153

John 21: 6-11

“He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’
When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish….
153, but even with so many the net was not torn.”

The story of Jesus’ breakfast with the disciples is one of my favorites—so many little gems in the passage. But yesterday, when I listened to Tara-Leigh Cobble comment on the story, I found another one. Of course, I’ve heard plenty of teaching on the 153 fish the disciples caught. It provides detail where no one else would bother—it doesn’t seem to matter, it doesn’t serve any common symbolic purpose (it isn’t 40 or 7, for instance). It *seems* random, until it doesn’t. You see, this may not be simply an effort to show that the story really happened, or that God cares about even the most minute details—though these interpretations also serve us well. No, it turns out that, according to some scholars, the 153 fish may represent the totality of fish types available at the time.

And if we recall, these guys are supposed to be fishing for men. But without Jesus to accompany them, they’ve gone back to what they knew before. It sounds to me like Jesus is trying to tell them, “You’re not done yet…you need to take the Gospel to ALL the earth, ALL people groups. I’ve got work for you to do.” Then Jesus doubled down by calling Peter in particular to more, when He asked Peter three times, “Do you [agape] love me?” Peter, in a moment of insecurity, tells Jesus that, no, he doesn’t love Jesus with the sacrificial love that is agape. That had become evident on the night of Jesus’ arrest. Instead, he espouses the brotherly [phileo] love he feels for Jesus, a love he could commit to. “Isn’t that enough?” is the implied question in his voice. But Jesus says, “No, it’s not. I have more in store for you” (again, I’m paraphrasing). Yes, more—more for the one who swore he would never deny Christ, only to do it three times before sunup. More for the hot-headed guy who chopped a soldier’s ear off in haste and anger. More for the guy who took his eyes off of Jesus on the water, and trembled in fear at the storm Jesus calmed.

I think there’s a message here for all of us. God has more for us, more for you—despite your failures, betrayals, insecurities…God’s not done using you. Don’t let Satan use your past to disqualify you from the calling God has placed on your life. Live into it. Go out and catch your 153 fish.