I am often perplexed as I read the Word. Sometimes I figuratively slap myself in the head for missing something in countless earlier readings. Often I wonder what the original hearer/readers thought. As someone recently told me, "If you are not shocked or surprised by something you read in the Bible recently, you are not reading it openly or enough."
I'm still puzzled by John 21. The disciples have gone back to fishing after the death of Christ. They then hear and recognize Jesus on the shore, Who tells the thus far fish-less fishermen to put their net down on the right side of the boat. They get a haul. Tow the catch to the shore, and then verse 11 declares, "Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn."
153? Who cares? Who counted? Is there a reason the number is Holy-Spirit recorded? I've learned to try to think some of this stuff through before consulting study Bibles or commentaries, and I'm still in the "think about it" stage.
My curiosity is fired up because of the ambiguity of numbers when it pertains to people. For instance, Acts 19 records a meeting between Paul and some disciples in . The seventh verse records, "There were about twelve men in all." Excuse me? Even I can count to twelve. I don't even want to think about the time involved, or the stench, of counting 153 large fish!
Why? I don't have much of a clue.
As I contemplate, though, I am again convinced that the normative vagueness of numbers in Scripture, as pertains to people, exists to remind us that numbers are not important; people, individual people, are important.
"How many have you led to Christ?" "How many decisions were there?" "By what percentage has your church grown?" Certainly numbers and statistics can be used for evaluation and planning, but may God deliver us from feeling sad that "only" three people responded, or even that there were "no tangible results." We are, after all called to walk by faith, and not by sight.
It is significant that at the Judgement Seat of Christ the "quality" of our work, not the "quantity", will be tested (1 Corinthians 3 ). The context is that Jesus Christ is the foundation, and we can build on that foundation using "gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw." The judging agent is depicted as fire. I envision the fire consuming the wood, hay and strawthe stuff on the surface, the statistics, the numbers; while that which is done for the right reasons (even perhaps in the wrong way)the "gold, silver, costly stones"survives and is rewarded.
Thus I am reminded that the "gold, silver, costly stones" are the Priscillas, the Freds, the individualsto include me and theewith all our flaws, mannerisms, quirks. People count, counting doesn't count.
And, of course, I am still wondering about the 153 fishit's not divisible by 7, nor twelve, nor any other number except itself, and 3. Let's see, add the digits together, I get 9? Any significance there?
Probably notbecause in the last analysis numbers are not significantindividual people are.
This author of this Article has choosen to make this article available with free reprint rights. Click here to copy this article.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
