Today Our Daily Bread John 21

( Scroll down to see ~ Olga’s Russian translation & Lena’s Comments~)
John 21
Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called 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 Simon Peter climbed aboard 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.
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." 18 Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" 22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" 24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
For Olga :-)
От Иоанна 21
1 После того опять явился Иисус ученикам Своим при море Тивериадском. Явился же так:
2 были вместе Симон Петр, и Фома, называемый Близнец, и Нафанаил из Каны Галилейской, и сыновья З еведеевы, и двое других из учеников Его. 3 Симон Петр говорит им: иду ловить рыбу. Говорят ему: идем и мы с тобою. Пошли и тотчас вошли в лодку, и не поймали в ту ночь ничего.
4 А когда уже настало утро, Иисус стоял на берегу; но ученики не узнали, что это Иисус. 5 Иисус говорит им: дети! есть ли у вас какая пища? Они отвечали Ему: нет. 6 Он же сказал им: закиньте сеть по правую сторону лодки, и поймаете. Они закинули, и уже не могли вытащить [сети] от множества рыбы.
7 Тогда ученик, которого любил Иисус, говорит Петру: это Господь. Симон же Петр, услышав, что это Господь, опоясался одеждою, --ибо он был наг, --и бросился в море. 8 А другие ученики приплыли в лодке, --ибо недалеко были от земли, локтей около двухсот, --таща сеть с рыбою. 9 Когда же вышли на землю, видят разложенный огонь и на нем лежащую рыбу и хлеб. 10 Иисус говорит им: принесите рыбы, которую вы теперь поймали. 11Симон Петр пошел и вытащил на землю сеть, наполненную большими рыбами, [которых было] сто пятьдесят три; и при таком множестве не прорвалась сеть. 12 Иисус говорит им: придите, обедайте. Из учеников же никто не смел спросить Его: кто Ты?, зная, что это Господь. 13 Иисус приходит, берет хлеб и дает им, также и рыбу. 14 Это уже в третий раз явился Иисус ученикам Своим по воскресении Своем из мертвых.
15 Когда же они обедали, Иисус говорит Симону Петру: Симон Ионин! любишь ли ты Меня больше, нежели они? [Петр] говорит Ему: так, Господи! Ты знаешь, что я люблю Тебя. [Иисус] говорит ему: паси агнцев Моих. 16 Еще говорит ему в другой раз: Симон Ионин! любишь ли ты Меня? [Петр] говорит Ему: так, Господи! Ты знаешь, что я люблю Тебя. [Иисус] говорит ему: паси овец Моих. 17 Говорит ему в третий раз: Симон Ионин! любишь ли ты Меня? Петр опечалился, что в третий раз спросил его: любишь ли Меня? и сказал Ему: Господи! Ты все знаешь; Ты знаешь, что я люблю Тебя. Иисус говорит ему: паси овец Моих.
18 Истинно, истинно говорю тебе: когда ты был молод, то препоясывался сам и ходил, куда хотел; а когда состаришься, то прострешь руки твои, и другой препояшет тебя, и поведет, куда не хочешь. 19 Сказал же это, давая разуметь, какою смертью [Петр] прославит Бога. И, сказав сие, говорит ему: иди за Мною.
20 Петр же, обратившись, видит идущего за ним ученика, которого любил Иисус и который на вечери, приклонившись к груди Его, сказал: Господи! кто предаст Тебя? 21 Его увидев, Петр говорит Иисусу: Господи! а он что?
22 Иисус говорит ему: если Я хочу, чтобы он пребыл, пока приду, что тебе [до того]? ты иди за Мною. 23 И пронеслось это слово между братиями, что ученик тот не умрет. Но Иисус не сказал ему, что не умрет, но: если Я хочу, чтобы он пребыл, пока приду, что тебе [до того]? 24 Сей ученик и свидетельствует о сем, и написал сие; и знаем, что истинно свидетельство его. 25 Многое и другое сотворил Иисус; но, если бы писать о том подробно, то, думаю, и самому миру не вместить бы написанных книг. Аминь.
