John 21:1-14 · Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
Fishing Stories
John 21:1-14
Sermon
by King Duncan
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One day many years ago, a fisherman's wife blessed her husband with twin sons. They loved the children very much, but couldn't think of what to name them. Finally, after several days, the fisherman said, "Let's not decide on names right now. If we wait a little while, the names will simply occur to us."

After several weeks had passed, the fisherman and his wife noticed a peculiar fact. When left alone, one of the boys would turn toward the sea, while the other boy would face inland. It didn't matter which way the parents positioned the children, the same child always faced the same direction. "Let's call the boys Towards and Away," suggested the fisherman. His wife agreed, and from that point on, the boys were simply known as TOWARDS and AWAY.

The years passed and the lads grew tall and strong. The day came when the aging fisherman said to his sons, "Boys, it is time that you learned how to make a living from the sea." They provisioned their ship, said their goodbyes, and set sail for a three-month voyage.

Three whole years passed before the grieving woman saw a lone man walking toward her house. She recognized him as her husband. "My goodness! What has happened to my darling boys?" she cried. The ragged fisherman began to tell his story:

"We were just barely one whole day out to sea when Towards hooked into a great fish. Towards fought long and hard, but the fish was more than his equal. For a whole week they wrestled upon the waves without either of them letting up. Yet eventually the great fish started to win the battle, and Towards was pulled over the side of our ship. He was swallowed whole, and we never saw either of them again."

"Oh dear, that must have been terrible!" said his wife. "What a huge fish that must of been! What a horrible fish."

"Yes, it was," said the fisherman, "but you should have seen the one that got Away. . . ." (1)

Yes, I know that's a groaner. Every good fish story is. There's a really good reason why people look suspiciously on a fisherman's tales. Something about the sport lends itself to big stories.

How do you think people reacted when Simon Peter and the other disciples returned from their fishing trip with tales of seeing the risen Jesus? Don't you imagine that folks just shook their heads and said, "Fishermen! Can't believe a word they say!" But we must take into account that the disciples were just as surprised as everyone else to see Jesus. That's the last thing they expected that night when they headed out to fish.

A visitor to a small town watched an old man fishing quietly in a shallow stream. For a half hour there was no sign of activity. Finally the visitor walked over and said, "It doesn't look as though there are any fish in this stream."

"Nope," said the old fellow, "there ain't."

"Then what's the object of fishing here?" the visitor said.

"The object," replied the old man, "is to show my wife I have no time to peel potatoes."

What was the object of going out fishing that night? Well, most of the disciples were originally fishermen. That was their occupation when Jesus called them to follow him. Let's look back at a similar story in the book of Luke, chapter five. Jesus is preaching and teaching by a lake when he joins a group of fishermen in their boats. After a disappointing night of fishing, the men were heading back to shore. But Jesus challenged them to head into deeper water and try again. They obeyed, and caught so many fish that their nets burst. These simple fishermen became Jesus' first disciples.

Over the next three years, these fishermen saw Jesus preach, teach, perform miracles, and turn the established order upside down. Imagine their sorrow when, at the height of his ministry, Jesus is arrested and crucified. What are they going to do now? Then, just as they were giving in to fear and confusion, Jesus appears to them, undeniably alive and full of power, and announces that he has conquered death! So, after this amazing turn of events, why are the disciples out fishing again?

WHEN OUR WORLD-VIEW HAS BEEN TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN, OUR FIRST REACTION IS TO RETREAT INTO OUR COMFORT ZONE. It is not unusual under such circumstances to want to return to the familiar. Maybe the disciples needed time to clear their heads. The soothing rocking of the boat, the briny odor of sea water, the rough feel of the nets in their calloused hands--these things were comforting to Simon Peter and the others. And they needed this time in the comfort zone to sort out their thoughts and emotions. But how tempting it is to stay in that comfort zone. As someone said, "The most tiring exercise in the world is carrying yesterday on your back."

That's what the disciples were struggling with: carrying yesterday on their backs. Each one had doubted Jesus' words. Each one had given up hope after Christ's crucifixion. And Simon Peter had to deal with the biggest burden of all: he had denied Jesus three times. So he and his friends had retreated to the comfort zone. But they weren't going to stay there for long. BECAUSE JESUS' CALL TO US IS ALWAYS A CALL TO LEAVE OUR COMFORT ZONE. That's the second thing we need to see this day. Jesus always calls us from our comfort zone.

It's like those inspirational sayings found on motivational posters. Sayings like: "No pain, no gain." And "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" etc. Recently I saw a list of slightly more honest sayings for office walls:

The beatings will continue until morale improves.
Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away!
When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.
Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment. (2)

Many people live their lives according to that last motto: "Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment." But when Jesus calls us it is to head out into deep waters, to get out of our comfort zone, to let down our nets on the other side of the boat, to trust that he's leading us into something greater than the life we used to know.

There is a great story about a young man from Camden, Arkansas named David Pryor. Pryor worked as a teenager in Washington, D.C. as a Congressional page. Pryor loved the job so much he vowed to return to Washington someday as a member of Congress. In fact, David Pryor hid a dime in a crack behind a statue in the U.S. Capitol, with the intention of retrieving it when he achieved his dream. Fifteen years later, as a newly elected member of the House of Representatives, he did just that. Today a Senator, Pryor said his experience proves two things. One, that dreams in youth should never be underestimated, and Two, that they don't clean the Capitol very much.

