PROPHETIC WORD: YOUR 153 MOMENT IS HERE!
It’s a large, life-changing moment that creates a dramatic shift in your life and nothing will ever be the same.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Peter waded into the water and helped pull the net to shore. It was full of many large fish, exactly 153, but even with so many fish, the net was not torn.” (John 21:11)
I have been seeing 153 and 53 at such a rapid rate, so I know the Lord is speaking to a specific group of people in a very direct way. This is an urgent word, not out of fear or hesitation -- but out of excitement and opportunity!
YOUR MOMENT IS HERE, FRIENDS!!! IT REALLY, REALLY IS!!!
The message is simple: this is your overflow season. A kairos time, an opportune moment in your life that will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in this walk with Christ. For years you have prepared, prayed and toiled for the Most High to push you out of your comfort zone and recreate you in His image.
The Lord is saying you have passed the test. It might not feel like it. It might not look like it. It might not seem like it. You have been stripped, refined and endured extreme pressure to be made new. In particular, you have walked with Jesus these last three and a half years and chased after His heart even into the uncertain and unsteady places. You are battle-tested and weary and have undergone such extreme warfare that it might seem impossible to believe that you have climbed to this mountain of transfiguration, but the moment you have been waiting for IS HERE!!!
Now your first fruits are starting to bloom for others to even see!
The Lord just reminded me of a song from The Greatest Showman and these lyrics in particular:
Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for.
It's blinding, outshining anything that you know; Just surrender 'cause you're calling and you wanna go
It's everything you ever want
It's everything you ever need
And it's here right in front of you
GET READY TO RUN SWIFTLY!!!
My 9-year-old niece is at the stage where she’s curious about the Bible. Lately she’s been talking about running the mile at school, so I thought it was the perfect time to teach her a lesson about running and courage. I shared this story with her: “John outran Peter, but Peter went into the tomb first.”
In John 20:4, Mary Magdalene was at the tomb early in the morning on the first day of the week after Jesus was crucified. She saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. Mary took off running. What she didn’t realize at the time was Jesus had just commissioned her to become the first messenger of His Resurrection, only she didn’t fully perceive the moment just yet.
She went running to tell Peter and John and they took off to see! As always, humble John didn’t say his name and only writes the “other disciple” when mentioning the ensuing footrace.
“The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first.” John 20:4
When I read this verse, I always imagine John as Forrest Gump or Sonic the Hedgehog in a footrace. John was younger, but the Bible also tells us that Peter was mid-age and athletic. The point is, both went full-throttle to the tomb and they had to see themselves! The running was important to mention because of what it implied.
John was running from a place of love. He was the only disciple we know to actually witness the crucifixion, so when Mary reported “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Well, then his protection mode went into overdrive! He was not having it and took off sprinting from a place of pure love and concern!
Peter was running from a place of sorrow and shame in that moment after denying his best friend Jesus and Savior three times.
So John got there first…
However, John also hesitated before entering the tomb. Meanwhile, Peter barreled right through the entrance and went right in. He was bold, assertive, and courageous. Nothing was stopping him from getting to the inside! He was a fierce protector and loved Jesus. We all need partnerships like this where one personality balances out the other.
I’m pretty certain this is exactly why Jesus selected His inner crew because of their personalities: John and Peter (and James) all brought various gifts to fulfill the Lord’s mission and each personality challenged and pushed the other to greater heights.
They also got to experience a 153 moment with our Lord and Savior just like you will!
THIS WEEK’S ANCHOR VERSE
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Peter waded into the water and helped pull the net to shore. It was full of many large fish, exactly 153, but even with so many fish, the net was not torn.” (John 21:11)
WHAT IS A 153 MOMENT?
• This is a mighty harvest of souls for all nations and all people.
For you personally, it’s a large, life-changing moment that creates a dramatic shift in your life and nothing will ever be the same. There are times in the Bible (and our lives) where we undergo processes and major shifts like the crossing of the Red Sea or escape from Egypt. These times are usually forceful and uncomfortable and separate you from the old into the new. Then there is a 153 moment that arrives abruptly and it takes you a second to fully recognize what Jesus is doing. You don’t plan or expect it and you’re not fleeing in fear -- but resting in wait. More than likely, you are in a fog at this point and it might seem like nothing is really working, but you still sense change is on the horizon deep in your soul. When your 153 moment arrives, you’ve already been walking in discipleship with Jesus and one-on-one training for a few years.
Now is the moment you will be commissioned.
The verb commission = Charge; order; mandate; authority given. It also means to bring something produced into working condition. It is to give an order or authorize a work.
