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Jesus shows himself to the disciples again

21 After that, Jesus showed himself to the disciples again when they were by Lake Tiberias. [ a ] This is how it happened. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin and Nathanael were together. (Nathanael came from Cana in Galilee.) The sons of Zebedee (James and John) and two other disciples were also there. 3 Simon Peter said to the other disciples, ‘I will now go and catch fish.’ They replied, ‘We will come with you.’ So they went out and they got into the boat. But they caught nothing during that night.

4 Early in the morning, Jesus was standing on the shore of the lake. But the disciples did not know that it was Jesus who stood there. 5 Then Jesus asked them, ‘Friends, have you caught any fish?’ They answered, ‘No!’ 6 He said, ‘Throw your net out on the right side of the boat. If you do that, you will catch some fish.’ So they threw the net out into the water. Then they caught so many fish that they could not pull the net back into the boat.

7 The disciple that Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he put on his coat. (He had been wearing only a few clothes.) Then he jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed him in the boat. They pulled the net that was full of fish behind them. They were not far from the shore. It was about 100 metres away. 9 When they came to the shore, they saw that someone had lit a fire. Some fish were cooking on it. There was some bread there, too. 10 Jesus said to them, ‘Bring here some of the fish that you have just caught.’

11 Simon Peter got back into the boat and he pulled the net onto the shore. It was full of 153 big fish. There were so many fish, but the net had not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, ‘Come here and eat breakfast.’ None of the disciples was brave enough to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew that it was the Lord. 13 So Jesus took the bread and he gave it to them. Then he did the same with the fish.

14 After Jesus died and became alive again, this was now the third time that he showed himself to his disciples.

Jesus talks to Peter

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus spoke to Simon Peter. He said, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these other disciples love me?’ Peter answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’

16 Jesus asked him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ 17 Jesus asked him a third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ [ b ] Peter was sad because Jesus asked him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’ So he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, you know everything. You know that I really love you!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Take care of my sheep. 18 I tell you this: When you were young, you put on your own clothes. Then you went to any place that you wanted to visit. But when you are old, it will be different. You will hold out your arms and someone else will tie your clothes for you. Then they will take you to a place where you do not want to go.’ 19 When Jesus said this, he was showing how Peter would die. [ c ] His death would give honour to God. Then Jesus said to Peter, ‘Follow me.’

20 Peter turned round and he saw the disciple that Jesus loved. He was the man who had been very near to Jesus at the supper. He had asked Jesus, ‘Lord, who will sell you to your enemies?’ Now this disciple was following behind them. 21 When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, ‘Lord, what will happen to him?’ 22 Jesus answered him, ‘Perhaps I might want him to live until I return to this earth. But that should not matter to you. You must follow me!’

23 At that time, people began to talk about these words that Jesus had said. Some disciples thought that Jesus meant that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say, ‘He will not die.’ Instead, he said to Peter, ‘Perhaps I might want him to live until I return to this earth. But that should not matter to you.’

24 I am the disciple who saw these things. I am the one who wrote them down. We all know that what I have written about them is true.

25 Jesus also did many other things. If people wrote about all those things, there would be very many books. I do not think that the whole world would have enough room for all those books.

Footnotes

  1. 21:1 Lake Tiberias is another name for Lake Galilee.
  2. 21:17 Jesus asked Peter three times, ‘Do you love me?’ Before Jesus died, Peter had said three times that he did not know Jesus. This may be the reason why Jesus asked the question three times.
  3. 21:19 Jesus was telling Peter that Peter would die on a cross, with his arms on each side. He would die in the same way that Jesus had died.

Jesus Appears to Seven Followers

21 Later, Jesus appeared again to his followers by Lake Galilee. [ a ] This is how it happened: 2 Some of the followers were together—Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee, and two other followers. 3 Simon Peter said, “I am going out to fish.”

The other followers said, “We will go with you.” So all of them went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.

4 Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore. But the followers did not know it was Jesus. 5 Then he said to them, “Friends, have you caught any fish?”

They answered, “No.”

6 He said, “Throw your net into the water on the right side of your boat. You will find some fish there.” So they did this. They caught so many fish that they could not pull the net back into the boat.

7 The follower Jesus loved very much said to Peter, “That man is the Lord!” When Peter heard him say it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself. (He had taken his clothes off to work.) Then he jumped into the water. 8 The other followers went to shore in the boat. They pulled the net full of fish. They were not very far from shore, only about 100 yards. [ b ] 9 When they stepped out of the boat and onto the shore, they saw a fire of hot coals. There were fish on the fire and some bread there too. 10 Then Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish that you caught.”

11 Simon Peter got into the boat and pulled the net to the shore. It was full of big fish—153 of them! But even with that many fish, the net did not tear. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the followers would ask him, “Who are you?” They knew he was the Lord. 13 Jesus walked over to get the bread and gave it to them. He also gave them the fish.

14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his followers after he was raised from death.

