Saint John - Chapter 21
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| The Second Miraculous Draught of Fishes. J-J Tissot |
Jesus saith to them: Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught.
Jesus saith … bring of the fish, &c. This He did that they all might perceive the multitude of the fish and the greatness of the miracle.
Mystically, S. Augustine (Tract. 123) says, “The broiled fish is Christ in His Passion. He is the Bread which came down from heaven. With Him the Church is incorporated for the attainment of everlasting bliss, according as it is said, Bring of the fish which ye have taken, that all we who have this hope through that seven-fold number of disciples, by which the whole company of the faithful is figured, might know that we have a share in so great a sacrament, and are partakers of the same blessedness.”
[11] Ascendit Simon Petrus et traxit rete in terram, plenum magnis piscibus centum quinquaginta tribus. Et cum tanti essent, non est scissum rete.
Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken.
Simon Peter went up, i.e. into the ship. &c. Peter is mentioned as the leader of the rest. For he could not have drawn the net laden with so many great fishes (to land) by himself. Though indeed S. Gregory and Rupertus think that he did do this alone, though not by his own strength, but by Divine assistance. And thereby Peter’s Primacy is intimated. For he is the first to call his companions to fish. He first came to Christ. He was the first also to draw up the net, that it might be signified that all fishes, that is to say, all the faithful, ought to be drawn and ruled by Peter. John therefore was the more beloved, but Peter the more honoured by Christ, and by Him set over the rest. So subjects (spiritual) are now and again more holy than their rulers, but rulers are more exalted, and more eminent in authority than their subjects.
Fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: Why were there exactly one hundred and fifty-three? S. Jerome gives (in Ezek. 47:9) the literal reason; because there are just that number of different kinds of fish. This is what he says, “Those who have written about animated nature say that there are an hundred and fifty-three kinds of fish. One of each of these kinds was caught by the Apostle, and more remained uncaught. For noble and ignoble, rich and poor, all sorts and conditions of men, are drawn out of the sea of this world to salvation.” You must, however, understand the matter thus, that only the chief genera of fishes are included in this number, for, speaking strictly, there are many more kinds. Therefore by this number, or symbol, Christ signified that all nations were to be gathered up into the net of the Church, whose head and prince is Peter, and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs.
Symbolically, Cyril says the number one hundred signifies the fulness of the Gentiles which was about to enter into the net of Peter and the Church: the fifty signifies the smaller number of the Jews, who would be saved: the three represents the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, by the faith and worship of Whom both Jews and Gentiles are gathered together and saved.
But S. Augustine (Tract. 122) says, “This number is made up of three times fifty plus three, because of the mystery of the Trinity. The fiftieth was the year of Jubilee in which all the people rested from all their labours. The year of Jubilee represented the stale of Gospel grace.”
More particularly and plainly Rupertus and Maldonatus explain thus. By those three numbers is signified the three-fold race of men who are saved. The hundred denotes those who are married, for these are the most numerous. The fifty denotes the widows and the continent, for these are fewer in number. The three denotes virgins, the fewest of all.
And although there were so many, &c. Chrysostom says that in this miracle three miracles were included, by which Christ proved His resurrection and omnipotence. The first was in the taking of the fish. The second, in the production of His own fish, the bread, and the burning coals. The third, in the integrity of the net, which signifies the unity and integrity of the Church, which cannot be broken, or rent by any schism. For they who make a schism separate themselves ipso facto from the Church, and consequently leave the Church to its own unity and integrity.
From The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by J-J Tissot (1897)
Certain authors think that the account quoted above refers to the same miraculous draught of fishes as that described in the fifth chapter of Saint Luke, some saying that Saint John's narrative is but a reproduction of that of Saint Luke, whilst others are of opinion that Saint Luke was a only giving a kind of prophecy of the incident related later by Saint John. They can be no doubt that all are wrong, and that the two accounts referred to two totally different incidents, each with a character so clearly defined that it is impossible to confound the two.In addition to the difference of the setting of the scene, Peter flinging himself into the water to go to Jesus Who is on the land, could not be a mere variation of Peter falling down at Jesus' knees in the boat and saying: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" How very superior to any such paltry idea is the thought which naturally occurs to everyone reading Saint John's account, that Jesus wished to make himself known and at the same time to restore Peter to the leadership of the the Apostles, reminding him by the second miraculous take of fishes of the circumstances of his first call, and encouraging him, by this symbol, of the extraordinary results which should attend his efforts, if he devoted himself once more to the task of winning souls. This is how Christian commentators interpret the scene.
We are aware that it was with what is called the seine-net that the disciples fished. One end of a long narrow net was made fast on the land and the boat was then steered out into the offing, gradually paying out the net, the greater portion of which with its weights sank to the bottom, whilst the upper edge, provided with corks, floated freely on the surface of the water. When the net had been stretched out in a straight line towards the offing, the boat described a wide circle round it, taking the other end back to the land. All the fish in the path of the net were taken and were towed in by the fishermen wading in the water. Having reached the shore with their load, the disciples found themselves face to face with Jesus, Who, addressing them in the old familiar way, invited them to eat with Him.
In their astonishment they know not what to say. They recognise Him. It is indeed He, and yet they remember having laid Him in the tomb. Full of emotion, they hold their peace and "None durst to ask him, Who art thou? Knowing that it was the lord." It is indeed a grand scene, and it alone would be enough to prove the authenticity of the Gospel account and the reality of the Resurrection. May we not see in this meal, which is evidently symbolical, an emblem of the spiritual and material aid upon which the disciples could rely in the new era which was about to begin? Even as the miraculous draught of fishes was, as we have seen, a symbol of the marvellous work which would be accomplished by the divine assistance. Others see in the lake an emblem of the field of work and in the firm land one of the eternal reward, so often symbolised in this Scriptures by a feast of which the elect will partake, and over which God Himself will preside.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam
Ad Jesum per Mariam
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