Chapter 21

¹After this Jesus again showed himself to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and he did so in this way. ²Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael, of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus were all 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, and that night they caught nothing. ⁴But just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, though the disciples did not know that it was he. ⁵So Jesus said to them,

“Children, have you any fish?”

They answered,

“No.”

⁶“Throw your net in on the right of the boat,” he said to them, “and you will find them.”

They did so, and they could not haul it in for the quantity of fish in it. ⁷Then the disciple who was dear to Jesus said to Peter,

“It is the Master!”

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Master, he put on his clothes, for he had taken them off, and sprang into the sea. ⁸The rest of the disciples followed in the boat, for they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards, dragging in the net full of fish. ⁹When they landed they saw a charcoal fire burning, with a fish on it, and some bread. ¹⁰Jesus said to them,

“Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

¹¹So Simon Peter got into the boat, and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them, and though there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them,

“Come and have breakfast.”

None of the disciples dared to ask him who he was, for they knew it was the Master. ¹³Jesus went and got the bread and gave it to them, and the fish also. ¹⁴This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after he had risen from the dead.

¹⁵When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,

“Simon, son of John, are you more devoted to me than these others are?”

Peter said to him,

“Yes, Master, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him,

“Then feed my lambs!”

¹⁶Again Jesus said to him a second time,

“Simon, son of John, are you devoted to me?”

He said to him,

“Yes, Master, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him,

“Then be a shepherd to my sheep!”

¹⁷Jesus said to him a third time,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because the third time Jesus asked him if he loved him, and he answered,

“Master, you know everything, you can see that I love you.”

Jesus said to him,

“Then feed my sheep! ¹⁸I tell you, when you were young, you used to put on your own girdle and go where you pleased, but when you grow old, you will stretch our your hands and someone else will put a girdle on you and take you where you have no wish to go”

¹⁹He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter was to honor God; and after he had said it he said to Peter,

“Follow me!”

²⁰Peter turned and saw following them the disciple who was very dear to Jesus, who at the supper leaned back on Jesus’ breast and said, “Master, who is it that is going to betray you?” ²¹When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus,

“But, Master, what about him?”

²²Jesus said to him,

“If I wish him to wait till I come, what does it matter to you? You must follow me.”

²³So the story spread among the brothers that this disciple was not going to die. But Jesus did not tell him that he was not going to die; he said, “If I wish him to wait till I come, what does it matter to you?”

²⁴It is this disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵There are many other things that Jesus did, so many in fact that if they were all written out, I do not suppose that the world itself would hold the books that would have to be written.