John - Chapter 21

¹ Later on, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this:

² Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together.

³ Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing.' They replied, 'We'll come with you.' They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

⁴ When it was already light, there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.

⁵ Jesus called out, 'Haven't you caught anything, friends?' And when they answered, 'No,'

⁶ he said, 'Throw the net out to starboard and you'll find something.' So they threw the net out and could not haul it in because of the quantity of fish.

⁷ The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord.' At these words, 'It is the Lord,' Simon Peter tied his outer garment round him (for he had nothing on) and jumped into the water.

⁸ The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net with the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

⁹ As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it.

¹⁰ Jesus said, 'Bring some of the fish you have just caught.'

¹¹ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken.

¹² Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.' None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, 'Who are you?'. They knew quite well it was the Lord.

¹³ Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.

¹⁴ This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

¹⁵ When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.'

¹⁶ A second time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He replied, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Look after my sheep.'

¹⁷ Then he said to him a third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt that he asked him a third time, 'Do you love me?' and said, 'Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.

¹⁸ In all truth I tell you, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.'

¹⁹ In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, 'Follow me.'

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them -- the one who had leant back close to his chest at the supper and had said to him, 'Lord, who is it that will betray you?'

²¹ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, 'What about him, Lord?'

²² Jesus answered, 'If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.'

²³ The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, 'He will not die,' but, 'If I want him to stay behind till I come.'

²⁴ This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ There was much else that Jesus did; if it were written down in detail, I do not suppose the world itself would hold all the books that would be written.

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