WHAT A WAY TO START THE DAY!
John 21.1-14
S: Jesus
C: Resurrection appearance
Pr: WE HAVE ALL WE NEED IN JESUS.
TS: We will find in our study of John 21.1-14 Jesus once again revealing Himself to His disciples.
Type: Narrative
I. GET BUSY! (1-3)
II. FISH STORIES! (4-6)
III. HE’S BACK! (7-8)
IV. GET TOGETHER! (9-14)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Rejoice that God makes the best of our failures.
• Be with Jesus (there is nothing better).
• Find your needs met in Jesus.
Version: ESV
RMBC 20 May 2007 AM
INTRODUCTION:
1. Do you ever tire of waiting?
ILL Waiting (H)
One time when we were living in New Jersey, I was standing in line at the post office. It was one of those long lines that is easy to grow impatient in. I was talking with the people in front and back of me. But after at least a good 15-20 minute wait, I finally reached the window, and I was about to get some bad news.
I reached the window, looked at the papers and envelopes in my hand and said to the person at the counter, “Oh, no! I’m supposed to be at the bank.”
I had been waiting in the wrong line! I was supposed to be in line at the bank!
As we come to today’s text in the gospel of John, it had now been a couple of weeks since Jesus had raised from the dead.
And the disciples were waiting to see Jesus once again.
They had to be wondering, when would they see Him again?
How would He appear?
What would He say?
What would He do?
Well…
2. We will find in our study of John 21.1-14 Jesus once again revealing Himself to His disciples.
OUR STUDY:
In our first few verses, we see it was time to…
I. GET BUSY! (1-3)
After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
One of the messages that was given during the initial resurrection appearances was that the disciples were told to go to Galilee.
So, after Jesus first appeared to them, they eventually headed up north.
And waited…waited for Jesus…
You know…
3. When you are waiting, you would rather be doing something.
That’s what happened to seven of them.
In one week, their lives had drastically changed.
For three years, they had been part of a trusty band of men who were following Jesus.
But now, Jesus was no longer there to follow.
He was alive, yes.
But it was not the same.
And so, they were waiting for Him to show up once again.
I think their actions, at this time, are logical.
It was time to get busy.
It was time to get back to paying the bills.
Under the usual leadership of Peter, they went back to what they knew best.
Peter said, “Let’s go fishing,” and they all agreed.
ILL Truth (H)
We all know that fishermen are known for telling stories about the one that got away.
A fisherman, from Texas, was in the Midwest on a fishing trip. Not knowing the local waters, he hired a young man who was reputed to be the best guide in the territory. After outfitting the boat, the two set out onto a large lake for a little bass fishing. The guide took the Texan out to what was known to be a producing hole. True to his reputation, it wasn’t long before the Texan had a bass on the end of his line. When the bass was finally landed, the guide hooked it onto the scales. It weighed in at a good 8½ pounds. Upon seeing the weight, the Texan exclaimed, "Why down in Texas we use that size of fish for bait!"
The guide smiled, nodded in understanding … and dropped the fish back into the lake.
Well, the disciples were going to have their own…
II. FISH STORIES! (4-6)
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
We need to give credit where credit is due.
Fishermen are a courageous bunch.
Our Lord knew what He was doing when He picked out His band of men.
Most of them were fishermen.
And fishermen are not quitters.
They are team players.
They bravely faced the elements, which at times, could be quite notorious on the Sea of Galilee.
So these men had gone out fishing at night.
This would make sense, since that was the best time to do so.
But it has been a frustrating adventure.
They have not caught a thing.
They had to be discouraged.
They had to be depressed.
They had to be exhausted.
For it had been a night of failure.
They had not caught one “sunnie.”
They had not caught a perch.
They had not even caught a minnow.
So when a “stranger” asked how they were doing…
4. Though frustrated, the disciples told the truth.
Truth has traditionally been a difficult subject for fishermen.
If a fisherman is doing well, he won’t tell, because he doesn’t want you knowing his choice spot.
If a fisherman is doing poorly, well, his ego won’t let him admit it.
So their answer was an embarrassed, but brief “no.”
In a phrase, it has been a “bummer of a trip.”
But this was not the end of the conversation.
For…
5. They took the advice of the “stranger.”
The question comes, “Is what you are doing working?”
And the disciples learn that it pays to take advice, especially when your own knowledge and wisdom is coming up short.
They had been learning from Jesus.
They had the grace to admit failure.
And because they humbly told the truth, they were ready to receive the Lord’s creative benefits.
The benefit – fish!
Lots of fish!
Lots and lots of fish!
And the disciples got it…
They learned…
III. HE’S BACK! (7-8)
That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
6. John immediately understands the cause of their new success.
You see, John gets it.
It is not the ordinary experience to catch fish like that.
It was like they were ordered by a master to get into the net.
So he announces to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
“It is the Lord!”
“I know why we have got so much fish, it is the Lord!”
I love Peter’s reaction to this news.
You see…
7. Peter is eager to be with Jesus once again.
I am sure Peter was excited about the fish.
But he was even more excited about Jesus!
Once again, he shows his impulsiveness, but no one is going to criticize it this time.
He grabs the rest of his clothing and does a cannonball out of the boat.
He jumps ship because he wants to be the first to get to Jesus.
Now it is time to…
IV. GET TOGETHER! (9-14)
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Well…
8. It’s quite a haul!
There has been quite a bit of discussion of the meaning of the number 153.
But I don’t think there is any symbolic meaning to it.
