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The Miracles of Jesus Christ: A Second Large Catch of Fish (Part Two)
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe two large-catch miracles (Luke 5:1-11 and John 21:1-14) bind together into a single teaching, marking the beginning and the completion of the disciples' three-and-a-half-year education under Christ's direct tutelage. At the first catch, Peter resists Christ's direction, the net tears, the boats begin to sink, and Peter begs Jesus to depart. At the second, the disciples at first fail to recognize the risen Lord because of weak faith and spiritual immaturity, yet Peter obeys at once, the net holds a massive catch without tearing, no one is overwhelmed, and Peter eagerly swims to Christ and drags the net ashore. This contrast shows growth in learning to recognize God, to obey His commands in faith, and to stay steadfast amid overwhelming circumstances. Their weak faith is strengthened and their unbelief dissolves. Because their flaws are compounded in Christ's absence, each will soon receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). Christ's commission in John 21:15-17 recognizes and rewards their growth and marks a new vocation. They will no longer be only fishers of men (Mark 1:17), but pioneering ministers in the nascent church of God, tending and feeding all who are called into the Way.
Breakfast by the Sea (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeJohn 21 contains a strong lesson about our part of our Father's business. It begins with a significant miracle, the eighth sign found in the book of John.
Why 153 Fish? (Part Three)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeWhy did Jesus provide precisely 153 fish? Few commentaries suggest any explanation for the number, and fewer still advance a theory of any substance.
The Post-Resurrection Last Words of Christ (Part Three)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGod has called individuals with different temperaments, giving them a variety of spiritual gifts to work interdependently within Christ's Body.
We Are Not Just Going Fishing
Sermonette by Mark SchindlerThe Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) calls each person to come before God with a thoughtfully determined offering reflecting both physical blessing and spiritual growth.
Why 153?
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe first sign in the book of John corrected the physical need for wine; the eighth sign of 153 fish corrected a spiritual need on the part of God's people.
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Great Catch of Fish
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsIn performing the miracle of the great catch of fish, Jesus manifests His divine power over creation, forcing Peter to realize just who his Master was.
Without Me, Nothing! (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe miraculous catch of 153 fish seems to be an anticlimactic ending after Thomas' worship, but the incident is symbolic of Christ's rule over the Church.
Without Me, Nothing! (Part Two)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe first and last words of Jesus Christ in the book of John are to 'follow Me,' directed at His disciples then and now.
Mark: Stupid, Unbelieving Disciples
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughMark's gospel describes the miraculous transformation of the disciples, who began with slow comprehension, into faithful, mature apostles and fishers of men.
The Parables of Matthew 13 (Part Eight): The Parable of the Dragnet
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe penultimate parable of Matthew 13 uses the illustration with which Christ's disciples were very familiar: fishing in the Sea of Galilee.
Rainbow of Peace
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)As Israel comes to itself, God will gently re-gather His people from their exile, an event which will make reconciliation available to the entire world.
Matthew (Part Twenty-Two)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe transfiguration prefigured the Kingdom of God, with the disciples only seeing Jesus in the end, showing salvation is through Him alone.