Jesus Talks to Peter

15 When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these other men love me?”

Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs. [ c ] ”

16 Again Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Then Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 A third time Jesus said, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was sad because Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep. 18 The truth is, when you were young, you tied your own belt and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands, and someone else will tie your belt. They will lead you where you don’t want to go.” 19 (Jesus said this to show how Peter would die to give glory to God.) Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”

20 Peter turned and saw the follower Jesus loved very much walking behind them. (This was the follower who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and said, “Lord, who is it that will hand you over?”) 21 When Peter saw him behind them, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

22 Jesus answered, “Maybe I want him to live until I come. That should not matter to you. You follow me!”

23 So a story spread among the followers of Jesus. They were saying that this follower would not die. But Jesus did not say he would not die. He only said, “Maybe I want him to live until I come. That should not matter to you.”

24 That follower is the one who is telling these things. He is the one who has now written them all down. We know that what he says is true.

25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I think the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.

Footnotes

  1. John 21:1 Lake Galilee Literally, “Lake of Tiberias,” another name for Lake Galilee. See Jn. 6:1.
  2. John 21:8 100 yards Literally, “200 cubits.”
  3. John 21:15 lambs Jesus uses this word and the word “sheep” in verses 16 and 17 to mean his followers, as in Jn. 10.

21 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.

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.

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 girdest 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.

20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?

22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee

21 After these things Jesus [ a ] ( A ) revealed Himself ( B ) again to the disciples at the ( C ) Sea of Tiberias, and He revealed Himself in this way: 2 Simon Peter, ( D ) Thomas who was called [ b ] Didymus, ( E ) Nathanael of ( F ) Cana in Galilee, ( G ) the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We are also coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and ( H ) that night they caught nothing.

4 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not ( I ) know that it was Jesus. 5 So Jesus *said to them, “Children, ( J ) you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “ ( K ) Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish .” So they cast it , and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish. 7 ( L ) Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So 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. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about [ c ] two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish.

9 So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal ( M ) fire already [ d ] made and ( N ) fish placed on it, and bread. 10 Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the ( O ) fish which you have now caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus Provides

12 Jesus *said to them, “Come and have ( P ) breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to inquire of Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus *came and *took ( Q ) the bread and *gave it to them, and the ( R ) fish likewise. 14 This was now the ( S ) third time that Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

The Love Question

15 Now when they had ( T ) finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you [ e ] ( U ) love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [ f ] love You.” He *said to him, “Tend ( V ) My lambs.” 16 He *said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you [ g ] love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [ h ] love You.” He *said to him, “ ( W ) Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you [ i ] love Me?” Peter was [ j ] hurt because He said to him ( X ) the third time, “Do you [ k ] love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, ( Y ) You know all things; You know that I [ l ] love You.” Jesus *said to him, “ ( Z ) Tend My sheep.

Our Times Are in His Hand

18 Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to put on your belt and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and bring you where you do not want to go .” 19 Now He said this, ( AA ) indicating by ( AB ) what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He *said to him, “ ( AC ) Follow Me!”

20 Peter turned around and *saw the ( AD ) disciple whom Jesus loved following them —the one who also had ( AE ) leaned back on His chest at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who is betraying You?” 21 So Peter, upon seeing him, *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain ( AF ) until I come, what is that to you? You ( AG ) follow Me!” 23 Therefore this [ m ] account went out among ( AH ) the brothers, that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only , “If I want him to remain ( AI ) until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who ( AJ ) is testifying about these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25 But there are also ( AK ) many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

Footnotes

  1. John 21:1 Or made Himself visible
  2. John 21:2 I.e., the Twin
  3. John 21:8 About 100 yd. or 90 m; a cubit is about 18 in. or 45 cm
  4. John 21:9 Lit laid
  5. John 21:15 Gr agapao
  6. John 21:15 Gr phileo
  7. John 21:16 Gr agapao
  8. John 21:16 Gr phileo
  9. John 21:17 Gr phileo
  10. John 21:17 Or distressed
  11. John 21:17 Gr phileo
  12. John 21:17 Gr phileo
  13. John 21:23 Lit word

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, ( A ) by the Sea of Galilee. [ a ] ( B ) It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas ( C ) (also known as Didymus [ b ] ), Nathanael ( D ) from Cana in Galilee, ( E ) the sons of Zebedee, ( F ) and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. ( G )

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. ( H )

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. ( I )

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved ( J ) said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. [ c ] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire ( K ) of burning coals there with fish on it, ( L ) and some bread.

10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ( M ) 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples ( N ) after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus Reinstates Peter

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” ( O )

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” ( P )

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” ( Q )

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” ( R ) He said, “Lord, you know all things; ( S ) you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ( T ) 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death ( U ) by which Peter would glorify God. ( V ) Then he said to him, “Follow me!” ( W )

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved ( X ) was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ( Y ) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, ( Z ) what is that to you? You must follow me.” ( AA ) 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers ( AB ) that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things ( AC ) and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. ( AD )

25 Jesus did many other things as well. ( AE ) If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Footnotes

  1. John 21:1 Greek Tiberias
  2. John 21:2 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin .
  3. John 21:8 Or about 90 meters
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