This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in John 21:1-14, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once, Jesus appeared to seven of his followers by the Sea of Tiberias. The followers were Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John (who were brothers), and two other friends. Simon Peter said to his friends, “I am going fishing.” His friends decided to go with him. They went out onto the boat, but they didn’t catch any fish that night.
When it was almost morning, they saw a man on the shore, but they didn’t know it was Jesus. The man asked them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They said, “No.” The man told them, “Put your net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some fish.” They did what he said, and they caught so many fish that they couldn’t even pull the net back into the boat!
One of the friends said to Simon Peter, “That man on the shore is the Lord!” Simon Peter was so happy that he put his clothes back on, because he had taken them off to work, and he jumped into the water to swim to the shore. The other friends came to shore in the boat, dragging the big net full of fish behind them.
When they got to the shore, they saw a fire with fish and bread cooking on it. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went back to the boat and pulled the net ashore. There were 153 big fish in the net, but the net did not break! Jesus said, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the friends dared ask, “Who are you?” because they knew it was Jesus. Jesus gave them bread and fish to eat.
This was the third time that Jesus appeared to his followers after he was raised from the dead.
Biblical Lessons
- Jesus is always with us, even when we don’t realize it.
- Jesus can provide for us in miraculous ways.
- Jesus invites us to join him in fellowship and to share in his blessings.
- Jesus is the Lord and Savior who provides for our every need.