In John 21:15, Jesus had to restore Peter first and build him back up before he was commissioned. The Passion Translation so eloquently explains:
This great catch of fish begins the inner-healing process for Peter and the guilt of his denial of Christ. Peter began to follow Jesus because of a great catch of fish (Luke 5:2-10), so Jesus now repeated that miracle, inviting Peter to begin to follow him again. Peter had denied his calling and ran away just like Jonah, yet Jesus now stood before him to fully restore him and heal his heart.
All of this took place because of the 153 moment.
• In the same way, you’ll go from fishing all night without any catches, to suddenly looking up to see Jesus in the distance. Only this time, the catch won’t feel fleeting or just give you a short burst of hope that is only momentary. This will be YOUR MOMENT. The time when something so spectacular unfolds that you’ll have no choice but to take all that power and force and go out to serve as a beacon of light and hope for the lost. Jesus brings POWER. Jesus will RADICALLY — and THUNDEROUSLY — transform you into a completely new person at this moment.
• You will never be the same when this moment happens. You will be commissioned to go out and make disciples and you’ll be so excited that you’ll react just like Peter: “When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord…he jumped into the water, and headed to shore.” (John 21:7)
Other translations said Peter “threw himself and cast himself into the water,” so this is not some swan dive or cannon ball. This is passion and nothing was stopping Peter!
• Remember how not too long ago John outran Peter to the tomb? Now Peter is so overwhelmed and enthralled to get to Jesus that he jumps out of the boat and swims 100 yards! Here this career fishermen had just caught 153 “large” fish — yet the victory wasn’t the fish. Yes, the catch was absolutely breath-taking and extraordinary, but it was Jesus who deserved all the attention in this moment. Peter wasn’t wasting a second to race to Him! Trust me, when your 153 moment arrives, no one or nothing else will matter but Christ. You will be speechless and dumbfounded and unable to comprehend the magnitude of Christ’s love and power in that moment. You’re about to become Peter! Ain’t nothin’ or no one stopping you from getting to the Lord!!!
• It was just an ordinary, mundane night when Peter decided to go out fishing. I suspect it was a really quiet night. Jesus had been crucified and Peter was feeling a ton of guilt and grief because he’d denied his friend and Savior. Meanwhile, John was like undergoing grief and sorrow, too. Jesus was one of his very best friends and you don’t forget the trauma of death for a very long time. Then Jesus stands on the shore with instructions — they just don't realize it’s Him at first.
In the same way, Jesus is coming with your instructions!
LET’S LOOK AT THE STEPS THAT HAPPENED
PRIOR TO THE 153 MOMENT
1. First, they got into the boat. (John 21:3)
This 153 moment is going to happen in partnership with Christ. You will have to do something very specific that might seem very ordinary and unimportant at first. It might even feel like you’re going backwards to your past or old seasons and it can be a confusing time. You know Jesus gave you a promise, but none of it makes any sense to you. You have no idea how He will do it and when, only that He will come.
2. They caught nothing, despite toiling and giving it their very best.
They were walking in their God-given natural talent as fishermen, yet they caught nothing all night, proving that their talent will never supersede the supernatural power of Christ. God used their careers -- to ultimately launch them into a greater mission. The disciples were persistent and hard workers, but sometimes doing things our way simply is not enough.
I looked up the Greek word in John 21:3 for “nothing.” I wanted to know if they maybe caught a couple small fish and the “nothing” really meant “nothing worth keeping.”
But the way they reply in Greek for οὐδέ means literally “not even one.”
I went out to fish with my nephews yesterday and took this photo. I had no idea whatsoever the Lord would inspire this blog post a day later. But you want to know how many fish we caught yesterday? Zero. "Not even one." No bites or anything. What's funny is the man across from us caught one after another. The Lord was showing me an illustration of what it means to literally catch zilch and then watch others cast and reel in victory after victory.
So before your 153 moment arrives, you will likely be doing what is ordinary for you and experiencing almost no victories or movement in life. It might seem like everyone else is growing and advancing, but you are stagnant. Everything is at a standstill. Sometimes the breakthrough moment is found by simply waiting.
Here's what's interesting about our fishing adventure yesterday. My nephews fished with worms because they thought it was too cold for minnows. When I saw the man catching all these fish, I yelled out: "what are you using?" He said: "minnows." The Lord's instructions are often very practical and don't have to make sense with human wisdom or the times and seasons.
Sometimes we think the truth and lessons in the Bible are outdated, but our life playbook and instructions are in the pages. Maybe your “ordinary” is found in simply reading the Word because Jesus has specific instructions waiting for you to discover.
