"21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead."
John 21:1-14
Christ had said to the disciples, 'I will make you fishers of men'. When a man is called to such a task, and tries to go back from it to the old ways, the story is always one of frustration, disappointment and failure. And Jesus is intent on showing them that nothing but this can ever come upon them if once they have seen a glimpse of the new life. There is a gentle irony at work in our Lord's dealing with them, particularly in 5, 'Children, have ye any meat?' And when these words are taken with the others in 12, 'Come and dine', we see an interesting and instructive pattern. So very often it is when we have toiled all night and caught nothing - and one can apply this in any number of different ways - that the Lord comes and reminds us that all fullness dwells in Him. 'Not that way, Peter, but this. Come and dine'. And the lesson is surely plain. Service or employment apart from Christ always means emptiness and failure. How often we have proved this to be so in our own experience. Yet how wonderful it is that, in the midst of such failure, the Lord should come with His invitation (12), as if to remind us that He is the source and fountainhead of all that is true and fulfilling in the Christian life. Would that we could learn, once and for all, the truth of the hymn writer's words,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.