Russian Synodal Version (RSV)
~Lena’s Comments ~
I wonder if the disciples were sad by Jesus’ death and not at a place where they remembered what he had told them it meant. Maybe they felt confused and were grieving and sorting through their mind why everything had happened. Maybe they wondered what all of this had been about and what their part in it was or was supposed to be now. Mankind is made to be workers, creators, inventors, and use their time. Their tendency at this time was to go back to what they always had done. Until questions are answered and understanding or direction is made clear this is where we find ourselves, doing what we do know to do. So they went fishing for fish to make $ in the way the earth finds its identity and purpose. For a brief time they’d forgotten that Jesus had taught them a different way to find their identity and purpose, that was in winning the souls of men and bringing them in to a relation that has been reconciled to Him. He had called this "Fishing for men" when he was there calling them into a new place of working, not only for earthly money and purposes, but for God’s kingdom and for kingdom purposes. At this moment they were being reminded of the Lord of the power in His voice, the voice that called them into a different way of living. They were being reminded of His power, the power that changes a heart, and they were reminded of the miraculous, that takes whatever we are doing and brings great increase to its work. IF we are working with Him in what we are doing. Jesus was also so gracious to give them a visible reminder of who he’d been training them to be, fishers of men and feeders of men. He was faithful to teach by doing and showing them the way. He knew they were possibly sad and had a moment of lost focus, so he helped them do their work and then he prepared a meal for them to eat. In this place where He led them to rest by serving them, He helped refresh them to His words once again. Just reminders of who he is, who they are and what their purposes in God were. These elements make it very easy to follow Him!Jesus is so beautifully wise and so loving. He leads us to see where we are at, to show us where He’d like for us to go and to help us see how to get there. The Hebrew language expresses this dissertation so clearly.
Jesus is actually asking Peter if he is willing to love with the kind of love Jesus had just demonstrated at the cross. (Remember Peter had just denied the Lord when he’d seen the threat of the cross)
Peter in his prideful manly nature said- Of course you know I love you that way! Peter had a moment of longing in His heart and felt the drawing of God spirit once again in the presence of Jesus. (God’s awesome presence does cause us to want to be all God wants us to be- this is the key to getting into His presence daily, if we don’t we lose that wonderfully drawing presence and we find it hard to make it through each day. We then live – barely live – from Sunday to Sunday, where we run back to find that presence again) Anyway, Peter blurted out his heartfelt desire and goal, but Jesus’ presence caused Peter to be able to see himself where he was at, in comparison to the awesomeness of God’s presence right there at that moment. So Jesus asked Him again, if he REALLY did love Him enough to give his life for Him. Peter confessed that his love was not yet that mature and that he wanted it to be, but right now it was only the kind of love people have for friends. Jesus accepted Peter as a disciple and was going to make Peter an Apostle, a father of the faith of others, even when his love was not yet matured. Jesus was saying to him, I want you to see where you are right now and from where you are right now I want you to go ahead and work the work of My kingdom, but I also want you to see that in order to work that work in the best way possible, you’ll have to follow Me. Do what I did, and seek me continually, because I’m the one who is making you a father of nations of people. Without this strong godly love you could not do it. You can’t do it if you only have the love a friend has for a friend. That love will not keep you to the end, where people who are weak, as you were weak, might deny you, might turn you over to tormentors, might leave you. Only My love, which has no conditions will be able to take you all the way through to the end of the purposes I have for you to fulfill. You’ll have to love me as much as I loved my Father in order to have children who will also love you enough to follow you, be fed by you and feed others the same meal too.
The last few verses are so important to me. It is like Jesus is saying that as we follow God and Christ we follow alone. We base the decisions we make upon the purposes we know ourselves before God. We cannot live out our faith because someone else does or does not have faith. If we follow their faith, what will happen if their faith fails? Then our faith also will fail. What if their faith gets strong or weak or dies? Our faith cannot be dependant on others and what they do or do not do. We must walk the walk God has called us to before God and not waiver no matter what others choose to do about it or not. That will help us know what unconditional love is about and how it is lived out. Lets’ leave the judgements to God.