you, how can we help you?” No, Brothers and
Sisters, it is not in the powerof ordinances, any more than of ministers, to
feed souls!There is nothing in the bread and wine of the Communion Table
that can spiritually nourish us. There you have bread–no more–wine–no
more. It is only when, through these, you get to Jesus–whenyou passthrough

the doorwayof the outward and get into the inward, into the spiritual–it is
only then that your souls are entertained! And once getthere, His banqueting
table is better than that of Ahasuerus! There is no such feastas that which
Jesus gives–of“fatthings full of marrow, of wines on the lees, well refined.”
By your enjoyments in the past, my Brothers and Sisters–bythose ravishing
moments when your souls have burned within you with intense delight–ask
Him to come to you again! BeseechHim to favor you tonight with this
refreshment. And mark you, that prayer need not be a selfishone, for all the
strength that is gained in communion with Christ will afterwards be spent in
the service ofChrist!
But again. When the disciples had all come to our Lord, and had dined, the
next thing was examination. It was addressedto Peter especially–butit must
have been a lessonto all the restof them–“Do you love Me?” The very first
question that we should ask ourselves concerning our Christianity is this, “Do
you love Me?” The secondis, “Do you love Me?” The third is, “Do you love
Me?” Answerthat, and all is answered!The old oratorsaid that the first
essentialofeloquence was delivery or action. The secondwas delivery. The
third was delivery. So we will say that the first essentialofa truly healthy
Christianity is to love Christ! And the secondis to love Christ! And the third
is to love Christ! Our Lord would not talk of commonplace things at that time.
He selecteda vital topic, and this is always vital–“Do you love Me? Do you
love Me? Do you love Me?” BelovedBrothers and Sisters, I hope you will
always be sound in the faith but then that is little comparatively to what it is
to be sound in loving Christ! I trust, Brothers and Sisters, you will always be
holy in life–but that can only be as you love Him in the heart. Out of the heart
the life proceeds!He is the fountain–our actions are but the streams. Do, then,
pass the question round among you, “Do you love Me?” I desire to put it to
myself. I beg you to put it to yourselves. Pause a moment. Do you love Christ?
What say you? With a true love? With a love that is such as He demands, that
is above the love of mother or of child? “Do you love Me? You are coming to
My Table, you are baptized–you are a member of the Church–but do you love
Me?” Is it so? I trust you can reply, “Lord, You know all things: You know
that I love You.”–
“Yes, I love You and adore–
Oh, for Grace to love You more!”
Well, then, lastly, after coming to the Savior, who had given them refreshment
and causedthem to examine themselves, the next thing was that it ensured for
them commissions of servicepreparesitfor the blessing. A number of sailors
wreckedona desert island are thirsting for water, but suppose a shower

