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What does John 21:6 mean? Read commentary on this popular Bible verse and understand the real meaning behind God's Word using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible.
John 21:6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
What does John 21:6 mean? Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus rode out on a boat with Peter, who had just come up empty after an entire night of fishing. Peter cooperated with a seemingly petty request from Jesus, resulting in a massive haul (Luke 5:3–7). Peter reacted to this in faith (Luke 5:8).
(John 21:18-19) Jesus’ call on Peter’s life. “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”
Again, John's greater perceptiveness and Peter's greater impetuosity come to light in this event. John was the thinker; Peter was the man of action. John recognized the Lord here, through the use of his mind; it was still too far off to see Jesus sufficiently to identify him visually.
Though He is refusing to make a prediction about John, some assume this means John will live forever—or at least until Jesus returns. John makes a point of repeating Jesus' exact words to show this was not the case (John 21:20–23).
As for John, Jesus refused to give any indication of how his life would end. Some misinterpreted this to mean that John would never die, so John added a note at the end of his book to correct the misunderstanding (John 21:20-23).
