“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.”
John 21:12 (NLT)
After Peter abandons the boat and swims to shore, the others drag the net in behind him—unbroken, heavy with 153 large fish. It’s an incredible catch. But the real miracle is waiting on shore. Jesus is already there. A charcoal fire. Fish cooking. Bread prepared. After a long night of work, Jesus serves them breakfast.
This is the same Jesus who once washed their feet, taking the lowest position to teach them how to love. Now, after the resurrection, He stoops again. He doesn’t just correct their aim or restore their success—He feeds them. Even though they aren’t where He told them to be, doing what He told them not to do, He meets them with provision instead of rebuke.
Jesus had already called them out of the fishing business at the beginning of their ministry. He had told them to wait in the city for power from heaven. Yet He shows up anyway—guiding their nets, filling them with abundance, and cooking them breakfast. This is how He teaches them to feed His sheep: love them, care for them, forgive them, even when they miss it.
The 153 fish matter too. It’s believed to represent every kind of fish in the Sea of Galilee—a reminder to Peter that being a fisher of men means every kind of person. Every nation. Every neighbor. While the disciples are back fishing, Jesus is already reminding them who they’re called to reach.
And when the miracle happens, no one has to ask who He is. They know. His power makes it unmistakable. When Jesus moves, when provision shows up, when the impossible happens through people who aren’t qualified, prepared, or capable—it’s clear who did it. The point is never the fish. The point is that we know it was the Lord.