The ideal candidate for the two alike is the number It was the number of years the people were exiled to Babylon and is symbolic of judgment. This leaves a remainder of 13, a number which can be connected to both the disciples and judgement:. Matthew ESV [also Luke ]. The symbols also work to support the three instructions Peter receives. The two different groups may represent Gentiles and Jewish people or new and mature believers.
Since Peter has fed them, he is better able to judge them. In fact there is a present tense sense of the meaning of judgment: judge whether someone is a lamb or a sheep and now feed them accordingly.
If they do not know the Gospel, share with them; if they have believed, continue and make them into disciples of Jesus. Similarly "tend My sheep" refines the interpretation when seen in the context of Peter's role as the leading disciple.
Peter must also tend his fellow disciples. The distinction may be seen in the context between Christian witness and fellowship. The current disciples have already been fed by Jesus and have received the Spirit of Truth. The number 13 is amenable to other interpretations. As Jesus is standing on the shore, He can be removed from the 13 and Paul could be added. Notes: 1. Craig R. Both water and dust are implied: " and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground The seven disciples dividing the fish, it is automatic for fishermen, found that it lacked 1 one fish for the perfect division, the total of , which divided for each disciple results in 22 fish, however, Jesus asked for a fish, resulting in two fish, the number 2 two There is evidence for the fish, and it is the number of the testimony of the bread that came down from heaven, of the fishing of men into the kingdom of heaven, and that even after all the persecutions, it was on fire.
According to Bauckham, Johns entire Gospel is structured around the numbers 17 and So the mention of this number is John 21 is not a coincidence. To Bauckham, the connection provides unity for the entire gospel. This is unlikely to be accidental. There are not very many triangular numbers is the 17th of the series and they were well known to ancient people interested in such things.
One other triangular number appears explicitly in the NT: the number of the beast Rev. The water flows east into the desert and brings the Dead Sea to life:. Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh.
Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Ezekiel Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading of nets. As mentioned above, biblical authors regularly use numerical techniques within their writing for emphasis or connection. One of the best known is called Gematria.
In Hebrew and Greek, the letters of the alphabet also serve as numerals, and so every word has a numerical value which is the sum of the numerical values of its letters. There is speculation, but nothing is certain. The location of En Gedi is known and is a popular place for tourists to visit. I discussed this matter with my professor, Dr.
Carl Rasmussen, who himself has published a Biblical atlas , and he said nothing can be identified for certain about the location of En Eglaim. This is perplexing because water in the desert is life. Everyone knows where the springs are because it is a matter of life and death. Symbols must be understood properly.
John also uses this imagery from Ezekiel 47 in Revelation This would stand out to the ancient readers who would not be familiar with that spring but familiar with the literary use of numbers. The meaning of this would be to communicate the completeness of the river of life bringing life to the world.
If the were the only allusion to Ezekiel 47 we may be able to dismiss it more easily, but it is not. See Raphael Patai, Man and Temple. It shall continue in summer as in winter. Additionally, Jesus uses the Temple imagery of Ezekiel 47 to connect this fount of living water to himself. An obvious connection between Ezekiel 47 and John 21 is the mention of fishermen spreading their nets to fish. The disciples are engaged in fishing when they see Jesus in John The fish in John 21 is an allusion to Ezekiel 47 and the vision of the Spirit of God going out to water the earth.
This is not another of the seven signs of John. Jesus has been brought into his glory. What is the evidence of this glory? The fish. Jesus was having breakfast with seven disciples, soon to be apostles who were among the only eleven men told that they would be the ones to get the ball rolling prior to Jesus's ascension. Why ? There is only one other place where that exact number is used, 2 Kings 1.
Three sets of fifty and their captains of fifty. I believe Jesus pointed to that part of the Scriptures to basically "dump" the disciples at the place where they should begin to fulfill their commission; a place that surrounds them in "before" and "after" chaisms between Elijah and Elisha, the center of the huge chain or chaistic structure being 2 Kings , something easy to miss but incredibly important; "as they were walking along and talking together The contrast between Elijah and Elisha are quite stunning.
