John Calvin Commentary John 21:3

"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat; and that night they took nothing." — John 21:3 (ASV)

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.