comes at once–itwill be a wastedblessing!They must be so thirsty that they
are led to put up an apparatus for catching the waterwhen it comes–
otherwise the watercomes too soonand is lost! I love to see a Church in such
state of agony for God’s Grace that it has, as it were, the reservoirs ready to
hold the Grace whenit cones!“Theythat pass through the Valley of Baca
make it a well.” They “make it a well.” The waterdoes not rise in the well.
“The rain also fills the pools.” Yet they dig the wells to hold the rain–and the
rain comes. Rememberthat notable incident when Israeland Judah were
engagedagainstthe King of Edom! The Prophet said, as he took his harp and
beganto play by Inspiration, “Make this valley full of ditches!” And they
wondered why–but they dug the trenches and made the troughs all along the
valley. By-and-by, the watercame and filled the valley, and the host was
refreshed! We need to make this valley full of ditches. We need, as a Church,
to be ready and waiting for the blessing!
You see, Christ prepared Peterand all the Apostles by saying to them, “Feed
My lambs. FeedMy sheep. Shepherd My flock.” And He says to you, tonight,
“Are you refreshedby My Presence?Have you examined yourself and seen
that you love Me? Now, then, gird up your loins and prepare for the service of
the Church.” I want, Brothers and Sisters, to see among us men and women
who are looking after Christ’s sheep and lambs! I hope it is not so everywhere,
but I met the other day with a goodBrother who has attended for a long time
this Tabernacle, to whom nobody has ever spokenyet, as he told me. I do not
know where he sits–atleast, I half think I do, but I shall not tell you, because
then somebody or other would find out who he was. But I will suppose he sits
anywhere you like, all around you, and your own consciencesshalljudge. Now
ought it to be so? Ought a person to come here Sunday after Sunday, and no
one ever give him a brotherly salutation, or say a word concerning his soul?
Oh, that you were looking out in the neighborhoods where you live, and in the
part of this building where you sit, for opportunities of doing good!I know
that there are persons who are longing to be spokento, and they wonderwhy
you do not speak to them! They are Christ’s lambs and they need carrying in
some kindly bosom. Oh, Look after them and help them! You do not know
how half a word said in Christ’s name during your journeying about your
business may be life from the dead! As it is said by Herbert, “a verse may
strike him whom a sermonflies.” So a little word from you may be effectual
where the most earnestpublic ministry might fail!
Oh, Beloved, the Lord is not slack!We are slack!If we have not a blessing, we
are straitenedsomewhere, but it cannot be in Him! We are straitened in our
own hearts and sympathies. What is that memorable text of the Prophet,

“Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in My
house; and prove Me now herewith, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not pour
you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” We are
not to saythat we are proving the Lord to give us a blessing because we pray.
The testHe puts us to is bringing the tithes into the storehouse–thatis to say,
what is God’s due! Am I giving less of my substance than I ought to give? Am
I giving less of my time than I ought to give? Am I giving less ofmy talent
than I ought to give? If I withhold anything that is really God’s tithe, I am not
proving God! But when we are all giving and doing to our utmost, then we
prove God and we shall see whether He will not open the windows of Heaven
and pour us out a blessing such as we shall not have room enough to receive!
I charge you, my Beloved–youwho have been the flock of my care these many
years–rememberthe history that Godhas given us during these 17 years. We
were very few when we began, but there was a living seedamong us, and there
was mighty prayer–and a blessing came. “Byterrible things in righteousness”
God answeredus! But the answerdid come. What PrayerMeetings we had at
Park Street! How often we sat down and wept under the Divine Influence!
Thank God, the Holy Spirit overshadowedus! What ardor there was among
you, then, and how many souls were brought to Christ! Since then He has led
us on from strength to strength. He has never failed us! Neveris this place
empty or deserted. Crowds still come to listen to the Word of God! Oh, shall
we not have a blessing as we had it before? I trust we may. And we shall if you
are all, to the full measure of your obligations, engagedin the service of your
blessedMasterand seeking strengthfrom on high! By the hands that were
nailed for you–by the feet that were pierced for you–by the head that was
crownedwith thorns for you–by the heart that poured out blood and water
for you–by the Christ who died for you–I implore and beseechyou, lay
yourselves out upon the altar of God, and say, “Henceforth, for us to live is
Christ. Christ is all. We desire to say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified.’”
Oh, that some here who know little enough about this might desire to know it!
PoorSoul, if you desire Christ, Christ desires you! And if you will have Him
tonight, you shall have Him! If you believe that Jesus is Christ, and have put
your trust in Him as your Savior, you are saved! Look to Him now! God help
you to do it, for Christ’s sake!Amen.
John 21:1-14 3-21-10 Déjà vu!

