John Calvin Commentary John 21

After these things Jesus manifested himself again. The Evangelist still labors to prove the resurrection of Christ and relates that He appeared to seven disciples, among whom he mentions Thomas—not so much out of respect for him, as because his testimony ought to be more readily believed in proportion to the obstinacy of his unbelief.

The Evangelist enters into sufficient detail, for he carefully collects all the circumstances that contribute to proving the truth of the history. We have previously mentioned that the Lake of Tiberias, according to the Hebrew custom, is called the Sea of Tiberias.

I am going to fish. That Peter gave his attention to fishing, should not be regarded as inconsistent with his office. By breathing on him, Jesus had ordained him to be an Apostle, as we saw a little earlier; but he abstained from the exercise of the apostleship for a short time, until he would be clothed with new power.

For he had not yet been instructed to appear in public to discharge his teaching office, but had only been reminded of his future calling, so that he and the others might understand that they had not been chosen in vain from the beginning. Meanwhile, they do what they were accustomed to doing, and what pertained to men in private life.

It is true that Paul, in the midst of his work as a preacher, earned his living by his own hands, but this was for a different reason; for his time was so arranged that the work of his hands did not take him away from teaching. Peter and his companions, on the other hand, devote themselves entirely to fishing, because they are not hindered from doing so by any public employment.

And that night they caught nothing. God permitted them to toil fruitlessly during the whole night, to prove the truth of the miracle. For if they had caught anything, what followed immediately afterward would not have so clearly manifested the power of Christ. But when, after having toiled unsuccessfully during the whole night, they are suddenly favored with a large catch of fish, they have good reason to acknowledge the goodness of the Lord.

In the same way, God also often tests believers, so that he may lead them to value his blessing more highly. If we were always prosperous whenever we put our hand to labor, hardly anyone would attribute the success of their efforts to God's blessing; all would boast of their own industry and would kiss their hands.

But when they sometimes labor and torment themselves to no avail, if they happen to succeed better afterward, they are compelled to acknowledge something out of the ordinary. As a result, they begin to ascribe the praise for their prosperity and success to the goodness of God.

Cast the net on the right side of the ship. Christ does not command with authority and power as Master and Lord, but gives advice like one of the people; and the disciples, being at a loss what to do, readily obey him, though they did not know who he was.

If, before the first casting of the net, anything of this sort had been said to them, they would not have so quickly obeyed. I mention this, so that no one may wonder that they were so submissive, for they had already been worn out by long and useless toil.

Yet it was no small proof of patience and perseverance that, though they had labored unsuccessfully during the whole night, they continue their toil after the return of daylight. And, indeed, if we wish to allow an opportunity for the blessing of God to descend on us, we ought constantly to expect it; for nothing can be more unreasonable than to withdraw the hand immediately from labor, if it does not give promise of success.

That Simon Peter was naked is a proof that the disciples had labored in earnest; and yet they do not hesitate to cast the net again to make another trial, so that they may not neglect any opportunity. Their obedience to the command of Christ cannot be ascribed to faith, for they hear him speak as a person who was unknown to them. Now, if we dislike our calling because the labor which we undertake appears to be unproductive, yet, when the Lord exhorts us to steadiness and perseverance, we ought to take courage; in the end we shall obtain a happy result, but it will be at the proper time.

And now they were not able to draw it Christ here exhibited two proofs of his Divine power. The first consisted in their taking so large a draught of fishes; and the second was, when, by his concealed power, he preserved the net whole, which otherwise must unavoidably have been broken in pieces. Other circumstances are mentioned, namely, that the disciples find burning coals on the shore, that fishes are laid on them, and that bread is also prepared. As to the number of the fishes, we ought not to look for any deep mystery in it. Augustine enters into ingenious reasonings about the statement of the number, and says that it denotes the Law and the Gospel; but if we examine the matter carefully, we shall find that this is childish trifling.

Therefore the disciple whom Jesus loved says to Peter. The Evangelist shows, by his example, that it is our duty to raise our hearts to God whenever we succeed in anything beyond our expectation. We ought instantly to remember that this act of kindness has flowed from the favor of Him who is the Author of every blessing.

That holy recognition of the grace of God, which dwelt in the heart of John, also led him to the knowledge of Christ; for he did not perceive Christ with his eyes, but being convinced that the great multitude of fishes had been brought to him by the hand of God, he concluded that it was Christ who had guided his hands.

But, as John precedes Peter in faith, so Peter afterwards excels him in zeal, when he throws himself into the lake, disregarding personal danger. The rest follow in the ship. True, all eventually come to Christ, but Peter is driven by a special zeal compared to the others.

Whether he crossed over to the shore by walking or by swimming, is uncertain; but let us be satisfied with knowing that his act of leaving the ship and going ashore was not the result of folly and rashness, but rather showed that he advanced beyond the others in proportion to his zeal.

Bring some of the fishes which you have now caught. Though the net was filled in a moment, without any great labor on their part, yet the taking of them is not ascribed by Christ to the disciples.

Thus, we call the bread which we daily eat, OUR bread, and yet, by asking that it may be given to us, we acknowledge that it proceeds from the blessing of God, (Matthew 6:11).