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When John wrote "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. John 21:11", he was amazed and surprised that the net full of fishes "held" and did not break. He must have been thinking of the previous experience in Luke 5:6 where they also enclosed a multitude of fishes and the net had broken. And so in surprise he writes, "and for all there were so many yet was not the net broken."
The scene is similar to the scene in Luke 5. After the disciples spent a fruitless night of fishing without Jesus, the Lord said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship." Without Jesus in the boat we are always fishing on the wrong instead of the right side. At Jesus' command they cast the net on the right side and the net was full. But the amazing thing was, the net did not break. The reason is evident. In Luke 5 Jesus had commanded to let down several nets. Peter let down only one -- and of course it had to break -- with the load of fish in one net intended for several nets.
But in this incident in John 21 Jesus had told them to let down one net (verse 6) and it had to hold. Oh, that we might learn to obey and trust Him. What loss we too sustain when we refuse to believe His perfect command. What joy when we obey. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1-Samuel 15:22).
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
"The man who earnestly seeks real success, and the favor of heaven, entrusts his fortunes to Jesus Christ,"
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.
John 21:11
