Q1. Finding Fish

[Pastor Ralph]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples?

[JanMary]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat?

 

He wanted to reveal Himself to them as their resurrected Lord, their source of power and provision. He "stayed" the fish all night (as He "stayed" the eyes of the disciples on the road to Emmaus in the same way. In that situation it was so that they would "recognize Him in the scriptures" rather than by sight, as we must do.) He had built a fire in preparation for the enormous school of fish He had prepared for them to catch at His direction. He would now recomission them as fishers of men.

 

Why did the disciples obey? What was the result?

 

They had fished all night with no result....why not try the suggestion? It was morning already..what did they have to lose?

 

What impression did it make on the disciples?

 

Exactly what Jesus intended! First John recognizes Jesus and tells Peter "It is Jesus!" Peter swims to shore with his tunic on. (I believe that Jesus has already appeared to Peter and restored him privately for denying Him at the trial.) Now Peter has no qualms or hesitation in racing to His Savior! The others stay with the boats and bring the catch to shore...where it was noted by John that the nets were not torn. (Jesus never brings destruction...always blessing!)

 

Peter fell to his knees saying "Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man." (His rightful place, no longer overly confident in his own abilities, but having made the transition from disciple to Rabbi to disciple of His Lord and Savior, bowing in worship.)

[haar]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat?   

He probably wanted to perform another fish miracle, the first was before his death and now the first after his resurrection (but the second fish miracle). Beside, the Omniscient God knew where the fish were. It could have also been a way of testing their obedience.

 

Why did the disciples obey?

 

They obeyed because they did not have anything to loose. They have almost ended their  mission without a catch anyway, and here was someone who seemed to know where fish could be caught. It was also possible that some were thinking whether the man speaking to them was the Master Himself who knew all things.
 

What was the result?

 

A miraculous big catch.

 

What impression did it make on the disciples?

 

They recognised that it was the Master Himself- the Holy One

[Clarence]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples?

 

This appears to be the second occasion that the disciples caught a large quantity of fish when Jesus told them to cast the net in a different place (see Luke 5:4-11). Perhaps Jesus did this, on the second occasion to show his disciples that one important thing has not changed since he was crucified and resurrected. He was still all knowing. He wanted his disciples to obey him (John 15:5). Even though they did not recognise Jesus when he told them to cast their nets on the other side, they probably rememberd the earlier encounter, and thought they had nothing to lose.

The result was, after spending the night fishing, the disciples caught a lot of fish- as soon as this happened, a disciple (probably John, 21:7 ) recognised Jesus. Peter then put on his outer garments, "...threw himself into the sea..." and (we assume) swam ashore to Jesus (John 21:7). We are not told specifically what impression this experience made on the disciples, but they all knew it was Jesus (v. 12)

[blezed]

(John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples?    

• The disciples had been fishing all night with their net on the left side of the boat.  I think Jesus had them to throw their nets on the right side to show another miracle being done.  Also, because he had done a similar miracle before, they would recognized that he was Jesus.
• The disciples obeyed because they had nothing to lose.  They had been fishing all night and had not caught any fishes, why not.
• By following Jesus instructions, the disciples nets were instantly full of fish. 
• John recognized that it was Jesus. 

[PeteD]

Lesson 24 Question 1

Jesus told the disciples to cast their net to the other side of the boat giving the reason that they would find more fish there.

Why did the disciples obey? The text does not tell us specifically why the disciples obeyed but perhaps they thought it worth trying. At this time they did not yet recognized Jesus. So, we can only speculate as to why they did it. The important thing is that they do it and then John recognized that it was Jesus. Sometimes we do things for various reasons only to recognize later that the Lord's hand was in it.

The result was success - - many fish.

The disciples - specifically John - recognize that the stranger was the Lord. and then Peter swims to shore. We can infer that Peter is excited and cannot wait  to greet Jesus, the Risen Lord.

[Jen]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples?

 

Because that is where the fish were.

They had nothing to lose although I imagine they were tired and weren't sure themselves.

A large catch of fish.

They recognized the Risen Lord, Jesus.

 

God Bless!

Jen

Romans 15:13

[hanks]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) 

Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? 

Why did the disciples obey? 

What was the result? 

What impression did it make on the disciples?

Jesus told the disciples to cast their net on the other side because He knew there was a great school of fish on the starboard side. The same thing had happened earlier when He advised Peter where to find plenty of fish (Luke 5:2). Jesus manifested/revealed Himself, by His power, to them and they obeyed. It is when we obey our Lord that we can expect tremendous and unexpected things to happen. Which was the case here. Time after the time the Israelites did things without first seeking the Lord’s advice, and they paid the consequences. The same happens to us today – we are to acknowledge Him in everything we do. After a useless night of fishing, they now obeyed and the nets are filled with fish without the net breaking. I think this is the last recorded miracle of our Lord, and the only miracle recorded after His resurrection. Jesus was also letting them know that He was not abandoning them. Although He is going to be with the Father, He will be there for them, and of course for us as well. This had a great impact on their lives and they recommitted their lives to His service. 

