Section 103 of 10521:1-14John

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King James VersionJohn 21:1-14

After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

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.

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.

But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

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.

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.

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.

As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

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.

Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

John 21:1-14

The Risen Jesus Provides a Catch and Breakfast

A night of empty nets becomes a numbered catch and a breakfast, not a coded map.

Jesus shows himself again by the Sea of Tiberias to Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael of Cana, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Peter goes fishing; they come with him and catch nothing that night. At daybreak Jesus stands on the shore, and they do not know it is Jesus. He asks about food, tells them to cast on the right side, and they cannot haul the net for the fish. The disciple whom Jesus loved says to Peter, 'It is the Lord.' Peter puts on his outer garment and throws himself into the sea; the others come in the boat, dragging the net. Ashore they see a charcoal fire with fish and bread. Jesus tells them to bring some of the catch. Peter hauls the net full of great fish, a hundred fifty-three, and though there were so many, the net is not torn. Jesus invites them to breakfast, takes bread, and gives it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time he was manifested to the disciples after he was raised.

The 153 fish has drawn symbolic proposals for centuries. No explanation commands consensus, and the number does not authorize numerology, date-setting, or a secret map of nations. The catch does not guarantee business success. The meal can carry Eucharistic resonance without repeating a bread-and-wine institution, and it does not by itself settle Eucharistic doctrine. Recognition comes through the Beloved Disciple's word and through provision in ordinary work. The charcoal fire quietly recalls the courtyard; the next unit will use it.

How this should shape us

Receive Jesus in ordinary labor and shared food. Follow a direction you did not invent, eat breakfast with people who failed last night, and leave 153 as a counted catch rather than a cipher. Do not turn a net into a prosperity promise or a prophecy chart. If you need a modern test: count the fish because you are feeding people, not because you are cracking a code.

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King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

John 21:1-14, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.

Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 21:1-14

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 21:1-14

NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes

Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.

NET Bible John PDF, John 21:1-14 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.

Enter the Bible John course, Passion, Resurrection, and Beloved Disciple materials; applied to 21:1-14

The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides

Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.

Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Resurrection and Epilogue study guide; applied to 21:1-14

John

Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.

Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 21:1-14

The Beloved Disciple as Interpreter and Author of Scripture in the Gospel of John

Supports: Beloved Disciple as witness, interpreter, and purported author; literary authority and editorial limits.

Lindenlaub, Beloved Disciple thesis, introduction; Scripture-formula chapters; authorship and written-medium chapters; John 19:35, 20:30-31, and 21 discussion; applied to 21:1-14

Johannine resurrection and commissioning commentaries on John 20–21

Supports: Mary Magdalene, embodied resurrection, Thomas, Spirit, forgiveness, purpose, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple.

Working Preacher John 20–21 collection, commentary covering 21:1-14

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Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

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Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and critical-text reading checked independently of the KJV.

Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/John.txt, 21:1-14

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Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT John data, rows for 21:1-14

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Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — John with translators' and textual notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition

Supports: Verse-level syntax, older-English clarification, material variants, background, and alternatives.

Exact location: NET Bible John PDF, John 21:1-14 and attached translator, study, and textual notes

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modern scholarly book introduction

John course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Craig R. Koester; revised by Karoline M. Lewis

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2024 revision; current course inspected 2026

Supports: Current historical-critical synthesis, narrative movement, Jewish context, signs, Christology, Spirit, Passion, and resurrection.

Exact location: Enter the Bible John course, Passion, Resurrection, and Beloved Disciple materials; applied to 21:1-14

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modern scholarly narrative and theological course

The Gospel of John: course introduction and twelve study guides

Harold W. Attridge and Michal Beth Dinkler

Yale Bible Study, Yale Divinity School, Current online edition inspected 2026

Supports: Literary, historical, theological, gender-aware, sacramental, and reader-oriented interpretation.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Gospel of John course, Resurrection and Epilogue study guide; applied to 21:1-14

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modern open confessional commentary

John

Andreas J. Köstenberger

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, Current online edition inspected 2026

Supports: Complete confessional evangelical interpretation, represented as a strong traditioned view rather than consensus.

Exact location: Köstenberger, “John,” commentary heading covering John 21:1-14

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modern open doctoral thesis

The Beloved Disciple as Interpreter and Author of Scripture in the Gospel of John

Julia Danielle Lindenlaub

University of Edinburgh Research Archive, 2021

Supports: Beloved Disciple as witness, interpreter, and purported author; literary authority and editorial limits.

Exact location: Lindenlaub, Beloved Disciple thesis, introduction; Scripture-formula chapters; authorship and written-medium chapters; John 19:35, 20:30-31, and 21 discussion; applied to 21:1-14

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modern scholarly pastoral passage collection

Johannine resurrection and commissioning commentaries on John 20–21

Karoline M. Lewis and multiple Working Preacher contributors

Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, Current collection inspected 2026

Supports: Mary Magdalene, embodied resurrection, Thomas, Spirit, forgiveness, purpose, Peter, and the Beloved Disciple.

Exact location: Working Preacher John 20–21 collection, commentary covering 21:1-14

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