John Chapter 21
Showing all 25 verses for John Chapter 21.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. "
"After this, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples, this time by the Sea of Tiberias (also called the Sea of Galilee). Here is how it happened."
I show up again in your ordinary, familiar places, not only in the extraordinary moments - don't assume you have to leave your everyday life behind to encounter me.
"There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. "
"Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together."
I value each person by name, not as an anonymous group - the specific people around me in this account matter individually, just as you matter to me individually.
"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. "
"Simon Peter said, "I'm going out to fish." The others said, "We'll come with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night."
I don't judge you for drifting back to old, familiar patterns when you're unsure what comes next - even a night of empty effort isn't wasted, because I'm about to meet you right in the middle of it.
"But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. "
"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn't realise it was him."
I'm often present in your working life, watching from the shore, even when you can't immediately make out that it's me - keep going, recognition tends to come through what happens next.
"Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. "
"Jesus called out to them, "Friends, haven't you caught any fish?" "No," they answered."
I care about your practical failures and empty efforts just as much as your spiritual ones - nothing about your daily work or its disappointments is too small for me to notice and ask about.
"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. "
"He told them, "Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." So they did, and they couldn't haul the net in because there were so many fish."
I sometimes only need to redirect your effort slightly, not overhaul everything you're doing - trust a small instruction even when it seems too simple to make a real difference.
"Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. "
"The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Peter heard that, he grabbed his coat, tied it round himself (he had taken it off to work), and jumped into the water."
I welcome your eagerness to reach me, even when it looks a little impulsive or over-the-top to others - genuine desire to be near me is never something to hold back or be embarrassed about.
"And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. "
"The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, since they were only about a hundred yards from shore."
I don't need everyone to react to me in the same way - some of you will run ahead, others will steadily finish the practical work at hand, and both matter to me equally.
"As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. "
"When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish cooking on it, and some bread."
I prepare for you before you even arrive with what you think you're bringing to the table - my care isn't conditional on what you contribute first.
"Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. "
"Jesus told them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught.""
I want what you bring to be part of what we share together, even when I don't strictly need it - your contribution matters to our relationship, not just the outcome.
"Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. "
"Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore, full of large fish - a hundred and fifty-three of them - and even with so many, the net wasn't torn."
I can hold together an abundance far beyond what seems possible without anything breaking under the strain - trust that what I provide won't overwhelm or tear apart what you're able to carry.
"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 said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord."
I share ordinary meals and everyday moments with you, not just dramatic encounters - the sacred and the everyday aren't separate; you can meet me over breakfast just as much as anywhere else.
"Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. "
"Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish."
I serve you, not the other way round - my role in your life has always been to give, to provide, and to feed you, even now, after everything that's happened.
"This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. "
"This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples since being raised from the dead."
I show up again and again, consistently and repeatedly, not just once - you can count on a pattern of real presence in your life, not a single fleeting event.
"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. "
"After they had eaten, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus told him, "Feed my lambs.""
I don't dwell on your past failures by bringing them up to shame you - I restore you by giving you real, meaningful work to do, trusting you again rather than holding your past over you.
"He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. "
"Jesus asked him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus told him, "Take care of my sheep.""
I entrust you with responsibility that grows as our relationship is restored - each renewed step of trust between us can expand what you're capable of caring for.
"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. "
"A third time Jesus asked, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked him a third time, and said, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus told him, "Feed my sheep.""
I sometimes ask you the same hard question more than once, not to wound you needlessly, but because real healing has to reach the actual depth of what went wrong - trust the process even when it stings.
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. "
""Truly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted; but when you're old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you don't want to go.""
I'm honest with you about the real cost that may come with following me faithfully - I don't hide the difficult parts of the road ahead, because you deserve the truth, not false comfort.
"This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. "
"Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me.""
I call you to follow me for the whole of your life, right to its end - and even the hardest parts of your story can carry real meaning and purpose when lived in faithfulness.
"Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? "
"Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them - the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, "Lord, who is going to betray you?""
I don't mind you noticing others around you and their different relationship with me - what matters is that you keep following your own path with me rather than getting distracted comparing.
"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? "
"When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?""
I understand the instinct to compare your path with someone else's, especially right after hard news about your own - but I'm about to gently redirect your focus back to your own calling, not theirs.
"Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. "
"Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.""
I don't want you spending your energy worrying about someone else's calling or future - your job is simply to keep following me faithfully, and that's enough for you to focus on.
"Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? "
"So a rumour spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus never actually said he would not die, only, "If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you?""
I choose my words carefully, and I want you to be equally careful not to read more into what I've said than I actually meant - honest accuracy matters, even about small details.
"This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. "
"This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down, and we know that his testimony is true."
I want the account of my life to rest on real, honest testimony you can actually trust - not vague hearsay, but people who were genuinely there and told the truth about what they saw.
"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. "
"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."
I am not fully contained by any single account, however carefully written - there's always more of me to discover as you keep engaging honestly with this story throughout your life, not just in a single reading.