I. INTRO:A. I saw a lady hitch-hiking on the 15 freewayon-ramp with a sign
that simply read, North! 1. In Jn.21 the disciples aren’t sure where to
turn...they just head “north”.
B. So many Christians think that once they have “repented of their sin,
believed on Christ, & have the assurance oftheir salvation...that’s it!” 1.
Wrong! That’s just the beginning. 2. Paul said it this way, we were “createdin
Christ Jesus forgoodworks, which God prepared beforehand that we should
walk in them.” a) Oh, so though we were not savedby our goodworks;we
have been savedfor goodworks!Yep! b) Our keynote/centraltheme in this
chapter is service!3. Also the very important matter of Jesus restoring Peter
(next week).
C. Ever say, “now what?” - maybe you’ve experienceda lull in business;or
job pressures have you in knots;you feel trapped in a relationship; or you
start day dreaming of the days gone by. 1. Peter& the boys are probably
asking, “now what?” - Is Rome coming after us? Jesus said, “if the world
persecutes Me, expectit to persecute you!”
D. Our scene opens on the Sea of Galilee (a.k.a. Lake ofGennesaret/fromOT
Kinneret(harp shape), Sea of Tiberias). [682’below sea level; 13miles long x
8m. wide] 1. Show: a few pic’s of Galilee in the very area were talking about
this morning.
II. FISHERMEN ON THE SEA! (1-3) A. FAILURE! (1-3) B. (1-3) It was
absolutely not wrong for them to go back to Galilee. How do I know? Jesus
told them to meet them there! - Mt.28:10 ThenJesus said to them, “Do not be
afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
1. So Galilee was the rendezvous point!
1
C. Ok, they were in the right place, but why did they take up their old work
again? 1. Maybe thought they’d never see Him again. Maybe thought they’d
glorify them best with what they knew. Maybe they were impatient. Maybe
they heard the fishing was good? Maybe they were being diligent till He
came? Maybe they gave up on Him meeting them, so they went back to their
old work.
2. I don’t think it was sinful...just negligent (or careless, irresponsible,
thoughtless?)a) Before they met Jesus, they had a vocation. Now they had
more than that; they had a calling. - But they were turning a deafear to that
calling. b) They were disillusioned, confused, maybe even feeling sorry for
themselves. (1) Ever been there? - Are you standing on a similar shore right
now? (2) Maybe you’re casting nets in some quiet cove, awayfrom the

mainstream God has calledyou to? (a) If so, maybe you need a visit from
Jesus this morning! :)
D. What we do know is that they were unsuccessful...asallwork must be, that
is done apart from Christ & His command. 1. “Apart from Me you can do
nothing!” Jn.15:5 2. How futile our lives can be when Christ is left out! a) Are
your nets coming up empty? - Are you burning the midnight oil & getting
nothing but burned out? Maybe the Lord is calling you from the shore. If so,
take a minute to listen. He might leadyou to the catchof a lifetime!1
E. Adoniram Judson said, “The motto of every missionary, whether preacher,
printer, or schoolmaster, oughtto be Devotedfor life.”
III. FISHERMEN ON THE SHORE!(4-14)A. COMMISSION & PROMISE
OF BLESSING!(4-6a)B. The Masterwas watching, & His inquiry was
followedby His commission& promise of blessing.
C. FAITHFULNESS!(6b-8) D. Obedience was honored by immediate results,
& the disciples recognizedwho was the source of their success![Title: Déjà vu
(French, literally ‘already seen’)]
2
1 Chuck Swindoll; The Lamb of God ; pg.102
E. (6b-8) When Jesus takescharge, failure is turned into success;& the diff
was only 7 ½’. 1. You never know how close you are to victory, so admit your
failure (have you nay food? NO!) & obey what He tells you to do (so they cast
their net on the other side). a) He never fails!
F. (4-7) Jesus stands on the shore in the morning haze to comfort the hearts of
discouragedworkers,telling them where to casttheir net & revealing the
certainty of His help!
G. (7) Did the miraculous catchof fish remind Peter of his call to service? 1.
ReadLk.5:1-11 2. What are the similarities? - Both were on the shore of
Galilee;both in the same area of the shoreline;both took place in the early
morning; both hone in on Peter’s response;both were because ofJesus’word
they let down there net; both fished all night & gotskunk’d. 3. What are the
differences? - 2nd time right side (not just out into the deep); 1sttime Jesus
told them to launch out & let down their nets (2nd time, they decided to go out
on their own); 1sttime Peter’s response “departfrom me” (2nd time Peter
swamto him) 4. So both at the beg & end of Peter’s calling, He is calledto
Follow Jesus!a) Follow Me - run along behind Me, that is all. Follow in my
steps. Leave your old life behind. Remain completelysurrendered. (1) It’s

