Appendix: the appearance of Jesus by the lake
1 After this Jesus revealed him self to the disciples by the Lake of Tiberias. He appeared to them in this way.
2 Simon Peter, Thomas who was called the Twin, Natha nael of Cana in Gal i lee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together;
3 and Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.” They replied, “We will come with you” and they went out and got into the boat. But they caught nothing that night.
4 When day had already broken, Jesus was stand ing on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5 Jesus called them, “Chil dren, have you anything to eat?” They answered, “Noth ing.”
6 Then he said to them, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they had lowered the net, they were not able to pull it in be cause of the great number of fish.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” At these words, “It’s the Lord,” Simon Peter put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and jumped into the water.
8 The other disciples came in the boat dragging the net full of fish; they were not far from land, about a hun dred meters.
9 When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it, and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.”
11 So Simon Peter climbed into the boat and pulled the net to shore. It was full of big fish – one hundred and fifty-three – but, in spite of this, the net was not torn.
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast,” and not one of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” for they knew it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and he did the same with the fish.
14 This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after rising from the dead.
15 After they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Si mon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” And Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Look after my sheep.”
17 And a third time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus then said, “Feed my sheep.
18 Truly, I say to you, when you were young you put on your belt and walked where you liked. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and another will put a belt around you and lead you where you do not wish to go.”
19 Jesus said this to make known the kind of death by which Peter was to glorify God. And he added, “Follow me.”
20 Peter looked back and saw that the disciple Jesus loved was follow ing as well, the one who had reclined close to Jesus at the supper and had asked him, “Lord, who is to betray you?”
21 On seeing him Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I come, does that con cern you? Follow me.”
23 Because of this the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, “He will not die,” but “sup pose I want him to remain until I come.”
24 It is this disciple who testifies about the things he has recorded here and we know that his testimony is true.
25 But Jesus did many other things; if all were written down, the world itself would not hold the books recording them.
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Comments John, Chapter 21
• 21.1 Jesus appears this time near Lake Tibe rias. This delightful story is filled with divine presence as Christ stands on the lonely lakeshore in the light of dawn. The apostles see a stran ger but John, the proph et, recognizes Christ.
The apostles pulled in a net full of 153 big fish. This number had a symbolic value; it ex pressed plentitude and universality. Such will be the apostolic work: all nations of the earth will be brought to Christ.
The triple questioning of Peter by Jesus may be thought of as the undoing of the triple denial during Jesus’ passion. Peter, too, being the shepherd of the shepherds, is a forgiven sinner. Jesus entrusts the whole Church to him: the same as in Matthew 16:18. Do you love me? This is the first condition to be fulfilled by a shepherd in the Church.
This dialogue between Jesus and Peter expresses what being a Christian is all about. Jesus asks us every day if we love him in a special and exclusive way: Do you love me more than these? We answer, “Yes,” despite our miseries, as Peter did; Jesus then invites us to follow him anew, out of love (v. 22), and to share with him the responsibility of caring for the peo ple of God. There is no better way of following Jesus than by giving up our lives for his mission.
Jesus orders Peter to care for the Church and, with this, orders us to obey. We obey freely and conscientiously, not because the she pherds are always capable and infallible, but rather because they perform a necessary function of authority. We believe that historically they are the successors of the apostles, and for that reason have received their mission from God.
The Gospel ends with a prediction of the different fates that will be Peter’s and John’s. Peter died a martyr’s death in Rome in the year 66 or 67; John was still living in the year 90. He was the last of the witnesses of Christ and many thought he would not die until the Lord would come again: hence, the Gospel insists that Jesus had not made such a promise.
The last paragraph was placed there by those associated with John at the time of his death.