What is the meaning of the 153 fish in John 21:11?

At His word to bring of the fish they had caught, Peter, imbued with strength of affection for the Lord, draws the net to land. It is a hint of the great blessing through his preaching later on the day of Pentecost, with about 3000 converted (Acts 2:41). The 153 great fish here have been said to correspond with the actual number of the nations existent at that time, which would be interesting if it could be verified. In contrast to Luke 5:6, the net was not broken in spite of the great catch. It speaks of the power of God involved in Christ raised from the dead, that power available to His disciples by the indwelling Spirit of God, so that testimony may be maintained without breaking down.

313 And now it is all purposely mysterious in the end of John. It is remarkable - all the puzzling of men's minds about these things, when it is just an inlet into the fulness of truth. "After these things" (chap. 21:1), it is all mysterious. Peter was going back to the old work from which he had been called. Peter might have wanted his dinner. But it was ordered of God for His own purposes. And they went forth, but that night they caught nothing. When the morning came, Jesus stood on the shore, and asks, "Have ye any meat?" They answer "No." He says, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find." And they were not able to draw the net for the multitude of fishes. "Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved [the secret of the Lord was still with him who loved and kept close to Him], saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him (for he was naked), and did cast himself into the sea, and the other disciples came in a little ship (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fishes."

314 But the Lord had fish already; He had got the remnant with Him on shore, and then you get the millennial haul. It is all purposely mysterious. Where did He get the fish He had? It does not say. But "Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three; and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken." Now when the gospel haul was depicted (Luke 5:6), the net was broken; but here, the Lord being there, the net did not break. The gospel net gathered fishes, and does now; but as a whole, the net broke, and they began to sink. Here they haul them in, and the Spirit of God notices that the thing is complete. The fishes gathered out of the sea are the nations; but the Jewish remnant is on the shore already.

382 "One hundred and fifty-three." No better explanation has ever been found for this number than Hengstenberg's, that it was the number of nations of the world known at the time.

The third time that He showed Himself after His resurrection --The first time on the first day of the week (Chapter 20:19); this is typical of the present age, when He is in the midst of His people. The second time, when Thomas was present; typical of His second coming and manifestation to Israel. The third time on the Lake of Tiberias ; typical of the future blessings through Israel, and corresponding to the third day in Chapter ii, when there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. The miraculous draught of fishes took place by His power, but the net did not go to pieces. It was different before His death and resurrection; then the net broke. The scene on the Lake of Tiberias foreshadows the ingathering of the nations into His Kingdom when He returns. The number of the fish caught is given, one hundred and fifty-three. The number of the nations of the world known at that time was exactly 153. How significant this is! Thus all the nations of the world will be gathered into His Kingdom.

The passage, as usually taken, is prophetic, and refers to the great Gentile gathering in the last days. I doubt not the 153 fishes refer to 2 Chronicles 2:17-18. All is on earth of course: there are seven disciples, a spiritually complete number of Israel will be the fishers. Their boat will not sink, nor their nets break, as in Luke 5. Neither will the haul be put into the boat, but dragged to the shore. But it is at the crisis of the history I would touch it.

The disciples were also instructed to bring of the newly-caught fish to augment the feast, for there was now an ample supply of "great fishes." They knew how many were caught, not approximately, in round figures, as twelve or thirteen dozen, or seven or eight score. They counted them accurately to a fish — one hundred and fifty-three.

Yet the Lord would have His own enter into the fellowship of what He has wrought as well as enjoy their own work. "Jesus saith to them, Bring of the fish which ye just now took. Simon Peter, therefore, went up and drew the net to land, full of great fishes a hundred and fifty-three;382 and, as many as there were, the net was not rent. Jesus saith to them, Come, dine."

The contrast with all that characterises the actual work of His servants is very plain. The parable in Matt. 13:47 shows us that even up to the close of the age good and bad fish are contained in the net, and that it is the marked call of the fishermen just then to put the good into vessels as well as to cast the bad away; whilst the angels, as we know, do the converse work, when judgment comes at the Lord's appearing, of severing the wicked from among the righteous. The miraculous draught in Luke 5:4-9, descriptive of present service, shows us the nets breaking and the boats into which the fishes were put beginning to sink. Nothing of this appears here where the days of the kingdom are set forth, when the Lord is with His own on earth. There are many great fishes named, but none bad; the net is expressly said to be unrent; there is no thought of the boat sinking, and the net was dragged along instead of the boat being filled. Thus a wholly different and future state of things is pictured after this age closes and before eternity begins.

Other disciples follow Peter's example. They catch nothing. The Lord asks them to "cast the net on the right side of the ship" (v.6). The disciples obey and discover that the Lord works miraculously and they "were not able to draw [the net] for the multitude of fishes". In contrast to the miracle worked by the Lord in Luke 5, the net does not break. And in contrast to the parable of the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 13:47) where they catch 'of every kind' and have to gather the good ones into vessels and throw the bad ones away (v.48) in this incident here there is no failure and everything is marked by perfection. So it will be when a great multitude is brought in (see Rev. 7) from the nations (illustrated in the sea, Rev. 17:15). They will respond to the gospel [2] call and enter the Millennium. This also will be a consequence of the death of the Son of God.

John 21. This is on the ground of the synoptic gospels, that is to say, is dispensational in its character — the draught of fishes is identified with the work of Christ in connection with earth. Led by Peter the disciples go fishing, but catch nothing. The Lord appears to them, and tells them to cast the net on the right side of the ship; and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. There is no breaking of the net here, and 153 great fishes are secured. They now recognise the Lord, and find a dinner ready prepared, of which they are invited to partake. All this points to a resumption of the Lord's earthly association with His people Israel, whom He will use for an abundant ingathering of souls from among the sea of nations after the close of the present period.

He address them as “children,” a gentle, endearing word, in asking if they have caught anything. But their tempers were short: they miss the significance of this, and curtly answer “No.” Then He gives them instruction simply to cast the net on the right side of the boat, with the positive words, “you will find” (v. 6). This also should have awakened interest as to who this Stranger might be to speak as He did, for fishermen generally would not take advice from a total stranger. But they act, possibly because tired and frustrated, and their catch of fish was so great that seven men were not able to draw the net into the boat! It is interesting that. because of the number of the fish, the net was not drawn into the boat, but to shore. This is to be compared with Matthew 13:47-48, where the net was also drawn to shore, for it speaks of the great number of Gentiles who will be drawn by God at the end of the tribulation period, the wicked being separated from the just and cast away, while the good (the just) are gathered into vessels for blessing in the millennium.