Jn 21 (cont.)
That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. - (7)
This one verse should be a lesson in modesty for us.
John, the one who saw and believed at the empty tomb, is the one who first recognizes Jesus at the seashore. (Of course, he's also the writer of the gospel . . . ) But Peter, to whom Luke says the Lord had already appeared and who had presumably been reconciled, is the one who leaps (now clothed!) into the sea in his eagerness to be with him. The gift of our forgiveness brings us an unbridled enthusiasm and love, as we saw when Jesus was anointed (by either Mary or the unnamed sinful woman).
But 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. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. - (8-11)
Again, it is Simon Peter who demonstrates his love for the Lord by his obedience. But there must be some other symbolism here, too. Just in case there is a reader who hasn't heard the suggestion that there were 153 known varieties of fish, this has been interpreted to suggest that the Church was meant to include all people. But if that is the case, what does it say that Peter alone hauls the net ashore with its overloaded catch? Doesn't this underscore Peter's role as leader of the early Church?
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