The Preparation (John 21:4-19)

This is John 21:4–19:

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” 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 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15 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, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him 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, “Tend 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

I guess I always say this, but I am really excited about our study for this year of these 5-Minute Bible Studies. We're going to be spending this year in the book of Acts in the New Testament. And the reason that I chose to do Acts is because the book of Acts is the New Testament equivalent of the book of Exodus, which we did last year. In Exodus, we see the beginning of the nation of Israel, by means of the Passover, shedding of blood that freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. In Acts, we see the beginning of the church that is result of another Passover lamb, Jesus, and the shedding of his blood. They're both stories of transitional historical beginnings.

But you can't really understand Acts, particularly the radical beginning of the story of Acts, unless you understand the end of the gospel of John. And I just love this final story. You have to realize that everything that happens in Acts is rooted in what happens in this moment. This last vignette in John, with Jesus and his disciples, is a passage about the nature of redeeming grace. You see, your security as a Christian is not based on your faithfulness, but on the eternal faithfulness of your Savior. Jesus had laid a claim to these men, his disciples, and he was not about to let them go, no matter how scared they were, no matter if they had forsaken their calling and gone back to their previous occupation. Jesus loved them, and in a moment when they turned away, he pursued them. I mean, it's a passage about the power of God's love.

I mean, think about this. When someone rejects you, what is your first response? Do you want to bless them? Do you want to provide for them? Do you want to forgive them? Do you wish them well? See, God's love is not like our love. Jesus is on the shore making breakfast for the men in his inner circle who had forsaken him and the work he had chosen them to do. He's not on the shore to judge them, but to show them his unbroken love. This is a passage of restoring grace. It's not only Peter who needs to be restored, but all of the disciples—all of them have given up! All of them had run away from their calling.

It's a passage about providing grace. They encounter Jesus on the shore of the Galilee and what is he doing? And it's crazy, he's making them breakfast. And the 153 fish that he enabled them to catch in their net, was a sign of his continuing commitment to lavishly provide for them everything they needed.

This is a passage about forgiveness. Jesus' encounter with Peter is particularly precious. Peter's denial of Jesus was predicted, but he was too proud to listen. His denial was personal, and it was public. But here is Jesus in a beautiful moment of forgiveness, calling Peter back.

This is a passage about renewing grace. These guys may have thought they were done with Jesus, but he was not done with them. He looked at them and saw the people that he would entrust the message of the gospel to and the task of building his church. By the way, this very same restoring, providing, forgiving, and renewing grace is yours in Jesus. All of this is preparation for the amazing events that were to come and that are recorded for us and preserved for us in the book of Acts!

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

1. Have you ever thought or wondered if God was done with you for any particular reason? How has that line of thought prevented you from experiencing your relationship with God on a deeper, more impactful level?

2. Pause and think for a moment about how God has been gracious in providing for you. It could be in little daily things or larger grand things in your life. How has the Lord’s provision surprised you in the past? How has it given you a more robust understanding of God’s lavish provision for your needs?

3. In what ways have you experienced God’s forgiveness to the point that it has renewed you? Changed your behavior? Impacted the way you extend forgiveness to others? Restored your relationships with others?

4. How has God used the element of forgiveness in your life to lead you to ministry opportunities you never would have otherwise had the opportunity to engage with? Why is forgiveness such a vital part of the Christian experience, both vertically with God and horizontally with other people?

Conversation Prompts to Use with Children

For Younger Children:

1. Why do you think God’s love is such an important part of life?

2. Why is forgiveness something that every person in the world needs? Why do you need forgiveness? Why is it important to offer forgiveness to others?

3. How has God provided for you and me? Let’s think about a few of the ways he has provided for us and then thank him for his kindness and love to us.

For Older Children:

1. Why do you think Christians talk so much about God’s forgiveness? Why is forgiveness such an important part of what it means to be human?

2. How has forgiveness helped you to understand God more deeply?

3. What do you think the term “God’s provision” means? How has God provided for you in the past? How is he providing for you right now? How have you seen him provide for others close to you?