If we were to assign a number to the Remnant, what might it be? Perhaps the number 153!
This is based on the number of fish the disciples caught when Yeshua told them in John 21:6, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” They did so, and we read in vs.11, “Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.”
Why mention 153, and what does this number signify? This number was not unknown at the time. The Essenes of the Dead Sea Scrolls estimated that the waters of the flood covered the earth for 153 days before they rested on Mount Ararat (4Q252). This number must have signified a release from judgment into a new era. This becomes even clearer when we compare this event with a similar one at the beginning of Yeshua’s ministry. In Luke 5:4, we read what Yeshua told Simon Peter to do. “Put out (the net) into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” They did so, but when they tried to lift the net, it was so heavy that it tore, and the two boats nearly sank.
But the second “fish net” event, which occurred after the resurrection, pulled in 153 great fish, and the net did not break. Here, we find one instance at the beginning of Yeshua’s ministry and the other at the end, after His resurrection and before the disciples began spreading the Gospel to the nations.
So, based on these points, what might the number 153 signify? The answer may not lie in the number itself but in its precision: it is not rounded up; it is not 150, 155, or 160, but exactly 153. John’s careful count reminds us that the risen Messiah knows every fish in His net.
These fish may symbolize the saved, serving as an illustration and confirmation of Yeshua’s words, recorded in the same Gospel, “of all that He [the Father] has given Me I should lose nothing” (John 6:39), and “those that You gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost” (John 17:12).
And we can tie these passages to the last parable of the kingdom, the Parable of the Dragnet, in which fish of every kind are gathered, but once on the shore, the angels separate them, throwing the bad ones away and keeping the good ones; Jesus interprets it by saying, “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13: 49-50.
That overabundance in the net (Luke 5) can reflect the high number of supposed believers in the church during the kingdom age, something Yeshua alluded to in the parables, a number that includes the tares…therefore, much weight, yet not all are true believers; therefore, the net will not hold them all, and it breaks. By contrast, the net does not break when the number of fish is exact, each one being a true believer.
Now, just as we would in a midrash (rabbinic method of interpretation), let’s also take a look specifically at number 153. When we dissect it, three important numbers stand out. 100, 50 and 3.
One hundred often evokes a sense of fullness or completeness. In Yeshua’s parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd has 100 sheep. Even when one is missing, he goes after it (Matthew 18:12; Luke 15:4). The flock is not complete until the lost one is found. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac, the son of promise, was born (Genesis 21:5). Paul mentions this in Romans 9. When Isaac sowed in the land, the Lord blessed him with a hundredfold harvest (Genesis 26:12).
The number fifty immediately brings us to the year of Jubilee, celebrated every 50 years. Jubilee pointed to liberty, restoration, the completion of a cycle, and the beginning of something new.
And finally, number three. Throughout Scripture, three can convey confirmation and completeness, while the third day is especially associated with God’s decisive intervention, deliverance, restoration, and, supremely, resurrection life.
And so we arrive at: 100 + 50 + 3 = 153. