Fishing Guide

Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group. 
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 1-12)
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 13-26)
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 27-34)

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8:40 Service | 10:00 Service | 11:20 Service | Sermon Audio

We have arrived at the last chapter in the Gospel of John—chapter 21. You might think this whole thing should have ended last week—in chapter 20. Because Jesus had risen from the dead; he had appeared to his disciples a couple of times; and the chapter ends with that clear purpose statement that we’ve quoted throughout this series: 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. That seems like the perfect ending! But it’s not. Why is there one more chapter?

Well, because Jesus has not yet told his disciples what their mission is. He’s told them how they should treat each other—they should wash each other’s feet and be willing to lay down their lives for each other and love one another, because that’s how people will know they’re his disciples. He’s told them that when he’s gone he’ll send the Holy Spirit to empower them. He’s told them that just as the Father sent him into the world, he’s now sending them into the world. But what exactly is he sending them to do? What does it mean for us as a church, and what does it mean for you, as a person who follows Jesus, to continue the mission he started? 
That’s why we need chapter 21. In this last chapter, Jesus commissions his people to do two things. We’ll talk about the first thing this week, and we’ll talk about the second thing next week. 

True story: years ago, there was a man visiting Atlanta. This was back when people used the Yellow Pages. He was looking for a restaurant, and he saw a listing for the “Church of God Grill.” He was so curious that he called the number. And he said, “I just have to ask, how did you get that name?” The guy said, “We were a church, and money got tight so we started selling chicken dinners to make money. And over time, the church kept declining, but the chicken business was booming. So eventually we shut down the church, and we are now the Church of God Grill. Can I take your order?” That is a perfect example of “mission drift.” Drifting away from your original purpose and becoming something you were never meant to be. This last chapter of John protects us from mission drift.

So here we go—John 21, verses 1 through 14. This is God’s Word for us today…
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, 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.

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

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved 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. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, 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. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. This is the Word of the Lord.

This last chapter has a distinctly different vibe from what came before. After the heartbreak of the crucifixion and then the indescribable joy of seeing Jesus alive again, the emotional intensity has lowered to a more normal level. The weeklong Passover festival has ended, and the disciples have left Jerusalem and gone back home to Galilee. And one evening, a group of seven disciples are gathered together, not really sure what they’re supposed to do next.

So let’s talk first about The Call to Fishing. Peter says, “I’m going fishing.” Some people have jumped to the conclusion that this is a bad sign—that Peter is returning to his old life instead of continuing the work of Jesus. I disagree. These guys have to eat, and fishing is what they know. So Peter says, “I’m going fishing,” and the other guys join him—including “the sons of Zebedee,” which we know are James and John, who had been partners in Peter’s fishing business before being called by Jesus. They’re joined by Thomas and Nathanel, plus two unnamed disciples. So seven guys get into the fishing boat; most, if not all of them are experienced fishermen. 

By the way, back in 1986, in the Sea of Galilee, archaeologists found a fishing boat dated to the first Century; it looked like this: about 26 feet long, room for about 15 people. So this is probably the kind of boat they got into that night. Night was the preferred time for fishing—it yielded a better catch, and you could sell the fresh fish in the market the next morning. So they spend the night casting their nets into the sea, and they catch nothing. 

Raise your hand if you like to go fishing. Now: if you’ve ever gone fishing and caught nothing—if that’s ever happened to you—keep your hand raised. If anyone just lowered their hand, they are lying. In church! Because every fisherman knows what it’s like to have a dud of a fishing trip. I just got back from vacation at the Jersey Shore, and one morning I went fishing in the bay with my oldest son. We spent two hours getting bit by flies and chasing seagulls away from our bait bucket, and we caught zero. Every fisherman has been there. And that night on the Sea of Galilee there was lots of fishing; zero catching. They knew the lake well; they worked all their favorite spots; it’s just one of those nights. 

And early the next morning, they see a mysterious figure on the beach. It’s not fully light yet, and they’re about a hundred yards from the shore, so they can’t identify who it is. He shouts to them, “Don’t you have any fish?” They don’t know if that’s a genuine question, or if he’s mocking them; they say, “No—nothing.” 

He says, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” And for some reason they decide to humor the guy. Even though they’ve put away their net, they pull it out and throw it over the right side…and immediately the net goes tight. Peter says, “I’m going to need some help here…” and all of them pulling together can’t haul in the huge catch filling the net. Can you imagine the shock?

Now remember: they don’t yet know who this shadowy figure on the shore is. But later, when they realize it’s Jesus, I have to believe that Peter’s mind re-wound to three years earlier, when he met Jesus for the first time. Look at Matthew 4, verses 18 to 20: 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. So the very first words Jesus spoke to them were words about fishing. 

And in the three years since then, think of all the ways they’ve seen Jesus casting his nets toward people: there was Nicodemus the Pharisee, whom he basically told, “I don’t care how religiously accomplished you are; you have to be born again.” Jesus cast his net. There was the woman he met by the side of a well, who was trying to satisfy her spiritual thirst with men, and Jesus said, “If you drink the water I’ll give you, you’ll never thirst again.” He cast his net. There was the crippled man by the pool of Bethesda—remember—Jesus asked him, “Do you really want to get well?” He was casting his net. There was the man born blind, who received physical sight and spiritual sight, and in the end he said, “I don’t understand exactly how it happened, but I was blind, and then I met Jesus, and now I see.”

Story after story of Jesus fishing for people; some of them responded in faith, some didn’t. But Jesus has consistently engaged people in conversation, identified their spiritual need, and invited them to believe in him as the answer they’re looking for. That’s just what he did. And the disciples have been watching and learning, because great mentors know that important concepts are more “caught” than “taught.” 

So now, three years later, he again finds them at the Sea of Galilee, fishing. But instead of telling them to leave their nets and follow him—like he did the first time—he gives them incredible fishing success. Why would he do that? Because he never wants them to forget that their mission in this world is to follow his example of fishing for people. So let me make this super clear: as a church, and as individual followers of Jesus, if we are not consistently casting our nets and inviting people to believe the Gospel, we have drifted from our mission. We might as well go sell chicken

If you went out fishing with me, you would soon learn that I take pride in my casting. I would say, “You see that branch hanging over the water, about 40 feet away? I’m going to cast this lure and it’s going to skim over the surface of the water and wind up right under that branch.” And then I’ll hope that you’re watching so I can show off my casting expertise. Now, when I make that brilliant cast, I may or may not catch anything. But if I don’t cast—if I just sit in the boat—you know how many fish I’m going to catch? Zero. So if we’re out fishing together, I’m going to cast as much and as skillfully as I can, and after we come back in and tie up the boat, before we get in the car and drive away, I’m going to cast some more around the docks…because the only way to catch fish is to cast. 

So here’s what this means for you: if your life has been changed by Jesus, you’ve got to get casting. That doesn’t mean you explain the entire gospel message every time you’re with someone, but it does mean you’re always testing the waters (another good fishing analogy). Gauging spiritual receptivity. You find ways to let people know who you are—for me it’s easy, because I’m a pastor. So I look for any opportunity to tell people I’m a pastor. Sometimes that’s a conversation stopper, but sometimes there’s a spark of interest, and it leads to further conversation. What would it mean for you to let people know who you are? Maybe on Monday, you tell someone at work or school what you learned in church the day before. Or how you served with your small group. Or what you read in your Bible that morning. Or you offer to pray for someone. Or invite them to church. It says in Colossians 4, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.” Which is another way of saying, “Keep casting. Be so confident in the gospel that you’re always looking for ways to put it out there and see what God might do.”

In Kevin King’s book, Living out Loud, he writes this:

It’s about letting your love for God flow naturally into your everyday language. It’s about the freedom we have, as spiritual people, to bring spiritual things into our daily conversations. And as we speak, whether it’s comfortable or awkward in a given situation, God will use our words in incredible ways to draw people to himself.

Somebody has said that fishers of fish take something alive and they make it dead; but fishers of people take something dead and make it alive. I promise you this: if you never cast, you’ll never experience the joy of helping someone come alive in Christ. There is nothing like being part of that process. Our calling is to live a life of fishing.

As we do that, we have to remember this: The Secret of Fishing. So they pull in this incredible catch of 153 fish. Some people say, “That’s weird—why would they count the fish?” If you were a fisherman, you would never ask that question. You always know how many you caught; how big they were (and you never exaggerate). So Jesus gives them this huge catch because he wants to burn this experience into their minds. He never wants them to forget that the secret of fishing is to follow his lead and trust his power.
Let me say that again: the secret of fishing is to follow Jesus’ lead and trust his power.  

So follow his lead. When you’re with someone, and you feel like maybe you should engage them spiritually, don’t question it; just do it. Joni Eareckson-Tada talks about a practice that her husband, Ken, has. He calls it the “10 second rule.” Whenever he senses the Holy Spirit might be prompting him to say something about faith or Jesus, he doesn’t debate it; he acts within ten seconds. And his logic is, “Look, if I’m wrong—if it wasn’t really the Holy Spirit prompting me, what have I lost? It’s never a bad thing to talk about Jesus. But if I’m right, it could be life-changing.”

The secret of fishing is to follow Jesus’ lead and trust his power. So follow his lead.

And, trust his power. In John 15, Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” You can be the friendliest, most confident, most loving person in the world, and you can explain the gospel in the most persuasive way, and have spiritual impact on no one. Because apart from Jesus, you can do nothing. In John 5, Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws them.” So when it comes to evangelism, there is a spiritual dynamic happening beneath the surface that only God really knows. Which means: our responsibility is to cast…cast…cast—talk about our faith—ask people about their spiritual life—talk about Jesus—invite people—take risks—especially when we feel the Spirit’s prompting…but ultimately we know the results are up to God.
Last year I was in the Barnes & Noble in Woodland Park, waiting for my Starbucks order to be filled. I noticed a woman who was also there waiting for her order, and I saw that she was buying a Bible. And it was one of those moments I sensed Jesus saying, “Cast your net over there.” So I said, “Hey—can I ask you a question?” She said, “Sure.” I said, “Is that your first Bible? I’m a pastor, and I just heard that first-time Bible sales are way up in our country.” She said, “No—but I haven’t really understood the Bible in the past, and want to give it another try.” It turned out that she was a New York City police officer, and she was spiritually restless. She said, “I’m looking for a church—where’s your church?” So I told her about The Chapel. I thought that was the last I would hear from her. But a few weeks later she emailed me and she said, “I’ve been coming to your church for the past two weeks, and you guys have been talking a lot about baptism—I think I’m ready.” So last spring I had the joy of baptizing this person that I so easily could have walked right past—because God was moving in her heart, and I made the simple decision to speak up. 

Now: I’ll be honest: many other times, I’ll speak up and absolutely nothing happens…and that’s okay. I can sleep peacefully knowing that it’s God’s work, not mine.

The secret of fishing is to follow Jesus’ lead and trust his power.

But my favorite part of this passage is the last part. Let’s talk about The Goal of Fishing. As they start to haul in this huge catch of fish, John finally realizes who the mystery man on the shore is. “It’s the Lord!” When Peter hears that—classic Peter—he jumps in and starts swimming to shore. He can’t get to Jesus fast enough. 

And it’s so easy to miss it, but this is so significant: some time earlier there was a similar event where Jesus enabled Peter and his friends to pull in a huge catch of fish—it’s in Luke chapter 5. And in that event, Peter was so struck by his own sinfulness and unworthiness in the presence of Jesus, he said, “Go away from me, Lord! I’m a sinful man!” He felt this instinctive desire to distance himself from the holiness of Jesus. But since that time, Peter has learned that Jesus is not only holy; he’s also gracious and forgiving. In fact, it’s clear that by this time, Jesus has forgiven Peter for denying him. And when people exude grace, like Jesus did, they draw people like a magnet. 

So as soon as Peter realizes it’s Jesus, he jumps in and starts swimming. The other disciples follow in the boat. When they get to shore, they see a campfire, with fish and bread cooking on it. Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish you just caught, and come have breakfast.” I’m sure they’re starving after a night on the water, so they gather around the campfire, on the beach, they feel the warmth of the fire and they smell the bread and fish cooking over the coals, and share a meal with Jesus.
Because ultimately, the goal of fishing—the goal of evangelism—is not to change someone’s religion, or to get them baptized, or even to change someone’s eternal destiny, as important as that is. The goal is for people to experience fellowship with Jesus. 
Years later, the same John who wrote this Gospel would be exiled to the island of Patmos. And on that island he would get a Revelation from the risen Christ, which he was supposed to write down and give to the churches in that area. One of those messages he received was this—Revelation 3, verse 20: Jesus says—Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and (what does it say?) eat with that person, and they with me. In Middle Eastern culture, eating with someone meant more than just eating with someone. When you invited someone to share a meal with you, it meant you wanted a close friendship with them. That’s what Jesus wanted with them, and it’s what he wants with you. 

So he knocks. He won’t break down the door. The door to your heart only opens from one side. Every person has to choose. And every time we cast our nets, we are sharing the good news that Jesus is knocking. And if they will confess their sin and believe in him, yes—their sins will be forgiven, and yes—they’ll gain the assurance of heaven, but even more importantly, they will gain a friendship with Jesus. Jesus is saving a place around the campfire for them. We get to tell people: Jesus desires fellowship with you! A relationship! Where you enjoy his presence, and you learn to recognize his voice like a sheep knows their shepherd’s voice, and you get the joy of knowing he’ll never leave you. Even when that boyfriend breaks your heart to pieces; even when you wake up feeling that dread of anxiety and fear; even when you’re recovering in the hospital and nobody comes to visit you; even when all your friends are getting married and you can’t find anyone; even when your spouse dies and your heart aches every time you sit down for a meal by yourself; all those times in life when people fail you and life disappoints you…Jesus says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

When we talk to people about Jesus—when we go fishing—that’s what we’re inviting them to—not a new religion; a new relationship that will enrich every part of their life.  Just like the disciples experienced with Jesus around that campfire on that beach—when we cast our nets, we are inviting people to friendship with Jesus. There is nothing better. 

So as a church, and as individual followers of Christ, let’s never drift from the mission that Jesus has given us: to be fishers of people.  Grandparents: keep casting your nets with your grandkids. Parents: keep casting your nets with your kids. Even if it feels like they’re not listening, you might be surprised. Whoever you are: keep casting your nets with your friends and your family and people you meet in bookstores and coffee shops and school and work and the gym and the pickleball court. Follow Jesus’ lead; trust his power; and watch that circle around the campfire get bigger and bigger as Jesus continues to build his family.