In this chapter which describes a further Resurrection appearance to the chief disciples when they had returned to Galilee there appear to be two main aims: (i) the particular commissioning of Simon Peter by the risen Christ, and (ii) the removal of a misunderstanding about the disciple whom Jesus loved.

The significance of the catch of fish (21 :2-11) is similar to that of Luke's account of Peter's miraculous catch (Luke 5: 1-11); the fishermen of Galilee were to be 'fishers of men' (Luke 5: 10). There are echoes of the significance of the feeding of the five thousand in 21:13.

When the disciples first saw Jesus they did not know him but spiritual sight came to them through the sign of the great catch of fish. The disciple whom Jesus loved was the first to recognize the risen Christ.

In the dialogue between the risen Christ and Simon Peter (21 : 15-19), Peter was asked three times if he loved the Lord, and three times affirmed that he did, just as he had previously denied him three times. Peter was then commissioned to be the shepherd of the Church on earth in the service of the Chief Shepherd (l Peter 5:4, John 10:11-16). Peter's martyrdom was predicted (21: 18-19).

The disciple whom Jesus loved is the subject of 21:20-24. Peter wanted to know what lay ahead for this other disciple but was told by Jesus to keep his mind fixed on his own discipleship and not on others. A misunderstanding later arose about this other disciple (21 :23) and the matter is put straight. The disciple is identified as the one whose witness is in the gospel (21:24).

The final sentence reminds the reader that no gospel tells us all that was known about Jesus Christ. Each gospel aims at interpreting what is presented about Jesus so that the reader may believe in him and meet the risen Christ in his own life.