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Mysteries of John
Chapter 21
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[Mysteries of John]
[Charles Fillmore's Works] [Unity on the Web Home Page]
John: Chapter 21
After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the
disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself
on this wise. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas
called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the
sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon
Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him,
We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into
the boat; and that night they took nothing. 4 But when day
was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach: yet the
disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus therefore
saith unto them, Children, have ye aught to eat? They
answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on
the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the
multitude of fishes. 7 That disciple therefore whom Jesus
loved said unto Peter, It is the Lord. So when Simon Peter
heard that it was the Lord, he girt his coat about him (for
he was naked), and cast himself into the sea. 8 But the
other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not
far from the land, but about two hundred cubits off),
dragging the net full of fishes. 9 So when they got out
upon the land, they see a fire of coals there, and fish
laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of
the fish which ye have now taken. 11 Simon Peter therefore
went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, a
hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so
many, the net was not rent. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come
and break your fast. And none of the disciples durst
inquire of him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus cometh, and taketh the bread, and giveth them, and
the fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus
was manifested to the disciples, after that he was risen
from the dead.
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WHEN THE DISCIPLES had toiled all night in their fishing
boats without results, Jesus suddenly appeared on the shore
and called to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the
boat, and ye shall find." The result was 153 large fishes,
so heavy that the net could not be lifted into the boat,
yet it did not break. Man's mind is the net that catches
thoughts, which are the basis of external conditions. The
sea is the mental realm in which man exists. Toil of all
kinds is a combination of mental and physical exertion.
When the mind is exalted toil is easy. By using his mind
man invents machinery that relieves him from wearying
muscular labor. In a larger way the spiritual man uses his
mind and takes advantage of divine guidance to lighten his
toil.
The net of man's thought works hard and long in the
darkness of human understanding and gains but little, but
once the Christ Mind is perceived and obeyed the net is
cast on the "right side," and success follows. The "right
side" is the side on which man realizes the truth that
inexhaustible resources are always present and can be made
manifest by those who exercise their faith in that
direction.
Whoever seeks supply through Spirit and submits his cause
to the law of justice and righteousness always succeeds.
The reason why men fail to demonstrate the many promises of
divine support is that they cling to some selfish or unjust
thought. "Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you."
The bread and fish that Jesus provided on the
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shore represents the supply of Spirit for the needs of the
body. Not only does the Father provide for man in the
natural world, as by the draught of fishes, but in the
invisible world of substance are elements that correspond
to the material things. Bread symbolizes the substance of
the omnipresent Christ body and fish the capacity of
increase that goes with it. Fish are the most prolific of
all living things and aptly exemplify the ability of
increase inherent in the Christ substance.
15 So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon
Peter, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love
thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him
again a second time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He
saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Tend my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the
third time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was
grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest
thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all
things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto
him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst
whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou
shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee,
and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 Now this he
spake, signifying by what manner of death he should glorify
God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow
me. 20 Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus
loved following; who also leaned back on his breast at the
supper, and said, Lord, who is he that betrayeth thee? 21
Peter therefore
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seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man
do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I
come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. 23 This saying
therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple
should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, that he should
not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is
that to thee?
24 This is the disciple that beareth witness of these
things, and wrote these things: and we know that his
witness is true.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did,
the which if they should be written every one, I suppose
that even the world itself would not contain the books that
should be written.
Three times Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Lovest thou me?"
Peter's spiritual advancement hinged on his possession of
love, and the test of love is its willingness to serve. It
is quite evident that Jesus was trying to teach Peter that
if he loved truly he would serve.
Faith must be established in love and must work by love;
and every faculty of man must be established in love and
work by love if perfect harmony and good are to be
realized. Faith established in love and working by love
will remain steadfast at all times, under all
circumstances; it will be our sustaining power during our
every hour of need.
In verse 18 of this chapter Jesus explains further what He
meant by His questioning. Faith (Peter), when it first
begins to awaken to the Christ ideal, sees the unlimited
possibilities that are presented in this new life; it
realizes that it can bring into manifestation anything that
may be desired. In its more
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mature state it realizes the necessity for service in a
universal sense. The giving up of the personal self (with
the consequent working from a universal standpoint) is the
death whereby we are to glorify God. However, laying hold
of Spirit and its power should accompany the denial of self.
Faith (symbolized by Peter) is the faculty on which depends
continuous supply; hence Peter is challenged with the
thought of love toward Christ three times. Faith must be in
loving communion with the Christ Mind in order to draw down
to the thoughts (sheep) the necessary supply. Man does not
live by bread alone but by words and thoughts from God.
These come into consciousness through mental and spiritual
laws. Peter's three successive affirmations of love
represent fulfillment of the close Christ union in spirit,
soul, and body. Faith at the beginning is wistful,
vigorous, vacillating, but in its maturity it gives itself
wholly to Spirit and is willing to die to self. This is the
"manner of death" by which faith glorifies God: being
absorbed into the Divine Mind.
Through repeated affirmations of love toward Christ, man
develops a consciousness of divine love that abides at the
heart center and fills the whole body with ecstasy. This
consciousness is "the disciple whom Jesus loved."
Jesus revealed the mind of the Father. This mind is the
life and intelligence of man as well as the substance that
provides for all his needs. This providing power of the
Father, Jesus brought out prominently, and He showed in
various ways how
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easy it is to obtain supply by trusting God. This teaching
is not an encouragement to man to be idle, but rather to be
active and trustful, constantly looking to Spirit instead
of matter as the source of his good.
The actual resurrection of Jesus in a body that corresponds
to the physical is not a subject open to debate by the
followers of Jesus Christ. The historical evidence is ample
to convince any unprejudiced mind. However, the study of
the constituent parts of man, his spirit, soul, and body,
reveals man's innate capacity to overcome the
disintegrating effects of error thinking and living, and
his ability, by conforming to the standards laid down by
Jesus, to destroy the seeds of death and implant health and
eternal life in his body.
To the oft-repeated question "If Jesus resurrected His
physical body why is He not visible here among us?" we
would say that Jesus overcame the sins that caused our
original fall from the perfect body of the Adamic man to
the diseased and dying body in which the race is now
existing. When we have purified our mind and body and cast
out every evil thought, our body will become transparent to
human sight, as is Jesus' body. The idea that a transparent
body is thin air, a ghost, is wholly wrong. Science says
that the invisible electrical units composing the atom are
millions of times more powerful than any visible thing.
When the atomic energy in the atomic bomb was released
great cities were destroyed. Jesus told His followers that
when they were gathered in that upper room in Jerusalem the
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Holy Spirit would descend upon them with power; and they
were transformed from ignorant men into linguists of
unbelievable ability.
Paul says, "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind." When we accomplish this transformation we shall see
Jesus as He is and as we must all be in the resurrection
from the dead and dying body in which we are now
functioning. This is not to be accomplished by a great
miracle at some appointed time in the future, but day by
day we shall be resurrected out of the darkness of sense
into the glorious light of Spirit.
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