June 29 2025

Summer Heat

“Fish, fire and a second chance!”

Havasu Christian Church

June 29, 2025                   

John 21:1–25           

INTRO: Last week, we watched Peter crash and burn. He made promises he couldn’t keep. He thought he could handle anything that got thrown at him… He was willing to fight a mob for Jesus, but when he got into a tight spot, he denies that he even knows who Jesus is!

      I’ve seen various forms of this quote floating around lately and it really makes you think.

“When God put a job in front of you to do, He already factored in your stupidity.”

(Graham Cooke)

ISN’T THAT COMFORTING?

Jesus KNEW that Peter would fail… we talked about that last week. But Jesus offered hope to Peter… and even told him that it would be his job to “strengthen your brothers.”

      Keep this in mind.

1. Jesus “Manifests” Himself.

John 21:1–11 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. 

     2   Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and 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 will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. 

     4   But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 

     5   So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” 

     6   And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. 

     7   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 his outer garment on (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 one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

     9   So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. 

     10   Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” 

     11   Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Manifest: Jesus makes Himself visible, makes Himself known to the Disciples.

1. Peter has taken six of the other Disciples fishing.
2. They’ve been fishing all night, NO LUCK!
3. They are getting close to shore, and they see “someone” on the beach.
4. This mysterious person calls out and asks “Children, have you caught any

fish?” Their reply is “No!”

1. This “Stranger,” tells them to throw their net on the other side of the boat.
2. For some reason, the do it!
3. Perhaps they are remembering when Jesus told them to do that very thing!
4. They get a HUGE catch!
5. 153 LARGE fish. Perhaps they are biney.

13-15 pounds full grown. About 2000 pounds of fish in this net.

    They need help from another boat, and finally Peter drags the fish to shore.

1. Why does John record the exact # of fish?
2. There are LOTS of Theories!

Cornelius à Lapide, a Jesuit priest (1567-1637) writes that the "multitude of fishes mystically represents the multitude of the faithful which Peter and the Apostles afterwards caught by the net of evangelical preaching and converted to Christ".

Evagrius Ponticus referred to the catch of 153 fish, as well as to the mathematical properties of the number (153 = 100+ 28 + 25, with 100 a square number, 28 a triangular number and 25 a circular number) when describing his 153-chapter work on prayer.

St Paul's School in London was founded in 1512 by John Colet to teach 153 poor men's children, also made reference to the catch.

153 fishes represent preaching the Gospel to the nations

153 fishes represent Jesus’ power over nature, as well as turning water into wine etc.

Jerome, a 4th Century Christian, had this idea. 153 is the sum of a triangular number T17 representing all the elect to be saved.

153 were all the types of know fish at the time and represented all races –

Augustine observed that 10 is the number of the law and 7 that of the Spirit, which being added equals 17, and all the numbers from 1 to 17 when added equal 153, and thus the number practically represents all the elect. Hence, the one hundred fifty-three fish are explained.

This is like answering the question, “Why are fire trucks red?” in the following way.  Fire trucks have four wheels and eight firefighters: four plus eight equals twelve. There are twelve inches in a foot. A foot is a ruler. Queen Elizabeth is a rule, and the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ is one of the largest ships on the seven seas. Seas have fish. Fish have fins. The Finns fought the Russians. The Russians are red. Fire trucks are always rushin’. Therefore, fire trucks are usually red.

1. Personally, I think John put this amount in there, because fishermen ALWAYS want to tell you how many fish they caught… unless of course, it was a bad day of fishing…
2. Peter doesn’t wait… he just puts on his clothes and jumps in!
3. Peter is “stripped for work.”
4. He’s basically fishing in his underwear. You can’t go to shore like that!
5. He jumps in and swims to shore because he is convinced that John is right and that it’s Jesus on the shore!
6. Apparently, the only reason Peter helps get the fish to shore is because Jesus tells him to bring some to the fire!
7. His focus is on Jesus!

1. Jesus feed the disciples.

John 21:12-14 Jesus says to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. 

     13   Jesus comes and takes the bread and gives it to them, and the fish likewise. 

     14   This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead. 

      If you are following along in your bibles, you may have noticed I made a change in the tense from “said” to “says.” Also, from “Came” to Comes, and “Gave” to “Gives.” This is because that’s how it reads in the Greek. John is writing as though it is happening right now! (I just did the same thing…. John IS writing as though IT IS happening right now.”

1. Jesus feeds these hungry men.
2. He already has fish and bread prepared for them.
3. He KNEW exactly where they would be and when! After all, He IS JESUS!!!
4. The disciples are pretty freaked out!
5. No one asks, “Who are you.” They have figured it out!
6. But they eat what Jesus gives them.
7. No conversation is recorded….

