The Catch of 153 Fish
The risen Christ cooks breakfast, and fills the nets one more time.
After the resurrection, seven disciples fish all night and catch nothing. A figure on the shore tells them to cast on the right side; the net fills with 153 fish yet does not break. John recognises him — it is the Lord — and Jesus has bread and fish waiting on a fire of coals.
What happened
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Cast the net on the right side of the ship... and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.
What it means
This post-resurrection miracle deliberately echoes the first miraculous catch that began the disciples' calling — a fruitless night, a word from Jesus, and nets suddenly full. It is a gentle reminder to men who had failed him that their commission still stands, and their fruitfulness still depends on his word.
The scene is remarkable for its ordinariness. The risen Lord of glory has made a fire of coals and cooks breakfast for tired, discouraged fishermen: come and dine. The same charcoal fire recalls the one where Peter denied him — and by it Jesus will soon restore Peter with a threefold question of love, matching his threefold denial.
The net full but unbroken, and the precise count of 153 fish, have invited endless interpretation, but the plain sense is abundance and completeness — not one lost, a picture of the great harvest of souls the disciples would gather. The risen Christ meets his people in their work, provides for their needs, and calls them back to the mission.