Elijah was a prophet of God's judgments against the northern kingdom. Except for the Gentile widow's son's resurrection, Elijah was an instrument God used to execute judgment or deliver bad news prophesies to kings, mostly to Ahab; the very last being the Ahaziah death episode in 2 Kings 2. Two sets of 51 were judged, but the last set were shown mercy; ; two judgments and one act of mercy; the hairy guy WENT DOWN with the last set of 51 to prophesy to Ahaziah that a dirt nap was in his immediate future.
That's where I think Jesus sent the disciples, specifically to that location in Scripture. The very next chapter after the untypical act Elijah performed mercy begins the "this is how you do it now" contrast between the law, obedience to it and judgment Elijah and the old way and continual demonstrations of undeserved grace to mere, scant demonstrations of others' faith Elisha and the new way.
And look at how the new way began, right off the bat at Jericho. Salt covenant in a NEW bowl, hint, hint thrown into the source of cursed water makes the water pure. Isn't that what we have now in this age? A new covenant, a new age or as Paul says in Ephesians, a dispensation of grace. As the life of Elisha is followed, more and more examples of grace are demonstrated axe head floating, poisoned pot fixed, Naaman, the barren woman plus her son's resurrection, resurrection of the enemy soldier who simply touched Elisha's bones ; all very different than Elijah.
Anyway, that's just a tiny example of why I believe Jesus used that number specifically. The disciples, especially the seven and most certainly three of the seven met intimately with Jesus shortly before His ascension and session.
Although it isn't mentioned in John, I would imagine there was a pregnant, "So now what do we do Lord? Hmmm, I wonder why that exact number popped out of the net? I wonder if that number means anything to the only eleven people in the world who were told to make disciples?
Hmm, I wonder. I wonder if Jesus is trying to tell us something and where would we find what He is trying to tell us? Where else is that exact number, if at all, is used in the Septuagint? The new covenant is illustrated and contrasted between Elijah and Elisha in that part of the Scriptures and the seven disciples and we now need to know and understand the differences. It simply means if you consciously fish you can catch all types of fishes.
Or Christianity will be able to accommodate all types of people and still it can stay unbroken. The account is about Peter's reconciliation to Jesus. Jesus was about to ask Peter to be the doctrinal leader of the new church. He was leading 6 others total 7 into the dark. Jesus had already told him that he should live in the light. At the first light, Jesus appears to them. This is reminiscent of the resurrection a new beginning [7]. Peter begins his repentance by clothing himself and casting himself, like Jonah did, into the sea.
Jesus begins the reconciliation with a meat offering, which is a fellowship offering. Jesus asks if they have meat. Jesus had already prepared bread and fish before they had even returned to shore without their great catch. Mt But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Jesus did not wait for the catch to prepare the meal. The fish, the 'every word' that he fed them, came from him.
The act of eating together is an act of forgiveness, because in that culture even today one does not eat with an enemy. The 23rd Psalm reflects the peace that God has caused between enemies. Jesus emphasizes Peter's role with a special miracle.
The other six disciples could not pull in the catch of fish, but Peter did it single-handedly. He finishes the reconciliation with the dialog with Peter. Not only does he ask him if he loves Jesus, but Jesus indicates his trust in Peter, three times, to feed his sheep. This was the third appearance of Jesus after the resurrection to the disciples.
The first one he was heard, the second he was seen examined his scars , and the third one he walked with Peter down the beach. This is the same hearing, seeing walking theme we see so often. With that background we can see the fish.
Peter first had to be reconciled to Jesus before he could do the special miracle of teaching; feeding the lambs and sheep. Peter could not even feed himself through his old occupation of fishing, but Jesus was asking him to feed his sheep. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, St. Cyril of Alexandria, and Evagrius Ponticus each write out an explanation for what that metaphor stands. Why do they each write out their explanation?