3. “Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.” (John 21:4)
Jesus is coming to you at the break of light in the morning.
This phrase “early in the morning” is intriguing because it’s the same word prōias used one other time in the Bible. We also see it in Matthew 27:1: “Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders. of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.” I believe Jesus appeared to the disciples on the shore at the same time to make sure His inner-circle understood that the crucifixion plans failed. Jesus still lived. No plan of the enemy is disrupting what Christ has already ordained.
If you look at the original translation of morning used in this text, it wasn’t just morning. THE MORNING HAD ARRIVED. The light broke through the darkness when Jesus appeared. The morning had dawned and Jesus was waiting. He’s coming for you at the same time!
How will this happen? Look at the Greek word and definition used: {fan-er-o’-o} – φανερoω
1) to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way 1a) make actual and visible, realized 1b) to make known by teaching 1c) to become manifest, be made known 1d) of a person 1d1) expose to view, make manifest, to show one’s self, appear 1e) to become known, to be plainly recognized, thoroughly understood 1e1) who and what one is
4. Jesus was standing on the shore. The disciples did not realize it was Him. Mary Magdalene also mistook Him for a gardener when He first appeared. Mary didn’t recognize Him until Jesus spoke. Most of all, Mary wasn’t expecting Jesus. Neither were the disciples. During the pandemic, I didn’t see one of my nephews for over a year! Finally, I flew in to surprise him at school and waited in the cafeteria. I expected him to run into my arms, but he just stared perplexed. It was only when I spoke that he fully realized it was me. He kept saying: “I thought you were a new teacher that looked a lot like my aunt. I couldn’t figure out how you would be here!” When you don’t expect to see someone, sometimes your brain can get confused and foggy.
We know the disciples were at least 100 yards away and light had just broken through the morning, so the magnitude of the moment was likely not clear yet. In your own life, Jesus isn’t going to appear the same way as in prior seasons. You have to look through the fog and see Him in a new, glorious light that might not seem noticeable at first.
This time He’s not coming with a loud thunder, but a glorious whisper.
Someday soon, you’ll constantly keep coming back to your Heavenly Father like a small child who says: “Dad, remember when you came and surprised me that one morning and changed my life forever?”
FUN FACT:
THE SEA OF GALILEE IS 53 KILOMETERS IN CIRCUMFERENCE!
THE 153 MOMENT IS REAL!
THIS IS A FULL-CIRCLE TIME!
5. Jesus called out to the disciples from the shore and asked them a question to see if they caught anything. They didn’t recognize Him yet.
Their ears were hearing, but they were not listening and attuned to the voice of Christ. Their eyes could not fully perceive Him yet. Their fear of the unknown and sorrow outweighed their faith and that blinded them to the magnitude of the moment. He asked if they caught anything? Jesus already knew the answer, He just wanted them to acknowledge their deficiencies and complete lack without Him.
6. Jesus said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.” (John 21:6-7)
Wow, okay, this verse is loaded. The Gospel of John often emphasizes details that the other gospels leave out. John makes sure to include Jesus’ instructions to throw on the right side. Not the left side, not both sides, but the right side. Just three short years earlier, Jesus appeared at this same seaside and told fishermen Simon Peter and Andrew to “follow him” and then Jesus selected their fishing partners James and John to also come. So they follow and walk with Jesus these few years and now He is gone. They return to the old and their former way of doing things. However, as they fish all night long, they catch nothing because human strength and worldly wisdom will not work anymore. The power comes at the Lord’s Word and His instructions — not your ability or talent.
Jesus now shows up on the shore to first restore them and then to recommission them to the “right side” after they’d fled back to the familiar. The right side comes with glory, honor and inheritance.
So why the right side? Jesus just revealed something so beautiful to me! Let me see if I can get this out the “right” way!
In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches a parable about the sheep and the goats! HE STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF PUTTING THE SHEEP ON THE RIGHT SIDE! They would have remembered this!
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” (33)
First, out there on the lake that early morning, Jesus gave them a very practical command, but with a twist: throw the net, but He told them specifically where to throw (on the right side).
The first part starts out with individual directions: throw your net…you will find some. Then it becomes a group effort. When they did, they were unable to haul the net...
In Mark 6:7, this is when Jesus commissions the disciples the first time to go out in pairs. He does so because there is strength in numbers. It takes an individual effort and response to Christ, but there’s POWER once partnered for a greater glory. Now they are being commissioned into a place of leadership and it has an individual mandate for a unified purpose in the Kingdom of God.
