Lovest Thou Me?
Introduction: The Lord Jesus Christ had told His followers to meet Him in Galilee. While they were waiting for Him, Peter decided to try fishing again. The results: not great. But there’s more to the story than empty nets.
(Full disclosure: This message is based on a sermon I preached at New Hope Baptist Church near Fulton, MO on May 4, 2025. There is a message, also based on this text, on Sermon Central called “Simon Peter: From Fisherman To Follower”, preached in 2014, but this message is not a copy and paste of that original message. This is also not an exact transcription.)
1 Working Through The Night
Text: John 21:1-8, KJV: 1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore 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 coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.
How many times have we heard someone tell us, “Don’t just stand there, do something!” or, “Do something even if it’s wrong; we can fix it later”? True, there’s a time to, yeah, do something (whatever that means) but sometimes, that creates an expense that wouldn’t have happened if we had just waited and done the right thing.
And that’s exactly what happened to the eleven apostles. By this time, Jesus had already risen from the dead, had appeared a week after Resurrection Day to Thomas as well as the others, and had told them, “Head up to Galilee and I’ll meet you there (Matthew 28:10, paraphrased).”
That was it.
Just wait for Me, Jesus said, and that seems to me to be a reasonable request, if not command. After all, all they had to do was leave Jerusalem (and I don’t think any of them were any too anxious at this time to stay there!), and walk to Galilee, then meet the Lord. Easy.
Simon Peter, though, decided he’d go back to fishing, at least for one night. He said, “I’m going fishing” and six more-half of the original Twelve-joined him saying, maybe, something like “works for me” or “yeah, I’m in”. Besides Peter himself, there was Andrew, his brother; James and John, sons of Zebedee—these four had at least been fishing on the Sea of Galilee before they became followers of Jesus (Mark 1:16-20)—along with Thomas, Nathanael, and two unnamed others. There’s an old sermon I remember reading, where the preacher used this text and suggested that maybe “you and I” were the other two disciples in the boat!
Well, no matter who they were, the results were bad. Oddly enough, by the way, we’re never told how these men found a boat, the nets, and other stuff they’d need to go fishing. Anyway, off they went, hoping to catch some fish. Remember, at least four of them had been professional fishermen and, they may have thought, “we can do this, why, it’s just like old times.”
And, yes, it was like old times, just like a few years before when Simon Peter and, I guess, Andrew, too had worked all night, caught nothing, and were probably annoyed when Jesus asked them to let down the nets—in broad daylight, no less, which I understand is the worst time of the day to catch fish. I remember one of my uncles, just out of high school at the time, and one or more of his buddies loading up to catch fish, leaving, they said, before sunrise.
Like the apostles, they didn’t catch anything either! Oh well. Sometimes they bite and sometimes they don’t. Maybe the fish weren’t hungry that morning (they never said, and I didn’t ask. Discretion, you know).
So here they are, out in a boat they had somehow acquired (rented?) along with nets and all the other stuff they’d used before. They’ve worked all night and caught nothing. I can’t help but think at least a few of these disciples remembered something that had happened a year or so before, when Jesus asked Simon Peter if He could basically borrow the boat so that Jesus could preach from the water (Luke 5:1-11). Simon agreed, Jesus preached, and then asked Simon to launch out into the deep for a catch of fish. Simon’s reply bordered on being rude, but then, he’d worked all night, and listened to Jesus preach, and now they’re out in deep water. The reward, though, was worth it! I encourage you to read that story.
With this in mind, let’s remember that the disciples heard a Voice, a Voice that maybe seemed familiar but maybe different? Whoever spoke asked them a very penetrating question: “Children, have ye any meant?” Loosely translated, as some render that question, “Any fish, boys?”
And of course, they replied, “No”. So simple, so heartbreaking, so frustrating, having to acknowledge “we failed”. Hasn’t that happened to all of us at least once?
That was the case for the disciples, too. They still didn’t know it was Jesus speaking to them, but when He gave them some advice, “Cast your net on the right side. That’s where the fish are (paraphrased)”. They did so and immediately they found the net was so full of fish they couldn’t pull it into the boat!
It was then that John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, realized just Who was speaking to them. He told Peter, “It’s the Lord!’