 

[lighthouse2014]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples?

While the disciples were returning to shore after an unsuccessful night of fishing, they heard a voice from shore telling them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. Obeying the voice calling, they probably figured why not, perhaps this person knows something we do not. The unidentified person on the shore, Jesus, wanted to see if the disciple would obey. After casting their nets on the right side of the boat and it having been filled with fish, the disciples now wondered who it was on the beach calling to them.

The disciples threw their nets to the right side of the boat as the person on the shore had instructed them because what did they have to lose.

Of course after casting their nets on the right side of the boat, it filled to beyond capacity.

The disciples were astonished at the large catch in the net by casting it on the right side of the boat, this was just more than they could comprehend.  

[SoiKosum]

(John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples? 

 

A quick search on the net yielded two possible reasons why Jesus asked the disciples to cast their nets on the right side of the boat:

 

1. The right side signifies the right brain, which is intuitive and which is where we must engage to birth the Christ within. (Joshua Tilghman, http://www.spiritofthescripture.com)

 

2. The disciples must have had their nets on the left side of the boat when Jesus asked them to try on the right side. It was not so much which side but rather it was an issue of obedience (Rodney Buchanan, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons)

 

I tend to favour number 2 above. It was a matter of obedience to Jesus. Listen to Him, follow His guidance and miracles happen.

 

The disciples obeyed probably because it didn't hurt to try since they had been fishing all night and had not caught any fish. I also think that it must have been the disciples sub-conscious. Although they could not see Jesus clearly, they heard His voice and obeyed. As Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27)

 

When they threw their nets on the right side, they caught so much fish that they were not able to haul their nets into the boat. I can only imagine that the disciples were so stunned and amazed. As this miracle happened, the disciples eyes were opened and they recognised that it was Jesus on the shore. 

 

 

 

 

[PeteD]

Lesson 24 Question 1

Jesus told the disciples to cast their net to the other side giving the reason that they will find more fish. We can infer that the reason behind it was that Jesus wanted to impress upon disciples the fact of the resurrection and it gave him one more chance to talk about about the ongoing mission that he was preparing for the disciples - to shepherd his sheep.

Why did the disciples obey? The text does not tell us specifically why the disciples obeyed. Perhaps they thought it worth trying. At this time they did not yet recognized Jesus. So, we can only speculate as to why. The important thing is that they did do it and then because of the success, John recognized that it was Jesus. Sometimes we do things for various reasons and only later come to recognize that God's hand is in it.

 Then Peter in his excitement jumped out of the boat to meet Jesus.

[RebeccaMallinson]

Jesus told the disciples to cast their net to the right in an exact echo of the first miracle they had experienced from him.  This was to aid their recognition.  The disciples obeyed both times, although this time, they didn’t quibble (‘We have been fishing all night and didn’t catch anything’).  They have become more obedient.  The result was a super-abundant catch and full recognition of Jesus.

[Stanley Tavaziva]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples?

 

Jesus has already been crucified and resurrected, and he decides to show himself to his disciples on a few occasions before the final ascension. His emphasizes for the disciples to throw the net onto the right side of the boat was the re -engagement with Jesus representing new birth.  Jesus was coming to give his farewell address to the disciples and give them the encouragement. He showed Himself to them in an act of divine power when He ordered them to cast the net on the right side of the ship. Christ’s time of making Himself known to His people is when they are most at a loss. When they think they have lost themselves, He will let them know that they have not lost Him.

 

The result is that they caught plenty of fish.They realized that it was the Master Lord Jesus, we see how Jesus cares for those who would follow Him as a Good Shepherd cares for his sheep. He treats His followers as friends.

 

 

[Joe_Applegarth]

Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat?   In Matthew’s Gospel (25:31-34), Jesus tells us that when he is in His glory he will sit on his heavenly throne with angels about Him.  Here, every nation on earth will sit before Him and he will “put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”  Those on the right (the sheep) will be the harvest of believing Gentiles, on the left (the goats) will be the non-believers.  I believe Jesus’ command to cast the nets on the right side of the boat is His way of energizing and preparing the apostles for their task of harvesting Gentile souls for the Lord.  