The disciples had a choice whether to follow these simple instructions. When they followed the most ordinary and practical instructions from the Lord that morning, the catch was monumental!
7. Jesus said they’d catch “some” yet they caught an abundance! Why did He say “some?”
Have you ever bought gifts for very young children? They don’t care about the price tag, the quantity catches their eyes. You can wrap 20 gifts from a dollar store and they will think it was the best Christmas ever because of the overflow! During my childhood, we would count all the gifts to see who got more. My mom would tell us that some got less because of the dollar amount, but we barely listened. We just wanted to know how many gifts stood under the tree and exactly how many were for us! These men were career fishermen. Jesus told them “some” once again for the shock factor. Here they’d fished all night and caught absolutely nothing, but suddenly there’s a moment so powerful they can’t help but see Christ standing before them.
Soon Jesus would let them count for themselves and they counted 153. It represented an abundance and overflow, a bountiful harvest, an urgency to win souls for Christ!
Every single fish that counted represented a promise from the hands of God. For some of you, perhaps your ‘153 moment’ will actually be a series of catches! You will sit down and write all the small blessings that Jesus intersects in your life and you can’t help but notice the monumental overhaul He’s ignited in your life! The amount of catches you experience in succession will wake you up to the extraordinary power of Yahweh.
The Lord told me to start this blog. I didn’t want to have a blog teaching the things of God because a) It felt safer keeping everything private with Jesus and b.) I’m a career sports journalist; I didn’t know how to make both things works. Jesus told me to simply cast my net out. I continue to write and cast because each time that I do, the Lord does something spectacular. He opens my eyes to something new and gives me all kinds of new words and visions and inspired teachings. That’s the abundance and power that I’m talking about here in this John 21 moment. I actually didn’t even realize that I’m experiencing my own 153 moment until Christ just reminded me. The big “catch” of teaching people about Christ might be great someday -- but seeing Jesus standing on the shore makes my heart SOAR. I show up here and write just to Him because I’m like Peter who wants to swim towards Jesus with all my heart. I want Him more than anything else.
→Your 153 moment will only come with what God knows you can handle.
8. You will soon see Jesus through a specific number. There is power in a large number. This is like serving as pastor at a small country church with a weekly attendance of 16 people and then walking in one Sunday and 153 people are in the pews! What?! Where did they come from? How did this happen? It won’t be anything you did. You simply threw out the net and did what you always do and served the Lord with obedience. Prior to this, you’d grown tired because no matter how much you tried, the church is not growing. It’s stagnant and stale. Then bam. Christ shows up along the shoreline and sends the overflow. First He gives you instructions to cast. Then you obey. Next the people come. After that, He inspires divine teachings in a very unique way to reach the people He entrusted you with. You already know something powerful: the strength isn’t in the number. You are actually seeing the magnitude of Jesus unfold in front of your very eyes. The victory is Him and the hearts of people who will then go on to learn from you and share the Gospel in their own families and workplaces. More hearts will come to know the Father unlike ever before because Jesus is orchestrating it all. He just asked that you cast the net and open the doors for the people. He’s coming to do the rest.
9. “It’s the Lord!” (John 21:7)
As the men hauled in the large catch, they didn’t know exactly how many large fish they carried. All they knew is that they fished all night, there was a man on the shore who told them to cast the net on the right, and suddenly they caught a bunch! At some point, John recognized it was Jesus on the shore, but this time, Peter barreled through and got there first!
John had the gift of revelation of knowledge, Peter had the guts to act on that knowledge both by going into the tomb first and racing to the shore. Peter jumped into the water from the boat from a place of love this time, but also deep desperation. Once Peter caught sight of His Savior, nothing was stopping him! You must respond in the same way!
10. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught” (John 21:10).
Your final instruction is to bring Jesus “some fish” once your 153 moment arrives.
BUT FIRST: GET OUT OF YOUR BOAT!
Once you have your 153 moment, there will be a short time period to relish in the victory and surprise and awe of the situation. Make sure to spend intimate time with your Father when this happens. It will be the most beautiful and special time of your life. Peter had denied Jesus while standing by a fire and now the Messiah will restore him by a fire. Before your 153 moment comes, Jesus is going to heal the inner depths and chambers of your heart where pain and trauma has resided for a very long time.
In John 21:10, Jesus already had fish on the grill, but he gave them the chance to bring their offering as an act of faith to acknowledge what had just happened. Jesus also loves illustrations. Before His death, He ate with the disciples and gave instructions. Now He’s back to eat with them again with instructions.
