“Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.” John 21:12-14
Peter’s heart is breaking. He so wants to be right with the Lord, to be restored to his former place of fellowship and service. Yet he knows his sin was heinous and inexcusable. He does not deserve to be be restored, the Lord even said he should be denied before God. He knows his situation is dire – the Lord has not yet spoken to him.
His heart is ripped between sorrow and longing. Despite squandering His great desire to be a disciple of Christ, perhaps he can be one of the Lord’s slaves – it would be far better than the agony he feels in his soul at this point. So despite foolishly denying the Lord, when he sees Jesus his great desire is to be as close to Him as he can get.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” The Lord issues a simple command. Bring some of you fish and place them on the fire as well. Do the disciples see what the the Lord is saying to then? – they are to join with Him, He wants fellowship
with them. They can still serve Him. He will work through them! But wait, does that apply to Peter?
Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land When Peter hears the Lord’s words he acts. If he can’t be a disciple he can be a slave and slaves obey. So Peter leaves the disciples and hurries to do the Lord’s bidding. God’s word says he dragged (pulled with effort) the nets. In this act we get a glimpse of how Peter’s heart is changing. The one who argued with the Lord and with the other disciples about who was greatest is now willing to serve the Lord in anyway he can. When a believer recognizes his sin, he is humbled to the core. The one who wanted to be the greatest now takes the place of the lowest slave.
Full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three John tells us why it took great force to pull the net. It was filled with 153 large fish. There are many attempts to explain what the number 153 means. None of these explanations really resonate so we will have to wait until we get to heaven for the Lord to explain to us His intended meaning. But there is still a message to be taken from this phrase. Peter sees the fish and he must be reminded that God provided this great catch. Fishing can be a lucrative business – the large catch has great value. So Peter is reminded that to leave the Lord’s calling and go back to his profession could be very lucrative (but only if the Lord blesses). Second as Peter looked at those fish he would be reminded that the Lord called him to leave this business and become a “fisher of men”. Would the appeal of being a successful fisherman lose its luster in light of what the Lord called him to be? Earthly things lose their appeal when compared to eternal treasure. Although there were so many, the net was not broken John records an amazing observation. When the Lord provided the catch, the fisherman’s nets, which were prone to tear and break, remained in one piece. The Greek word for broken “schizó” describes physical actions such as the tearing of cloth or the splitting of rocks, as well as
metaphorical breaking, such as divisions among people or within communities. As Peter pulled this great catch onto shore and to the Lord did he get God’s message? There is a division between him and the Lord. He must choose whose net he wants to labor over – his, which caught nothing, or the Lord’s, which is full of blessing. “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”