153

As a cyclist, I pay a lot of attention to numbers. I have a computer on my bike that tells me my speed, average speed, maximum speed, cadence (revolutions per minute that I pedal), average cadence, time the bike is moving, percent grade I'm climbing or descending, altitude I'm at, maximum altitude, total number of feet gained vertically during my ride, heart rate, average heart rate, maximum heart rate... you get the idea. There are lots of numbers to keep track of.

So naturally, when I read John 21 this morning and saw the number 153 I took note. Actually, most everyone who reads John 21 notices the number of fish the diciples caught at Jesus' command. It would have been one thing if John had said, "There were lot of fish," or "It was full of large fish, a couple hundred or so," but that's not what John wrote. "It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn." (John 21:11)

Ever since John wrote this account commentators have been speculating about the meaning of the number 153. Augustine speculated that it was the sum of all the numbers from 1 to 17, with 17 repepresenting the five disciples Jesus first called, then the Twelve (5 + 12 = 17) and ultimately 153 representing the much large number of disciples to follow. Jerome believed that there were 153 species of fish, and that the net contained one fish of each species, thus representing the people from every nation who would believe and be saved. I read another commentator who pointed out that the Gematria (or numberical value) of the phrase "The Son of God" in Hebrew is 153. A different commentator speculated that there would be 153 generations from Jesus time until the end of the world. One commentator noted that 153 individuals received a blessing from Jesus during his ministry in the four Gospels. And on and on it goes. One guy even tried to tie the 153 fish to Phythagorus and the ratio of an equilateral triangle!

So why did John say that there were 153 fish? My guess would be that there were actually 153 fish in the net when the disciples pulled it in! But why count? Why not? What do we count more carefully than anything else in life? Our income, right? For fishermen, fish were income. This was a lot of fish. So many that the net should have broken, but it didn't. It would make sense to count them. This was a remarkable miracle, and counting the number of fish caught would document it.

Ultimately, I think that's why John wrote down the number of fish in the net. First of all, I'm sure the number stuck in his mind. Second, he wanted everyone to know that this really happened. The exact number 153 puts the stamp of accurate history on John's account. It lets us know that we can trust what is written here, not only about the number of fish the disciples caught, but also about the fact that Christ actually rose from the dead. So there's really no need for further speculation. The disciples really did catch 153 fish that morning. And Jesus really did rise from the dead. Praise God!