That was enough for Peter. He put his coat or outer garment on (“naked” here means he was only stripped for work, wearing only his inner garments while fishing) and “cast himself into the sea”, leaving the other six in the boat. Peter was in good physical shape, it seems, because he swam 200 cubits or 100 yards from the ship to the shore. I used to love to swim, but the longest I ever swam was from one side of a swimming pool to the other. Peter could swim maybe 90 more yards than I could—and that, while wearing a woolen coat (Matthew Henry thought the coat might be leather or “oil cloth”, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhcw/john/21.htm ) or whatever the outer garment was made of!
I remember during my days as a Boy Scout that some of the other scouts decided to try to swim a mile, or “X” number of laps around a standard Olympic-sized pool. When I got there to see if any of the swimmers (not me, that day!) needed assistance, all of them said, No, I’m okay but they weren’t setting any speed record. They may not have been doing a crawl stroke, but they weren’t flying around the pool either. My guess is that by the time they got to Lap 15 or so, they weren’t nearly as fast as Lap 1. By the way, I have no idea how many Scouts made the mile.
The other disciples somehow got the “little boat” to the beach. They were dragging the net, still full of fish to the shore, where they were about to get a very pleasant surprise!
2 Warming Up By The Fire
Text: John 21:9-14, KJV: 9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
We’re not told who was the first to reach the beach, whether Peter by swimming, or the others rowing or sailing the little boat. It didn’t matter because there were a couple of very pleasant things waiting for them. Jesus had prepared a fire of coals and He had laid some fish on that fire. He had also provided bread for these men.
This might have brought back some memories, especially for Peter. John 18 has the story how he, Peter, followed Jesus, but at a distance, and stood by a charcoal fire with some of the very enemies of the Lord! The late Dr. Oliver Greene, many years ago, had a series of radio messages on John’s gospel, and on one broadcast of “The Gospel Hour” gave some stirring words, something like it was better to freeze for Jesus than to try and get warm while standing by the Devil’s fire.
And, maybe, all of them remembered the two occasions when the Lord had fed 5000 men and at another time 4000 men, all using, you guessed it, fish and bread. Just as He had fed so many, now He was going to feed just a few. The Lord instructed them to bring some of the fish they had caught, and then enjoyed a breakfast meal, prepared by the Lord Himself! He told them “Come and dine!” or “let’s eat!”, inviting them to have breakfast with Him. Notice, too, how He took the bread, broke it and gave it to them, followed by the fish in the same way.
Just as He had done twice before. Oh, the disciples may not have recognized Him at first, but surely by now they remembered.
May I add a word about the number 153, the number of fish the disciples “netted”? There are several interpretations regarding that number, ranging from 153 languages then spoken, to 153 lands and territories where the Apostles and others would go, to another’s interpretation. I remember reading an on-line commentary, several years ago, and the author suggested the reader take “seven’ for the New Testament, signifying the men in the boat, and add that to ten for the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. By adding 1 through 17, said the author, you’ll see it adds up to 153, just like the number of fish in the net. I had my doubts about that one so, one day I fired up a spreadsheet, entered the numbers 1 through 17, and hit the “sum it up” button.
That author was right, as adding one plus two plus three all the way through seventeen did indeed add up to 153 but the number of fish, I think, is just a detail that John would have remembered. After all, John, James, Peter and Andrew would likely have had to keep records of all kinds of things so a sum total, especially of a rather large catch like this one, might have been something John never forgot.
No need to spend much time here. Let’s allow the disciples and the Lord to enjoy their meal, that breakfast on the beach as someone called it. But there’s more to the story, and it involves Peter and the Lord as they had a more or less private discussion.
3 Words Exchanged By The Lord and Simon Peter
Text: John 21:15-19, KJV: 15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
John doesn’t say much about that breakfast by the beach. Maybe there wasn’t much to talk about. Sometimes it’s best to step back and just take the narrative, or lack, as it is. The point is, had the Holy Spirit wanted John to write more about this meal, He would have had John do so.
But now, breakfast was over. The disciples had warmed themselves by the fire and had just enjoyed a filling meal. They had worked all night, with nothing to show for it, and were hungry and cold. The Lord had taken care of everything so, who knows, maybe He allowed some of them to get some rest after breakfast.
