Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee
John 21After these things, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. This is how he revealed himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two of his other disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.”
They told him, “We are also coming with you.” They immediately went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was early in the morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples didn’t realize that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, do y’all have anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
He said to them, “Cast y’all’s net on the right side of the boat, and y’all will find some.”
So they cast it, and then they weren’t able to haul it in because of the multitude of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself (for he was naked) and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat for they were not far from the land, only about one hundred yards, dragging the net full of fish. When they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there with fish and bread laid on it. Jesus said to them, “Y’all bring some of the fish that y’all just caught.”
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land. It was full of one hundred fifty-three huge fish, but even though there were so many, the net wasn’t torn.
Jesus said to them, “Y’all come and have breakfast!”
None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they that it was the Lord.
Then Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed himself to his disciples after he had risen from the dead.
Jesus Restores Peter in Love
So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?”
He said to him, “Yes, Lord. You know that I have affection for you.”
He said to him, “Take care of my lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?”
He said to him, “Yes, Lord. You know that I have affection for you.”
He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?”
Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.”
Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you don’t want to go.”
Now he said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
Peter and the Disciple Jesus Loved
Then Peter turned around and saw a disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, following them. (This was the one who had also leaned against Jesus’s chest at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You must follow me.” So the saying went out among the siblings that this disciple wouldn’t die. Yet Jesus didn’t say to him that he wouldn’t die, only that, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you?”
This is the disciple who testifies about these things and wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things which Jesus did, and if they were all written down, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.