The 153 Fish

Knowing that all scripture in the Bible has a meaning and is not wasted, the account of the 153 fish in John 21:3-12 has been a mystery as to its meaning.

After a night of unsuccessful fishing by the disciples, Jesus Christ standing on the shore, calls out to them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, which they did. They then caught so many fish they could not drag the net into the boat.

They drew the net of fish to the shore, counted them, and found a total of 153. What’s curious is why the disciples bothered to count the fish at all, and why the Bible records the number precisely at 153. The Bible could have instead rounded off the number to "about 150," or to simply have said "many fish," or "a multitude of fish," but it specifies the specific number of 153.

There has been theories as to what this number represents. Some say it’s the number of nations during the end times, or the number of different types of people Christ gathers together into the Kingdom of God, etc.

But the most interesting theory in my opinion is found in Grant Jeffrey’s book "Unveiling Mysteries of the Bible." The book says that a Christian army officer, named Lt. Col. R. Roberts, made a discovery more than a century ago. He too was curious about the odd number of 153 fish.

Roberts discovered that the four Gospels record precisely 153 individuals who were specifically blessed by Jesus Christ. These divine blessings through their personal encounters with Jesus Christ included salvation, divine healings, resurrections, as well as those persons who were personally blessed through witnessing Christ supernaturally bless their friend or loved one (such as Jairus and his daughter).

Mr. Jeffrey goes on to list the 153 people who received a direct blessing from Jesus Christ, including the 70 disciples, 11 apostles, 10 lepers, 4 brethren of the Lord, the palsied man and bearers, the Centurion, Lazarus, Mary, Martha, the blind men, the demon-possessed man, Nicodemus, Peter’s mother-in-law, etc.

Between the 4 Gospels the total of these blessed people does add up to 153. It’s unlikely that this number of 153 is a mere coincidence. It clearly demonstrates that the Lord numbers and watches over every individual who places his faith and trust in Him.

As Jesus states in Matthew 10:29-31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (NIV).

By George Konig
Christian Internet Forum
www.georgekonig.org
May 17, 2003

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