Sunday Soak: The 153

The peculiar number of fish in John 21:11.

John 21:

1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 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. 

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

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John 21:11 is such a peculiar verse.

Why did John use such a precise number here?

A precise number is not mentioned in Luke 5 when there is another miraculous catch, nor when Jesus feeds the 4000 and 5000, not the number of people He healed on any given day. A good argument could be made that Luke received his information secondhand, while that specific number stuck in John’s memory strongly since he witnessed it all himself. But Matthew was also a firsthand witness who documented the miracles of a single meal being multiplied to feed the thousands.

Regardless, I think scholars do a good job of answering why John, the author, included it. Many say that it’s because they were fishermen and would have counted their catch. I like to think that as they ate and talked about counting the fish, Jesus offhandedly said, “Oh, there are 153.”

But I don’t think that satisfies our curiosity for why the Author included it. That is, why is in the Word of God?

We see across the Word a pattern of precise language among many Biblical authors.  From measurements for an ark in Genesis to those for the Temple in 1 Kings to the years of Babylonian Captivity across prophet accounts. Censuses taken, ages noted, militaries sized. Significance is given to numbers like three, seven, 12, and 40, among others. Truly, we have a God who is exact, precise, intentional, the very opposite of flippant in regard to His Creation.

And consider these verses:

• I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore… (Genesis 21:17)

• He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. (Psalm 147:4)

• Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered... (Luke 12:7)

Even the numbers He does not tell us, He knows perfectly and completely, even to the extent that He can tell Abraham that his offspring will be more plentiful than that which we humans cannot count. He makes it even clearer to us in Job when He says, ““Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7)

And doubtless, by Revelation, He demonstrates that He has ordered exactly how this whole story turns out, and Jesus told us in Matthew 24:36 that the Father alone knows the hour that Christ will return. Not only does He know all, but He is sovereign over all, even to command everything where to go and how to be. 

It’s a discomfort we live in as those with free will. How can God be so in control and so good, and yet so often things seem out of control and very bad? In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis argues that part of being a creature with free will is that we must exist in an environment that we cannot control and does not control us. It’s absolutely uncomfortable, but it’s also absolutely beautiful. 

And here’s why.  If we live in a world that we cannot control, but that God can, then we can recognize His work in everything around us. 

When it works perfectly, like a tree sprouting bright green leaves each season, we can see His precision and the intentional building blocks with which He laid the earth’s foundation.  When it is so beautiful to behold, like a newborn baby or the morning dew over a pristine meadow, our eyes cannot get full enough of His incredible artistry. When it is too great and powerful, like standing next to a great waterfall or canyon, we are stirred to the knowledge of how finite we are in such an unknowable universe. 

And when we have cast our nets and cast our nets and cast them again to absolutely no avail - not even a single minnow - and just one more try at His Word we haul in 153 large fish, we recognize the miraculous Hand of God in the world that we cannot control. 

The 153 is a reminder that nothing is unaccounted for in Him. Advanced scholars and experts in their fields often agree with Albert Einstein, who said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” Yet God knows all. There is nothing outside of His notice or plans.

He made and counted every one of those fish. He watched them emerge from their eggs, from the place where their mothers spawned. They became frys and then smolts. He saw them grow strong, eating and darting about, traveling together and roaming the waters. He willed and watched them move to the space where they would be gathered for this moment, fully accounted for, where they would take part in His glory in this incredible moment. I wonder if those 153 rejoiced!

And you, friend, are the masterpiece of His Creation, far greater than a catch of fish. 

Let’s head back to Luke 12 for a moment. Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (vs 6-7) 

It seems like everyone I talk to right now is going through a difficult time. We’re facing challenges at work, uncertainty without clear answers of what’s next or where He wants us to go, loss and seasons of grief, struggles with family dynamics, and prolonged seasons of waiting for relief. We’ve all seen the statistics that depression, stress, and anxiety are increasing at alarming rates, and many are feeling like there is no light in the darkness of existing.

If you are reading this and you are walking through a season of difficulty where you’re looking around the world thinking that it is hopeless because of all the things you cannot control, I want you to know that God has not left a single detail out of His plans regarding you. You, and I mean YOU precisely, are His masterpiece, whom He created anew in Christ Jesus, so that you can do the good things He planned for you long before the Creation of the world (Ephesians 2:10). 

I want you to take hold of the truth that God sees you. That’s what the Bible says over and over. Hagar the slave girl, driven to the wilderness by abuse, called Him “El Roi” when He came to comfort her in her desperation (Genesis 16:13).

Whatever you are going through right now is not a surprise to Him. Trials may come, but He will never abandon you. He has a plan for your life, for your specific circumstances, and for your heart.

I have many, many, many stories, scriptures, and pictures I want to encourage you with, no matter the season you’re in, so that you can be strong in your faith and joyful in any trial. I promise that the light has shone in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it, and I promise that Jesus Christ is our light and hope in all things.

If you are not going through a challenging season, I hope you’ll find this weekly publication a refreshing way to worship the Lord each week and give joyful thanks for His goodness and purpose in all things.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will get into why the disciples were fishing and the net that was not torn by such a great catch. I invite you to pray about that net specifically and what it symbolizes in our lives. 

Until then, may all that is created testify to His power and divine nature, that you may be encouraged by His love all around you.