Appearing to Seven

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of
Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were
there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael
from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other
disciples.

Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat,
but they caught nothing all night.

At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples
couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you
caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.
Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the
boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in
the net because there were so many fish in it.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic
(for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed
to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded
net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from
shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them
—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So
Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There
were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of
the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was
the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This
was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had
been raised from the dead.

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John,
do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Jesus repeated the question:
“Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love
me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He
said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

“I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to
do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you
wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your
hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t
want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of
death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved
—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and
asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What 

about him, Lord?”

Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what
is that to you? As for you, follow me.” So the rumor spread
among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t
die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him
to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has
recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things
is accurate.

Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down,
I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would
be written.
‭‭John‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬-‭25‬ (‭NLT)