Although Jesus had not told the disciples to go fishing, it was the best thing Peter could think of doing.  But it was a wasted night on the water.  They caught no fish at all (John 21:1-3).  At dawn they were only one hundred metres from the shore (John 21:8) when they saw a man at the water’s edge.  Despite the shameful ways in which they had denied or deserted Him, the Man called them ‘Friends’.  He called out to them to throw out their net on the other side of the boat; and when they did so they caught an amazing number of fish.
 
John knew that only Jesus could have done that miracle – in the same way as when He first called them by the shores of the Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:4-11).  At that first meeting, Peter was convicted of his sin and asked Jesus to go away.  But now, although He knew he had sinned by denying Jesus (John 18:25-27), Peter jumped overboard and swam towards the Lord.
 
Despite our wretched record of sinning, this passage shows that Jesus is astonishingly kind and that He is still in command of every situation; even when we have been independent of the Lord.  Yes, He shows us the fruitlessness of our self-centred plans, but He also shows us that He can provide when we fail.  The contrast between our weakness and the generosity of His grace reinforces our sense of sinfulness but every believer knows there is nowhere else to go except to Him (John 6:68).

This passage reminds us that only Jesus can resolve matters and bring us into peace.  So, if you have been away from Him, come back today.  If you have failed in your wilful independence, and yet He has been gracious to you – run to Him: because only He can forgive, restore and heal the wounded spirit and the broken heart.