being draggedout of your life of security & draggedinto a life of insecurity.
Yet, really fully secure as you trust in Him!
H. The Lord, so sensitive, stagesthe entire scene just for Peter. 1. What do
you do when you’ve failed a friend? You go to him. 2. He throws himself into
the water& swims the fastest100-yardfreestyle that would make Michael
Phelps proud,...in order to reachthe Savior!
I. A FORECASTOF OUR FUTURE! (9-14)J. Maybe this provides a
beautiful picture of our future after our death?2 1. The plunge into the cold
dividing water. The welcome onthe other shore. The discoverythat Christ
had expected& prepared. The feastw/the Lord Himself as He girds Himself
to minister.
3
2 F.B.Meyer:Bible Commentary; pg.478
K. Jesus now invites all 7 to breakfast& personallyserves them. 1. Not much
has changedfrom His earthly ministry to His heavenly one.
L. Maybe this is what Jesus meant in His parable in Lk.12:37 Blessedare
those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.
Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat,
and will come and serve them. 1. Maybe this was a precursor to the marriage
supper of the Lamb? Rev.19:9
M. (9) Wet & shivering, Peter reaches the shore. His eyes look down to the
warm charcoalfire. Did the fire of coals remind Peterof his denials? (18:18)
1. Maybe now he’s tentative & uncertain. He doesn’t sayanything. Jesus
breaks the ice in vs.10,12(esp.15where he seems to take Pete aside for
complete restoration).
N. Fish Fry - Maybe the Catholics have something here regarding Fish during
Lent? :)
O. (11) So why 153? 1. There have been all kinds of allegoricalandsymbolic
interpretations. a) The ancients believed there were 153 kinds of fish, thus
representing the gospelto include all persons, & that the net of the kingdom
would be strong enough to hold all w/o breaking. b) I’ve also heard the letters
of 1 of the names of God added up = 153. 2. But probably John mentioned the
number as a matter of historicaldetail. With a group of men fishing, the
common procedure would be for them to count the fish they caught and then
divide them equally among the fishermen.
P. (12) Come & dine! (kjv) 1. It’s an invitation to holy nearness to Jesus. a)
Invited to the same table; same meat; sit side by side our Savior; maybe even

lean our head on his chest. b) It’s being brought into His banqueting-house &
gives us a vision of true union with Jesus. 2. It’s also an invitation to enjoy
fellowship with the saints. a) Christians will differ on a variety of points, but
we all have 1 spiritual appetite. b) And if we cannot all feel alike, we can all
feed alike on The Bread of Life sentdown from heaven. c) At the table of
fellowship with Jesus we are one bread & one cup!
4
Q. Saint, no matter how far you’ve drifted, Jesus is always there on the shore,
waiting for you to return. Waiting with a comforting fire, warm food, & an
affirming arm to put around your shoulder!3
R. Remember, they momentarily ignoredtheir calling. 1. Jesus doesn’tcall
everyone awayfrom their vocation!2. But to be involved in a vocationwithout
a calling is to settle for a life of empty nets! [Remember your calling, in the
midst of your vocation!!!] 3. Don’t just head North…Head for your calling!
S. When Julius Caesarlanded on the shores of Britain with his Roman
legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success ofhis military
venture. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he
commanded them to look down at the waterbelow. To their amazement, they
saw every ship in which they had crossedthe channel engulfed in flames.
Caesarhaddeliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers
were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do
but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did. 1. Prayer:
Lord, help us to burn our boats of securitybehind us. May we advance into
our world & conquer this world, not with our sword, but with our love.
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.

Jesus was surprising his disciples

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