I believe He wanted to physically eat because His instructions would remind them to “feed my lambs.” This likely would have sparked a memory for the disciples to remember the Sheep and Goat parable.
The disciples are now being commissioned to care and love others in the same way.
Jesus was also reminding them of the moment they first met three years ago along this same shoreline in Luke 5.
It’s incredible how much it mirrors John 21.
UNDERSTANDING THE “LARGE” CATCH OF 153 FISH
The word megas was used in the original text to describe just how large the catch was. Check out the depth of this word!
1a) great, in the widest sense.
1b) of number and quantity: numerous, large, abundant, used of intensity and its degrees: with great effort, of the affections and emotions of the mind, of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong 2) predicated of rank, as belonging to 2a) persons, eminent for ability, virtue, authority, power 2b) things esteemed highly for their importance: of great moment, of great weight, importance 2c) a thing to be highly esteemed for its excellence: excellent 3) splendid, prepared on a grand scale, stately 4) great things of God's preeminent blessings 4b) of things which overstep the province of a created being.
JESUS CALLS HIS FIRST DISCIPLES: UNDERSTANDING YOUR JOURNEY
Luke 5:1-11
Did the Lord awaken you to the Holy Spirit through the numbers 111 or 1111? Luke 5:1-11 might help you understand why. 💖
“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret...” (Luke 5:1)
When Jesus first called you, He also stood at the shore. Now He’s coming back three and a half years later to commission you and He’ll be standing at the shore again to orchestrate a scenario where you understand with fullness the magnitude of the calling.
“He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.” (Luke 5:3)
When Jesus first met us, He came into our boats. Now He’s making us get out of ours.
In Luke 5:3, Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon Peter. In John 21, Peter is the one who jumps out of his first to race to the Father.
In Luke 5:3, Jesus asked Peter to put out a little from shore. In John 21, Peter comes in towards the Father to the land. You’re landing soon.
Luke 5:3 was your 53 moment = when Jesus called you to become His precious pupil to walk in personal discipleship and training. Now here you are three and a half years later ready to be commissioned.
The pupil will now become the student-teacher for the next generation of Christ followers. That’s a 153 moment.
Luke 5:3, Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat.
John 21, the Lord commissions from the land. The Lord will authorized you to now go out and “Feed my sheep.” The 153 fish represented people of every nation. It’s a number that reflects a large and vast size.
You have to repeatedly cast your net because letting it down passively won’t win souls. If I just showed up to this blog, which I treat as a ministry because the Lord commissioned me to write here, and simply dropped my nets, it would require little faith.
Instead, I have to act on the impulses of the Holy Spirit to teach what He places on my heart. This means I must stay close to Jesus to understand His heart for people. Each day, I must cast my net in tandem with Him. In the same way, the Lord is calling you higher and deeper to cast with Him into new territories. Cast with a purpose!
YOUR HEART AND ATTITUDE HAS CHANGED
MORE THAN YOU REALIZE
In Luke 5, Jesus told them to let down their nets. They had excuses:
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
In John 21, they simply obeyed, didn’t question and let down the nets.
In Luke 5, they caught such a large number that their nets began to break. They were not yet equipped for the overhaul.
In John 21, they also caught a large number, but the nets didn’t break. The power wasn’t in the sturdiness of the nets or man, but the steadfastness and supernatural power of Jesus.
Luke 5: they “signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.”
Luke 21: they simply worked together and hauled the fish in as one body. They didn’t need two boats this time. One was enough because they would be commissioned with one mission to help bring souls to Christ. Once these men were commissioned, they went out to make disciples of all nations. They all experienced their 153 moment at one time, because the power came in working together as one corporate body of Christ at the perfect opportune moment created by Jesus. Then they were launched into the nations at once for more power and impact.
In both verses, Jesus gave instructions about the net needed to catch fish.
In Luke 5, Jesus instructed Simon to “let down the nets for a catch.”
In Luke 21, Jesus told the disciples “cast your net.” The word balló is used in the original text and means: “to throw — either with force, or without force yet with a purpose.”
One large haul will be enough to help you finally understand the commission and launch into the new.
But from that moment forward, you will have to cast with a purpose. This takes action, obedience and trust unlike ever before.
So, the Lord is saying to you today: Get ready to throw!!! He’s coming sooner than you think and it will be more powerful than you can even imagine!!!
Here are a few verses the Lord has for us today:
This is a Zechariah 4:6 season!
‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
The power is in the Spirit!
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39)
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is God’s spiritual child and has been fathered by God himself. (1 John 5:1)