David Pryor had a dream--a dream that required him to give his best. You don't achieve anything significant in life without leaving your comfort zone, without stretching toward high and lofty goals, without giving your all.

THIS IS TO SAY THAT AFTER AN ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST, YOU CAN'T JUST GO BACK TO YOUR OLD WAY OF LIFE. That's why many of us are not finding joy in our walk with Christ. We are trying to live the same way we lived before we became conscious of his work in our lives. And it can't be done. When you give your heart to Christ, you seek out new ways to live out Christ's message.

Evangelist Luis Palau once visited the prison where General Manuel Noriega, the brutal, one-time dictator of Panama is being held. Noriega has become a Christian in prison. He talked excitedly with Palau about his faith. Palau asked Noriega what he would do if he were ever released from prison. Noriega explained that for years, he had been commander-in-chief of his country. He made all the major decisions. He was in control. But now he had a new commander-in-chief of his life. When he left prison, testified Manuel Noriega, he would rely on Jesus to make his decisions for him. He was turning over total control to him. (3) Author Joseph Campbell writes, "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." (4) Jesus' disciples had to learn this lesson. Manuel Noriega had to learn this lesson. We have to learn this lesson. There is the life we have constructed for ourselves, and then there is the life that Jesus is calling us to. And they are rarely the same.

And so, as the disciples drift along on the sea at night, catching nothing, expecting nothing, Jesus appears to them again. This is the disciples' golden hour, even if they did not realize it. This is the hour that will change their lives forever.

Artist Bill Herring loves his home state of Texas. He sees beauty in the landscape, even in the dry desert ground and the dull, green bushes that squat along the horizon. Ordinarily, this landscape is dry and ugly. But then there comes what Herring calls the "golden hour." Sometime in the fall, these bushes bring forth gorgeous yellow flowers. Just before sunset, when the fading sunlight washes over the caramel soil and the lush yellow flowers, it lends everything a shimmering, golden glow. What once looked dull and lifeless, in the glow of the golden hour, takes on a whole new beauty. (5)

This was the disciples' golden hour, the hour when everything would begin to fall in place for them. Jesus appears to them and challenges them to throw their nets on the other side of the boat--and the harvest of fish which they reap is beyond their wildest dreams. If there is one totally predictable theme in the Bible, it is this: blessings follow obedience. The disciples obey, and suddenly they catch a boatload of fish.

IN THIS MOMENT, JESUS WAS RE-CALLING HIS DISCIPLES. He was re-commissioning them to go out with renewed

commitment and spread the good news. It's decision time for these rugged fishermen. Actress Agnes De Mille once said, "No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently." That's where the disciples are. They are on the edge of returning to their old way of life. Now's the time to decide: will they return to fishing, or will they commit to being "fishers of men?"

Management consultant Peter Drucker says there are four kinds of risks. One kind of risk is the risk you simply MUST TAKE. You have no other option. A second kind of risk is one you CAN AFFORD TO TAKE. You calculated the cost, and it's worth it. A third kind of risk is a risk you CANNOT AFFORD TO TAKE. The results would be too disastrous. And fourth is a risk you CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO TAKE.

It is a risk to respond to Jesus' call. But obviously it's a risk that the disciples cannot afford not to take. Full of joy, they begin rowing toward shore to greet Jesus. Simon Peter doesn't even wait for the boat; he jumps into the water and swims to meet Christ. This is it! From this time forward, there would be no turning back for these disciples. No longer would they be fishermen--but now they would be fishers of men.

There is a classic story that comes out of humorist Robert Benchley's college days. For one of Benchley's final examinations, he was to write an essay on fish hatcheries. He hadn't cracked a book all semester. Undaunted, he started his final something like this: "Much wordage has been devoted to fish hatcheries. No one, however, has ever covered this subject from the point of view of the fish." And this he proceeded to do in what is probably the most entertaining final exam in Harvard's history. (6)

We've looked at this Bible passage from the perspective of the disciples. Now let's look at it from the point of view of the fish. Because that's who we are. That's right, we are the fish. The nets represent the unity of the disciples and of the church. And the fish represent all the souls who will be brought to salvation by the witness of the disciples. (7) And that includes you and me. If these disciples had stayed in their comfort zone, you and I would never have heard the Gospel. We are their harvest, their catch, their reward for leaving their boats to teach and preach and lead others to Christ. Are you satisfied to stay in your comfort zone? It's all right if you are. But there is a more satisfying life awaiting you if you are willing to seek something greater. To be his disciple, to be his follower, to seek to turn the world right-side-up to his glory.


1. Merry-Hearts@xc.org, Monday, July 13, 1998.

2. More sayings from Amused News.

3. Ravi Zacharias in A Life of Integrity, edited by Howard Hendricks (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), pp. 63-64.

4. The Joseph Campbell Companion, 1991.

5. Bob Briner, Lambs Among Wolves (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), p. 27.

6. Virginia Satir, Peoplemaking (Palo Alto, Ca: Science and Behavior Books, Inc., 1972), p. 215.

7. Roger L. Frederikson, The Communicator's Commentary: John (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1985), p. 294.

Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan