Why 153 Fish?
John 21
579 words long.
Published on 2024-05-12
1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples
by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of
Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of
his disciples were together. 3 Simon 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, but that night
they caught nothing.
4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore;
yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5 Jesus said to them,
“Children, do you have any fish?”
They answered him,
“No.”
6 He said to them,
“Cast the net on the right side of the boat,
and you will find some.”
So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in,
because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom
Jesus loved therefore said to Peter,
“It is the Lord!”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work,
and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came
in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were
not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place,
with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them,
“Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore,
full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there
were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them,
“Come and have breakfast.”
Now none of the disciples dared ask him,
“Who are you?”
They knew it was the Lord.
13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them,
and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that
Jesus was revealed to the disciples after
he was raised from the dead.
- John 21:1-14
The riddle of the miraculous catch of fish recorded in John 21 has perplexed Christians for almost two thousand years. Many are convinced that the number of fish caught, 153 fish, has some spiritual significance, but opinions differ. For the answer to this riddle, we must hop over to the Numerology section of this website, where intriguing connections between the 153 fish, the flood of Noah, the prophet Habakkuk and the trumpets of Revelation will be made...
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- The Righteous Fall Seven Times: Proverbs 24 tells us when the righteous will fall - and rise again.
- Twice a Thousand Years: A Riddle from Ecclesiastes 6
- The Seven Pillars of Wisdom: What holds up Lady Wisdom's House in Proverbs 9?
- Why 153 Fish?: The Miraculous Catch of Fish from John 21
- Riddles of War: The Battle Cry of Proverbs 30
- Building a House: Construction advice by Solomon from Ecclesiastes 10
- Hannah's Song: Hannah's Amazing Prayer
- Satan's Taunt: Why is Satan's Taunt in Matthew 4 ironic?
- Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard: When would Jesus send out workers to his vineyard?
- The Parable of the Wedding Feast: If someone ghosted you over a wedding invite, would you burn down their city?
- The Childbearing: How does bearing children save women?
