John 21 Round Two: Epilogue, The Beginning

A quiet beach. An empty net. A crackling charcoal fire. John 21 opens with ordinary work and ends with extraordinary grace, and we walk the shoreline step by step to see why it still speaks to every season of our lives. We break down the forty-day window after the resurrection, why the disciples returned to fishing, and how simple obedience to a voice from shore turned a fruitless night into a net-busting miracle.

From there, we move to the heart of the chapter: breakfast with Jesus and the restoration of Peter. Three questions mirror three denials, not to shame but to heal, and each answer unlocks a commission—feed, shepherd, feed. Love for Jesus becomes love for people. We also talk through the prophetic hint at Peter’s costly future and the subtle trap of comparison when Peter asks, “What about him?” Jesus’ answer—“As for you, follow me”—cuts through the noise and gives us a compass for calling in any context.

Along the way, we highlight the rich textures of the text: the significance of fishing at night in Galilee, why the count of 153 large fish matters to eyewitnesses, and how John’s closing line—too many deeds for the world to contain—pushes us from information to transformation. If you’re carrying regret, guilt, or that lingering sense of being disqualified, you’ll find a clear path back: confession, forgiveness, and a fresh start anchored in the power of Jesus’ name. Listen, reflect, and then join our community conversation as we launch into what’s next.

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The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Today’s Focus
• 0:46 Community And Listener Question
• 1:28 Setting The Forty-Day Scene
• 2:46 Occupy Until He Leads
• 3:10 The Night Of Empty Nets
• 4:03 Miracle Catch And Breakfast
• 5:25 Peter Restored Three Times
• 6:35 Follow Me, Not Comparison
• 7:34 More Deeds Than Books Could Hold
• 8:28 Invitation To Confess And Be Free
• 11:53 Prayer And Final Encouragement