 

Jesus first called most of these same men from their fishing enterprises 3 years earlier in the very same manner.  I believe He used the same miracle as a means to restore their faith and re-commission the apostleship of those who ran and hid when He was arrested at Gethsemane.  This singular event brought them full-circle to their original calling (catching men) and when they netted the enormous catch they remembered everything that had transpired since He’d originally called them.  I believe they all finally realized that their harvest of fish had nothing to do with human effort, the key was the Holy Word of God as related to them through Christ Jesus.  This would be the exact same net that they would later use in their ministries to harvest Gentile souls for the Lord.

 

Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples?  After an unsuccessful venture they’d probably already came to the conclusion that, despite their best human efforts and hard work, they’d come up empty so what would it hurt?  Or, they may have thought that the stranger saw a large school of fish on the right side of the boat and were willing to give it a try.  The truth of the matter is that when their best human efforts fell short, the power of Christ turned their failure into success.  After the turmoil and chaos surrounding Jesus’ death the disciples reverted to what they knew well and it was because they did that Jesus’ last miracle had brought them full circle.  The lesson for all of us is: Don’t keep living your life doing things the way you’ve always done them. It isn’t working!  Cast your net on the right side of the boat and do things Jesus’ way.

[pickledilly]

Jesus knew where the fish were, and the disciples were working on the wrong side of the boat to find them, even though it must have been the usual side they would work. We aren't told why the disciples obeyed, but they probably decided it couldn't be any worse and they'd try the tip from this man on the shore.

 

The result was a catch of fish that couldn't even be hauled into the boat. They had to drag the heavy net with the boat as they returned to shore. And there was Jesus waiting for them with a fire prepared to cook their breakfast.

 

I just love the way Jesus handled this appearance to His beloved friends. With stunned amazement and joy they began to pull at those full nets. They immediately realized this was Jesus as they surely recalled that earlier experience when Jesus first called them to become His disciples and become fishers of men (Luke 5:4-11). They didn't have to ask any questions, for they knew it was the risen Lord who ministered to them. Without saying it outright, Jesus was assuring them He was still the same He had always been, He stilled works miracles, and He would never abandon them.  And it's by His wisdom and power that we have success in God's Kingdom.

 

There's one other point I love from this event. Despite a haul of fish that exceeded the strength of the nets, there were no holes torn and not one fish slipped away. When we're doing what Jesus instructs us to do, He will provide exactly what we need for the moment, strengthen our weakness, and make sure nothing will be lost.

[Old Jerry]

Jesus knew that he was going to perform a miracle and wanted the disciples to be involved in it. The disciples probably obeyed because they thought why not they hadn’t caught anything all night so might as well try what the man on the shore told them. The disciples realized that it was Jesus and they came in to hug him.

[Godswriter]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat? Why did the disciples obey? What was the result? What impression did it make on the disciples? I believe because He wanted to teach them to trust Him and His will in everything that they would do. Because they believed Jesus knew better they did. They caught more fish than the net could hold. It showed the disciples it was the Lord and they went to hug Him.

[Paula Price]

Jesus is teaching His disciples to depend on God to meet each and every need.  He asked if they had caught any fish and when they replied that they hadn't, He instructed them what to do in order to catch them. This teaches  them to trust and obey , and when they do, He will supply all their needs.  It is a lesson for them to look to God for their needs and to depend on God in all thing...

 

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

The factors for success are diligent work and God's blessing.   The Apostles were at their wit's end; man's extremity is God's opportunity for a miracle.  They needed to hear the royal tone yet loving voice of Jesus; in the midst of trial and doubts, Christ established this band to be His future preachers.  His Deity is recognized in His devotion and sacrifice.  They needed to hear the voice of Christ so that they could utter the cry of faith after discovering in Christ the Truth of God.

They obeyed because they knew that it was Christ when they heard His Voice.  Christ gave them the assurance that they were not mistaken in their convictions that they were in the presence of the Lord.

They had a true blessed assurance of Christ's Deity and mission.  What a changed occurred since Luke 5:1-11 :  Christ's change was a metamorphosis; the disciples underwent a change of regeneration.  We need the manifestation of Jesus Christ in our daily lives; the heavenly manna is what we so desperately need each day.  The disciples were changed because they encountered the changed Jesus Risen from the dead.

[Irmela]

Q1. (John 21:4-8) Why did Jesus tell the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat?

Why did the disciples obey?

What was the result?

What impression did it make on the disciples?

He had called out to them and they had acknowledged that they had fished all night and had not caught any fish.  The disciples had nothing to lose by obeying the instruction.  The result was a big catch of fish. In fact the number is recorded, 153 large fish, without the net being torn.  Rightfully they were awestruck, and immediately recognized that it was indeed their beloved Lord and Master Who had come to them.