Pastor Adam Gomez
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Scripture: John 21:1-11
John 21:1–2 — After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
This is the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples as a group.
First Appearance: On the day of His resurrection, without Thomas.
Second Appearance: A week later, with Thomas.
John 20:25 — “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Third Appearance: Here in John 21, at a planned location where Jesus had instructed them to meet Him.
Matthew 26:32 — “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Matthew 28:7 — “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
Matthew 28:10 — “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Mark 16:7 — “But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
(Note: Jesus had also appeared to others during the 40 days before His ascension; the Apostle Paul gives these accounts in 1 Corinthians 15:3–8.)
John 21:3 — Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
These young men had no idea what they were to do next. They were becoming anxious, insecure, and troubled. Impatient and intolerant of delay, Peter decided: “I’m going fishing!”
Peter gravitated back to what he knew and loved—what made sense, what was successful, and a life that could be measured. He was a skilled, commercial fisherman who made his living on the Sea of Galilee. According to Scripture, he owned his own boat (Luke 5). He partnered with his brother, Andrew, who initially introduced Peter to Jesus (John 1:40–42).
He also partnered with James and John, who were commercial fishermen as well.
Yet, despite his skill, that night they caught nothing. Peter had known many nights like this; in Luke 5, he similarly reported having fished all night and caught nothing.
John 21:4–5 — But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”
Fishing all night was very hard work. They were tired, hungry, and likely frustrated. When Jesus asked, "Did you catch anything?", their fatigue reduced them to a single-word answer: “No!”
John 21:6 — And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Peter must have flashed back to three years prior, when Jesus asked to use his boat to preach to the crowd:
Luke 5:4–8 — When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
John 21:7 — Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
Peter had experienced deep guilt and shame because of his denial of Jesus. Feeling far from the Lord, he was desperate to be near Him at every opportunity. Whenever we offend a close friend, we tend to experience guilt, fear of rejection, and a constant urge to repair the bond. As David wrote in Psalm 51:3, "...my sin is always before me."
John 21:8–11 — But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.
Peter must have been a physically powerful man. A total of 153 tilapia (native to the Sea of Galilee) at 4 to 5 pounds each would have collectively weighed around 700 pounds!
No matter what industry you find yourself in, you will always have a greater catch when your steps are directed by the Lord. Whenever the catch is overwhelming, you know it was the Lord—and others know that it was the Lord, too.
Pastor Adam shared the following story at the end of his sermon:
Stephen Covey, author, educator, and leadership expert, designed an object lesson involving a large jar, a large rock, a jar of smaller rocks, a jar of sand, and a jar of water. Pastor Adam described attending a management meeting where this illustration was demonstrated.
A few participants were challenged to fit all of the items into the large jar, but no one could do it. The facilitator then emptied the jar and placed the large rock in first, followed by the smaller rocks, the sand, and finally the water. It all fit.
When we put the “Rock” in first—the Rock, Christ Jesus—everything else will fit into our lives.
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Scripture: John 21:1-11
John 21:1–2 — After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
This is the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples as a group.
First Appearance: On the day of His resurrection, without Thomas.
Second Appearance: A week later, with Thomas.
John 20:25 — “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Third Appearance: Here in John 21, at a planned location where Jesus had instructed them to meet Him.
Matthew 26:32 — “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Matthew 28:7 — “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
Matthew 28:10 — “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Mark 16:7 — “But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
(Note: Jesus had also appeared to others during the 40 days before His ascension; the Apostle Paul gives these accounts in 1 Corinthians 15:3–8.)
John 21:3 — Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
These young men had no idea what they were to do next. They were becoming anxious, insecure, and troubled. Impatient and intolerant of delay, Peter decided: “I’m going fishing!”
Peter gravitated back to what he knew and loved—what made sense, what was successful, and a life that could be measured. He was a skilled, commercial fisherman who made his living on the Sea of Galilee. According to Scripture, he owned his own boat (Luke 5). He partnered with his brother, Andrew, who initially introduced Peter to Jesus (John 1:40–42).
He also partnered with James and John, who were commercial fishermen as well.
Yet, despite his skill, that night they caught nothing. Peter had known many nights like this; in Luke 5, he similarly reported having fished all night and caught nothing.
John 21:4–5 — But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”
Fishing all night was very hard work. They were tired, hungry, and likely frustrated. When Jesus asked, "Did you catch anything?", their fatigue reduced them to a single-word answer: “No!”
John 21:6 — And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Peter must have flashed back to three years prior, when Jesus asked to use his boat to preach to the crowd:
Luke 5:4–8 — When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
John 21:7 — Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
Peter had experienced deep guilt and shame because of his denial of Jesus. Feeling far from the Lord, he was desperate to be near Him at every opportunity. Whenever we offend a close friend, we tend to experience guilt, fear of rejection, and a constant urge to repair the bond. As David wrote in Psalm 51:3, "...my sin is always before me."
John 21:8–11 — But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.
Peter must have been a physically powerful man. A total of 153 tilapia (native to the Sea of Galilee) at 4 to 5 pounds each would have collectively weighed around 700 pounds!
No matter what industry you find yourself in, you will always have a greater catch when your steps are directed by the Lord. Whenever the catch is overwhelming, you know it was the Lord—and others know that it was the Lord, too.
Pastor Adam shared the following story at the end of his sermon:
Stephen Covey, author, educator, and leadership expert, designed an object lesson involving a large jar, a large rock, a jar of smaller rocks, a jar of sand, and a jar of water. Pastor Adam described attending a management meeting where this illustration was demonstrated.
A few participants were challenged to fit all of the items into the large jar, but no one could do it. The facilitator then emptied the jar and placed the large rock in first, followed by the smaller rocks, the sand, and finally the water. It all fit.
When we put the “Rock” in first—the Rock, Christ Jesus—everything else will fit into our lives.
Crossroads Church of Denver
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