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Commentaries
English
John
  
5. Jesus appears by the lake
(John 21:1-25)

a) The miraculous catch of fishes
(John 21:1-14)
1After this, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way.2Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples were together.3Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.


After his resurrection, Jesus enjoined his disciples to go to Galilee, their home district, adjoining Lake Tiberias. He as the Good Shepherd would precede them and meet them there, but his love for them meant that he appeared to them sooner, while they were in Jerusalem to calm their fears. This is when on Sunday evening after the Passover, he saluted them with Peace divine, and sent them to evangelize the world (Mark 16:7; Matthew 28:10).
So, did the disciples, after his commission to catch men, respond to his command? Did the miracle of Resurrection change their thinking, so that they hastened to evangelize the world with the message of eternal life, appearing in him? Sadly, no. They reverted to their old tasks and split up into groups, some alone, others in partnership of fishermen.
One evening, Peter set out to fish, saying to his friends, "I go a fishing." He left them to decide whether or not to follow. They joined him to the shore, embarked on a boat and rowed to the middle of the lake. They cast their net many times, exhausted all night long, but caught nothing. They forgot Jesus saying, "Without me, you can do nothing."