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. Every day, we take one chapter of the Bible, dig deeper, and discover that the more we dig, the more we find. You can find out more at the BibleBreakdown.com. Now let's grow in God's word together. Well, everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, John chapter 21, the grand finale or the beginning, depending on how you look at it. And if I were to give this one a title, it would be the epilogue, the beginning of the rest. I mean, just this is going to be amazing. I love this. I love that Jesus calls us where we are. So we're going to jump into that in just a moment. But as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like this video. If you're watching on YouTube, if you're listening to the podcast or my favorites, make sure you're leaving us a five-star review. It really does help us get the word out. And I tell you who my real favorites are: the ones that go to our Facebook group at the Bible Breakdown Discussion and let me know how God is moving in your life as we're reading God's word together. And I've got a question for you. If Jesus were to make you a meal, what would it be? What's your favorite meal? We get to see Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples. Is that, I mean, that blows my mind, right? But I'm curious. If Jesus were to make you a meal, what would it be? What's your favorite meal? I want you to let me know on the Bible breakdown discussion, and we're going to jump into this. Now, this is after Jesus has been with them. The Bible says in different places, and according to the way we can break all this down, from the moment of Jesus being resurrected to the moment that he ascends into heaven is roughly about 40 days. And so for about 40 days, he's appearing to the disciples. So this idea that Jesus rose again and then just disappeared is not what happened. He actually was there for a few days until he ascends into heaven. And then just a few uh days later, the Holy Spirit descends, and the rest we know about when we get to the book of Acts. So there's one of these moments where Jesus appears and he gives them their next steps. So I want you to imagine. Jesus has risen again. He says, receive the Holy Spirit. I'm going to use you to make a difference around the world, but you don't quite know what that's going to look like. So what do you do? You just sit there and wait. What do you do? Well, imagine you lived in a culture where there was no, you know, like if you live in the United States, there was no social safety net where you can just sit there and just wait and, you know, whatever. Your business is hand to mouth, a lot of it. Well, you have to find a way to make a living until the Lord gives you your next step. And so that's what these disciples are doing, is they are making a living, doing what they know to do until they receive their next step from the Lord. Some people read this as though they'd almost given up on God and went back to what they were doing. I don't think so at all. I think they were doing what he says in other places where he says, occupy until I come. And so already, this wonderful lesson for all of us is that if Jesus has called you to something, occupy until he gives you the next step. Because if he has called you, he will all also open the right doors for you. So let's jump into this and see what God's Word has for us. If you have your NLT Bible, open it up with me to John chapter 21. Let's read about the greatest fishing story ever. Verse 1. Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there. Simon, Peter, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and the other and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, I'm going fishing. Well, we'll come to, they all said. And they all went out into the boat, but they caught nothing all night. Now pause real quick. The reason why they fished all night was because of the landscape and the part of the world they lived in. It was so hot that fish would many times go way down deep during the day. But then when it was cooler at night, they would come up closer to the surface and they would use nets to catch fish. So they would fish at night when it was cooler, but they didn't catch anything. Verse 4, at dawn, Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was. They 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 fish. So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Now, that's a double miracle, because number one, Jesus has already done this before. Number two, the fish are supposed to be already moving toward the bottom of the ocean. So it's a complete total miracle, or see. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, It's the Lord. And when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic, for he had stripped it off for work, and jumped into the water and headed to shore. The others stayed on the boat and pulled the load, uh pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. And 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. And there were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't torn. Now, two things about that. Number one is you know this was a true fisherman. John was also a fisherman, and he was so proud that they had caught that many fish. And he was like, We had 153 large fish. I mean, that sounds just like a fisherman, but it's also the idea that if an average net would only hold about 75 fish, he was like, There was no business for this net not to bust. So not only was it the wrong time of the day, not only was it bizarre, but also even the net was miraculous. John's just gushing about it, right? All right, verse 12. Now come and have some breakfast. So none of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you? Because they knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to the 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? Well, yes, Lord, Peter replied, you know I love you. Then feed my lambs, Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question. Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Well, yes, Lord, Jesus said. Or Peter said, You know I love you, then take care of my sheep. The third time he asked him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt that Jesus had asked the question a third time and he said, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. And Jesus said, Then feed my sheep. And you know what I love about that? Peter had denied Jesus three times. And Jesus restored Peter three times. He gave him three times to acknowledge him. I love that about Jesus. Is no matter how many times we may deny him, Jesus always gives us a way back. I love that so much. Verse 18, 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 were 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 death he will glorify God. By the way, most scholars agree Peter was crucified. He's crucified upside down. That's why leading you where you don't want to go is a sign of being in prison, and stretching out his hands is crucifixion. Jesus told him, Follow me. Verse 20. Peter turned around and saw behind him the disciple Jesus loved, the one who had leaned over to Jesus during the 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 these events and has recorded them here. And we know that this account of these things is accurate. Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could could not contain the books that would be written. I love that idea that Jesus did so many things. But John is saying the goal of this gospel was not to tell you every single thing that Jesus did, because the whole world couldn't contain the books. I want you to get the message. And the message is Jesus is God. And as we've been reading this over the past 21 days, I hope you've gotten a glimpse of that. That Jesus is amazing and Jesus is awesome. Jesus is so much more than that. The Bible says in John chapter 1 that in the beginning was the Word, which was a metaphor for Jesus. When all of this is gone, there will still be Jesus. And isn't it amazing that that Jesus loves all of us? And as we get ready to end together, I love that idea of Peter when Jesus needed him the most, in in one way of looking at it, denied him. Denied him three times at a moment when he could have made good his promise. Jesus, if I have to die with you, I would never deny you. And then three times he denied him. What I love about Jesus is he came back to him and he gave him a chance to make it right. Yes, Lord. Do you love me? Yes, Lord. Do you love me? You know everything, Lord. You know I love you. Of course you do, Peter. Follow me. I love that so much. And can I tell you, no matter how many mistakes you make, how many sins you commit, Jesus always provides a way back. Notice he put him right back in the community. Follow me. No matter what you've done, no matter where you've gone, Jesus still loves you. And right now, even where you are, maybe you've been reading this with me, but there's something inside of you. There's there's a conviction in your heart. Jesus is asking you to come closer. He's drawing you to himself. But there's something standing in the way. Maybe a sin that you committed, or maybe a guilt of something you committed. You asked for his forgiveness, but it's in the way. Can I tell you? Jesus loves you so much. He's not ashamed of you. He loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to let you stay that way. You know what else I know? Is that the Holy Spirit only reveals what he intends to heal. So if the Lord has been filling you with joy and everything is good, the man will celebrate that. But if you are listening to this and you feel a drawing, I want you to take a moment when we finish our prayer. And instead of moving on with whatever it is that you do with the rest of your day, maybe confess something to him. Maybe ask him for guidance. But whatever you do, don't let that remain. Confess it to the Lord because the Bible says in 1 John 1.9, if we confess our sin to him, he is faithful and just and will wash away all of our sin. And then Romans 8.1 says, then there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. So this is what you do. You say, Jesus, if there is anything in my life that stands between me and you, or if you know what it is, say, I want to confess this thing to you, then you say, I confess it. I ask you to forgive me, wash it away, thank you for forgiving me, and then walk away free. Don't let the enemy hold it against you anymore. Because the Bible says that we overcome the enemy by the power of the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Be free in Jesus' name. Let's pray. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you for the gospel of John because it reveals who you are. God, we don't worship the Bible. We reverse, we worship the God of the Bible. And God's word reveals God. And you revealed yourself to us. I pray that, Lord, you will help us walk closer to you every day. And the more we dig, the more we'll always find, because the unsearchable riches of your grace is always before us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Don't forget, the reason why this has been written is that you would believe that Jesus is God and that by believing in him, you have life by the power of his name. I hope you experience some of that power in your life today. I cannot wait because tomorrow begins Deuteronomy chapter one.