Except for one, Simon Peter, and Jesus wanted to speak with Him. My take on this is that Jesus called Peter off to the side, maybe asking Peter to walk with Him for a moment. After all, the Lord had spoken with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, before they sinned and He had spoken with believers like Abraham and Moses. We might well rejoice when we can talk to the Lord about anything and everything that concerns us, but it’s better to remember that the Lord always is pleased to speak with us, too!
And Jesus begins the conversation, as recorded in the text, by asking Peter “Lovest thou Me more than these?”, or “do you love Me more than these?” To me, that question seemed to come out of left field, as some put it, as I had thought Peter proved his love for Jesus by leaping out of the boat and swimming maybe 100 yards in open water to where Jesus was standing! But there was, there had to be, something else going on and Jesus is going to probe just how sincere Peter’s love for Him really was. After all, Peter had sworn, “I’ll never deny You! Everybody else might, but I’ll never do it!”—and then, Peter denied Jesus at least three times. Ouch.
Something to keep in mind is that there are at least three words in the New Testament for “love”, used as a verb, like “lovest thou Me?” Jesus used the word based on the Greek “agape” or the highest, purest form of love. It goes without saying that none of us can love in the same way or degree that God loves us, but we can still try to practice that kind of love. Peter, realizing he had failed the Lord miserably replied, in so many words, “Yes, Lord, You know I’m your friend”. Peter used the word “phileo” which is the basis for the word “Philadelphia” or “brotherly love”.
Jesus seemed to be satisfied with this answer and gave Peter a new challenge: “Feed My lambs”. Now, just how much Peter, a professional fisherman, knew about lambs or sheep is anybody’s guess. True, as an orthodox Jew he had eaten the Passover lamb, and had maybe even helped purchase one for the last Passover before Jesus was crucified. But now, it seems that Jesus is giving Peter a new challenge and ministry, even: to feed the lambs or, as some think, to feed and lead the new believers in Jesus.
Peter must have been stunned, as he didn’t say a word to Jesus. And, further, I don’t think Peter expected the next question from Jesus. It was the same question: “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?” Here, Jesus used the same word for “love” as in the first question. Nothing, at least from the question Jesus posted, had changed.
And neither did Peter’s reply! He used the same word as he did the first time, “Yes, Lord, You know I’m fond of You/I’m a friend of Yours” still not able to use the same word as the Lord. In reply, the Lord gave Peter a slightly different challenge or ministry: “Feed My sheep”. Not lambs, this time; sheep. Peter may have remembered the words of Jesus when He said, “I am the Good Shepherd” and “I have other sheep”, doubting (I know I would!) he could do this. My guess is that Peter was still, maybe, stunned at the directions Jesus gave him. This might also be because the word translated “feed” in verse 16 really means to “shepherd” the Lord’s sheep (see https://biblehub.com/greek/4165.htm).
No doubt Peter was not expecting the third question from Jesus: “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?” This time, Jesus used the same word as Peter had used, perhaps asking, “Are you _really_ My friend? Are you _really_ fond of Me?”
That had to hurt, and for Peter, it did. John records that Peter was “grieved” when Jesus asked him the third time. But this, I think, was designed to produce some godly sorrow, the kind that leads to repentance (Paul mentioned this, later, in 2 Corinthians 7:10). Peter expressed, maybe blurted out, “Lord, You know everything! And You know I’m your friend (paraphrased)!”
Then Jesus gave Peter another modified challenge, again to “feed My sheep” and this time it means literally “feed (see https://biblehub.com/greek/1006.htm)” as in “lead My sheep to pasture and get them the food they need” or something similar.
Still, Jesus wasn’t finished. He gave Peter a glimpse of the future and some think this was a sign Peter was to be crucified. Tradition, for what it’s worth, says Peter was crucified, but upside down as he allegedly stated he was not worthy to die the same way the Lord was crucified.
The last words in the text are the last words to Peter. Jesus told him “Follow Me.” Peter might well have remembered when Jesus called him and Andrew to become fishers of men (Mark 1:17) and this may have been an invitation to once again, follow Him, even more than he had before.
We’ve covered a lot in this message, and as we close, may we always remember that without Jesus we’ll never accomplish much with an eternal benefit. We can always remember, too, that He’s always there, waiting to hear from us and desiring to give us some of His best. And when He says, “do you love Me?” I hope all of us can say, “Yes. Lord, I do love You!”
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