I think it means that there were 153 fish.
The reason the number is mentioned is that the catch was so atypical that they counted them.
It was so much more than what the usual net would be able to handle.
It was clearly a record breaking day.
But now…
9. It was time for a good time.
It was time to sit down and enjoy a wonderful start to a new day.
Breakfast was made.
It was time to be together.
It was time to sit down and talk.
It was time to enjoy.
This is what it is to have a relationship with Jesus.
APPLICATION:
Failure (S)
There is no better education, than one’s own failures.
There is a true story about a project manager at IBM who lost the company ten million dollars. Dejectedly, he walked into the president’s office and said, “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll want my resignation. I’ll be gone by the end of the day.”
The president’s response showed his understanding of the value of failure. He said, "Are you kidding? We’ve just invested 10 million dollars in your education. We’re not about to let you go. Now get back to work."
I think that Jesus acted in the same way to his disciples.
I like Malcolm Muggeridge’s quote here:
10. “Christianity, from Golgotha onwards, has been the sanctification of failure.” (Malcolm Muggeridge)
The Lord is an absolute expert in taking our failures and making something great out of it.
This is why we are never without hope.
No matter how difficult our circumstances…
No matter what the crisis…
No matter how bad we have screwed it up…
The Lord wants to help us make it right.
The disciples understood this.
And when Jesus returned, they also understood that…
11. There is nothing better than being with Jesus.
There is an interesting aspect to this passage that I think is worth noting.
When it comes down to it, realize that there was really no crisis here.
They were just fishing.
They were, at worst, just having a really bad day.
When it comes right down to it, it was an average day.
The events were ordinary.
But it turned out to be extraordinary, didn’t it?
Why?
Because…
Jesus breaks into our routines and makes everything better!
You see…
12. WE HAVE ALL WE NEED IN JESUS.
He is, truly, our all in all.
When we have Jesus in our lives, when He is truly our Lord and our Savior, we don’t need anything else.
We are complete.
There is an interesting related historical parallel that is worth noting.
Many of you, I am sure, have noticed that a common symbol used by Christians is the fish, and you may be wondering why.
The Greek word for fish is ichthus.
13. ICHTHUS
The early Christians saw that when you take each of the Greek letters from ichthus that they make a powerful statement regarding Jesus.
Quickly, let’s consider each letter…
13.1 I
The first letter is iota, which looks like an “i.”
It stands for the Greek word “Yesu.”
It is the name Jesus.
13.2 ×
The second letter is chi.
It looks like an “x.”
It stands for the Greek word “Christos.”
It is the word Christ, which means messiah.
13.3 È
The third letter is theta.
It looks like an “o” with a line in the middle.
It represents the Greek word “Theos.”
It is where we get our word theology, which is the study of God.
So the theta stands for God.
13.4 Õ
The fourth letter is upsilon.
In its upper case form, it looks like a “y.”
It corresponds to the Greek word “uios.”
Uios means son.
So put together with the previous letter, we have “God’s Son.”
And putting all four together, we have “Jesus Christ, God’s Son.”
One more is left…
13.5 Ó
The final letter is sigma.
In its upper case form it looks a little bit like a backwards three.
It is connected to the Greek word “soter” from which we get the word soteriology.
Soteriology is the study of salvation so the sigma stands for savior.
Now, when we put them all together, we have “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.”
This is one of the early church’s first creeds.
It was a short doctrinal statement regarding the person of Jesus.
The picture of the fish, then, also became a secret way to denote that one was a follower of Jesus.
Now…
Because Jesus is the Messiah…
Because Jesus is God’s Son…
Because Jesus is our Savior…
We have all we need in Jesus.
Yet, there is a challenge before us.
Every day we need to consciously be with Jesus.
Every day!
It is not just to be a Sunday thing.
Every day is to be a day with Jesus.
Every ordinary day…
We are not to be going to our Lord when there is a crisis.
We are not to be living from crisis to crisis, but rather, knowing and living for Jesus day by day.
This way, we can say in the darkness (just as John said), it is the Lord!
In our failures, it is the Lord!
And when the nets are full and life is good, it is the Lord!
In all of life…it is the Lord!
Amen.
For Further Study: Matthew 26.32, 28.7; Luke 5.1-11; II Corinthians 4.7; Ephesians 3.20-21; Philippians 4.19
BENEDICTION:
Tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of a very special event of this church. Two women from our church went into surgery – one needing a liver, the other donating a portion of hers. It was an example of sacrificial love that still has a profound effect on us all. Thank you Barb for your example. And Sharon, we are rejoicing that you are still with us.
I will be available for prayer after the postlude has concluded.
Let Jesus be the center of your life today…acknowledge Him as Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.
Let Jesus be the center of your life today…don’t wait for the crisis to go out to Him; go now…He is waiting to make the routine of you every day life something great.
Let Jesus be the center of your life today…for He wants the start of every day to be a matter of joy, no matter what the circumstances.
Now may your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best; and may you be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral:
Pankow, Joel 1 IXTHUS > 153 Ixthus
Samelson, Jeffrey 153 Life-Changing Fish
Scott, Ray Fish or Cut Bait
Stetler, Mark D. Breakfast with the Risen Lord
Stewart, Jamey Frustrated Fisherman
Tow, Richard Breakfast at Tiberius
Books:
Hughes, R. Kent. John: That You May Believe. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999.
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977.
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament. Colorado Springs: ChariotVictor Publishing, 1989.