Because the Fathers knew that their own particular explanations were not in the minds of their readers, or at least not until those readers read what the Fathers wrote. And, w e know that John the Evangelist was an effective communicator, par excellence.
So, why does John not explain his meaning for fish? Since John gives no reason, we can reasonably conclude John knew that no explanation was required by his readers. His meaning must have been obvious to them. So, by gentle analogy John shows that not only does Jesus not contradict natural wisdom, He is the source of all wisdom. Read more on why John desired not to explain his metaphor and how he knew its meaning would be obvious to the Greeks Below are the list of arguments supporting the conclusion of this website.
We might suppose that some are just coincidental, but it is very difficult to suppose that they ALL are just coincidental. Click on the hyperlinks below for more details. John wrote his Greek Gospel in the Greek city of Ephesus. He lived with and pastored the Greeks,. A nd, on the contrary that Jesus was the source of All Wisdom, Fish. As their pastor John was surely motivated to address this issue. But where else if not here? Just before the account of the miracle John states his goal is to bring non-believing Greeks into the Gospel.
John writes :. John That is, an understanding that Christian wisdom is not foolishness [Corinthians. The eightfold repetition of fish and its measurement is a subtle clue that a metaphor is being employed. And therefore, this is an allusion to all Greek wisdom. The eightfold repetition of fish as well as eight references to its measure suggests the numbers 8 and 2 could imply a special meaning.
The wisdom of Christianity could be summarized by its most distinctive teaching. That God became Man. That Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity took on a 2nd nature. The reference to the number 3 could be an allusion to :. Third Person of Trinity, and therefore to Wisdom. And Augustine was adamant that the number pointed to a higher meaning. See a detailed discussion on the importance of the number in Greek culture.
And we are pushed toward accepting two problematic consequences:. It would mean that Saint John the Evangelist, one of the chosen four by God, has failed to communicate what he meant by fish. They were not able to haul the net onto the ship, for the net was so filled with fish.
Instead, the disciples rowed for shore, towing the heavily-laden net behind them. Jesus, tending to some fish roasting over a fire, instructed the disciples to bring over some of their catch, presumably so that they could all have breakfast after the night of work.
And so the net was dragged ashore — full of fish: large fish, to be exact! What a catch it was — from empty nets to a mother lode within a matter of minutes. To some this story is That is an awful lot of fish to catch at the drop of the net! Perhaps by some stroke of luck the disciples had netted a passing school of fish, but the disciples could not have caught that many. And why would they have counted them? While there are sceptics ready to dismiss this number as an overstatement or invention, there are others who think that there probably were fish caught, sure, and the number is not accurate, certainly not, yet the number is not simply an exaggeration that has slipped in, but is a number that demands interpretation.
It is a number that is a code, a count of fish that is profoundly symbolic of something else, something much more meaningful than fried fish for breakfast with the risen Lord. In this view, the number jars the reading experience — what an unusual place for a specific number, for a precise tally of fish, of all things!
In the drama of the disciples meeting the resurrected Saviour, why would this sum of landed fish be included? The most popular solution to this fish problem goes all the way back to the church father Jerome, of the fourth century AD. The fish will be of many kinds — like the fish of the Great Sea. The catch of fish was something that pointed to and confirmed the mission of the apostles to all nations. From all of mankind would the church be gathered, paralleled in this act of all species of fish being caught by the disciples.
Indeed, as it says in Matthew ,. The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Augustine, a contemporary of Jerome, proposed an explanation of the that was of a completely different character. He pioneered the mathematical solutions to the problem, by observing that is a triangular number.
Triangular numbers are calculated by adding up consecutive numbers; in this case, is the sum of the numbers 1 to A triangular number can be represented by a regular geometric arrangement of equally spaced points; if one represents the numbers 1 to 17 by dots on separate lines, a triangle is formed. Augustine then pointed out that 17, constitutive of the number , is the sum of 10 and 7.
The former represents the Ten Commandments, the latter the sevenfold Spirit of God.
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