https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL7uV5jF8Rk
https://torahportions.ffoz.org/disciples/john/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-153.html
(End of the 153 article. Randolph writing below.)
Yes, Jesus had raised from the dead, and Peter had gone back to fishing. Well, Jesus had instructed them to go to Galilee, so Peter was back home, and fishing in the Sea of Galilee. When Peter realized it was Jesus on the shore, he put on his clothes and jumped into the water and swam or waded to shore. Sometime later they traveled to the mountain where the disciples worshiped Jesus.
https://torahportions.ffoz.org/disciples/john/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-153.html
"Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn” (John 21:11). What do the 153 fish signify? Scholars have long suspected a hidden numerical significance (Gematria). Whatever cryptic meaning the number might have communicated to John and his readers has been long lost and forgotten, but that does not stop teachers and interpreters from speculating.
In his commentary on Ezekiel 47, Jerome linked the miracle of the 153 fish with the prophet’s vision of a river of life flowing out from the Temple in the Messianic Era. According to Ezekiel’s prophecy, the river will flow into the Dead Sea, turning the salt water fresh:
And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many. (Ezekiel 47:10)
Jerome believed that the miraculous represented the apostles bringing all nations into the kingdom. After all, the disciples were to be fishers of men: “The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind” (Matthew 13:47). In that day, “Their fish will be according to their kinds … very many” (Ezekiel 47:10).
Jewish scribes responsible for copying sacred texts routinely searched for numerical patterns in the scrolls they copied. They counted the words and letters of a scroll to verify the consistency of new copies. The numerical relationship the scribes had with the written text resulted in a whole field of mathematical exegesis, and scribes, or even authors, may have considered triangular numbers as especially significant.
Augustine noted that the number 153 is a triangular number, the triangle of 17. (In fact, 153 is the seventeenth triangular number in the series of triangular numbers.) A triangular number is the sum of dots in an equilateral triangle formed from and filled by equally spaced dots. A triangular number is also the sum of all the natural numbers from 1 to the triangle of the number:
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14+15+16+17=153
One scholar perceived a coded numeric-relationship between the numbers 17 and 153 and the Dead Sea locations mentioned in Ezekiel 47:10 where fishermen will cast nets during the Messianic Age. The numerical value for the word gedi (גדי) in the name “Engedi (עין גדי)” adds up to 17. The numerical value for the word eglaim (עגלים) in the name “Eneglaim (עין עגלים)” adds up to 153. Coincidentally, the Hebrew word gedi (גדי) is the one-hundred-and-fifty-third word of Ezekiel 47. These relationships might be coincidental, but the Ezekiel 47 imagery of the river of life flowing from within the Temple informs other important passages in John:
From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19:34)
Yes, Jesus had raised from the dead, and Peter had gone back to fishing. Well, Jesus had instructed them to go to Galilee, so Peter was back home, and fishing in the Sea of Galilee. When Peter realized it was Jesus on the shore, he put on his clothes and jumped into the water and swam or waded to shore. Sometime later they traveled to the mountain where the disciples worshiped Jesus.
I think they may have gone to Mount Herman, scene of the transfiguration and likely scene of the temptation where Satan showed Jesus the kingdoms of the earth. There was the Roman kingdom at Caesarea Philippi clearly visible at the foot of Mt. Hermon, and the Phoenician Kingdom at Tyre and Sidon to the west, and the Syrian kingdom at Damascus to the North-East.
So it is likely that Jesus and His disciples returned to the scene of the Transfiguration, and we are not told what happened there, except the disciples worshiped Him. Perhaps it was here, looking out at the kingdoms of the world, that Jesus said "All authority has been given to me in Heaven and on Earth."
Acts 1 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Mark 16:2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
Matthew 28 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Resurrection
28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
From the mountain in Galilee the disciples returned to Jerusalem, where they met with Jesus, and accompanied Him to the Mount of Olives for His final words and ascension into heaven. They waited in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The gospel was preached that day, and three thousand were added to the number of God's people. And from there the gospel spread like a stream flowing down into the Dead Sea, giving life where it was received.
And that is the connection between 153 fish caught in a net in Galilee, and the vision of Ezekiel 47. Just as Jesus promised, "I will make you fishers of men."
John 21, 153 Fish
|
