153 Fish in the Net

I love the tiny details in scripture which contain HUGE revelations!

In John 21, the Risen Jesus fed his friends breakfast on the beach of Galilee.

Wow.

That's mind blowing!

The Gospel continues the story with a conversation between Jesus and Peter.

EVERYTHING MEANS SOMETHING and no detail in scripture is without importance.

This meeting in Galilee happened after Passover and during a very special Jewish season.

According to the Torah (Lev. 23:15), Jews are obligated to count the 50 days from Passover to Shavuot, (Pentecost) to commemorate the time of Passover until the giving of the law on Sinai.

This 50 day period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure.

On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering. This grain offering was referred to as the Omer.

Each evening a blessing is recited, "BLESSED ARE YOU O LORD GOD OF THE UNIVERSE..."

So, picture this...

It's Omer; here we are with the risen Lord on the shore.

We lick our fingers after breakfast and hope Jesus will explain EVERYTHING to us....but where's Peter?

Peter is off COUNTING fish.

There are 153 fish in the net to be exact. Is that number random or significant? After all, we are in the Jewish season of COUNTDOWN to the day of Pentecost! Why not count fish?

Thoene family and friends, this number 153 is so very very significant, it must not be overlooked.

It has a mathematical order which speaks of the perfect detail of God's message of salvation and mercy.

St. Augustine first noticed that 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+

12+13+14+15+16+17 = 153

Perhaps Jesus appeared in Galilee on the 17th day of the counting of the Omer.

Adding up 17 consecutive days = 153, the exact number Peter counted.

The Torah readings for that 17th day proclaim the MERCY, LOVE and GLORY of The Lord!

But the number 153 is even more miraculously significant!

Hebrew letters and words in scripture have numerical equivalents.

The letters of the Hebrew word FISH add up to the number 153!

Jesus told his disciples he would make them, FISHERS OF MEN!

But even more mind blowing than that revelation, Jesus announced through the number 153 in the catch, exactly who had lived, died, been raised from death and who now fixed them breakfast!

Remember the daily blessing during the countdown to Pentecost?

Every day during the counting of the Omer, a blessing is recited...

"BLESSED ARE YOU O LORD GOD OF THE UNIVERSE..." And WHO IS THE LORD?

What are the Hebrew words in a single phrase which add up to a Hebrew numerical value of 153?

Isaiah 43:3

"I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!" = 153.

EVERYTHING MEANS SOMETHING.

Jesus is LORD!!!