1. Jesus takes care of business with Peter.
2. Peter, as we saw last week, is a broken man.
3. Jesus sets about to fix this!
4. To do this, Jesus takes Peter for a walk (vs 20) and asks some hard questions.
5. Like a surgeon, Jesus has to cut so Peter can heal.

John 21:15-22 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 

     16   He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 

     17   He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.

1. “Do you love me more than these?
2. Not long before this, Peter had boasted “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
3. Now, Peter doesn’t know WHO he really is or what he’s made of
4. He thought he knew, but that Simon, the one called Peter, the Rock, has been destroyed.
5. He’s gone back to fishing, but what is he truly meant to do?
6. Peter THOUGHT he knew who he was and what he would do… now he’s not so sure.
7. Jesus asked Peter “do you love me more than these?”
8. The unspoken words Jesus is saying are these: “You boasted that you’d stick with me no matter what. How did that turn out?”
9. Jesus used the Greek word for “Love in spite of.” Agape.
10. Peter responds with the Greek word for friendship… Phileo.. Brotherly love.
11. Jesus tells him “Tend my lambs.”
12. Jesus is telling Peter that there’s a way back.
13. Jesus is telling him that he can be forgiven.
14. Jesus is telling Peter, “I still have a job for you to do.
15. Jesus then asks Peter again, “Do you love me?”
16. Again, Jesus uses the word for the kind of love God has for us. Agape
17. Again, Peter responds with the kind of love one has for a good friend. Phileo..
18. Again, Jesus tells Peter that He still has a job for him to do. “Shepherd my sheep.”
19. Again, a third time, Jesus asks “Do you love me?” But this time, Jesus does not use the word for “love in spite of,” Agape. Instead, he uses the word Phileo, that Peter has been using.
20. It’s like Jesus is asking, Peter, do you even love as you would a close friend?
21. This question cuts Peter to the core. He was broken before, now Peter is shattered into a million tiny pieces.
22. You can almost hear the pain in Peter’s response: “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
23. Again, Peter uses the word for brotherly love. Phileo
24. Again, Jesus reminds Peter that there is still a job for him to do. “Tend My sheep”

1. Jesus tells Peter a bit about what lies ahead for him; the price of discipleship.
2. Jesus knows that Peter is ready to get back to work!

     18   “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” 

     19   Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He *said to him, “Follow Me!” 

     20   Peter, turning around, *saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 

     21   So Peter seeing him *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” 

     22   Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” 

1. Peter, you’re going to get old!
2. It won’t be pretty!
3. Other people will help you get dressed.
4. They will take you where THEY think you should go.
5. But John tells us about what Jesus meant when He said this.
6. Peter isn’t going to go out in a “blaze of glory.” He’s going to die as an old man who needs the help of others to get along.
7. Perhaps Peter was martyred, but if he was it was as an old man.
8. This must have been a hard pill for “independent Peter” to swallow.
9. For Peter, this was the cost of being a disciple of Jesus.
10. He is going to “Glorify God” by being faithful till he dies as an old man.
11. Jesus says “FOLLOW ME!”
12. Peter sees John and wants to know, “What about him?”
13. Jesus basically says “That’s none of your business! “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
14. “Don’t worry about the job I have for someone else, do the job I give you!”
15. We, with the benefit of being able to read the rest of the New Testament, know that Peter truly did return to following Jesus with everything he had in him.
16. Peter preaches the first Christian Sermon on the day of Pentecost.
17. The Holy Spirit does great miracles through Peter.
18. Peter preaches to the first Gentiles to become Christians.
19. Peter writes I Peter, and II Peter.
20. Peter serves his Lord for his entire life!
21. Peter “Tends the Lord’s lambs.”
22. Peter “shepherds the Lord’s sheep.”
23. Peter “tends the Lord’s sheep.”

Conclusion: What can we learn from Peter’s encounter with Jesus at the fire?

• At some point we have, or will, all “crash and burn” like Peter did.
• It may not be as big or as public as Peters’.
• It won’t get written about in the Bible. (That’s a relief….)
• But it WILL HAPPEN!
• The important thing after we fall apart, is that we let Jesus put us back together again!
• One of the most comforting verses in the Bible is this: 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• If we truly repent, we WILL be forgiven!
• From Peter today, we should also learn that God’s plan for me will be different from God’s plan for you!
• I may look at your life and say “that guy has it made!”
• You may look at my life and say the same thing.
• Jesus has different jobs for different people.
• Unless someone tells you, it’s unlikely you’ll ever really know their struggles.
• Their “easy path” may not be as easy as you think!
• Easy or hard, Jesus calls to all of us,

FOLLOW ME! Will you?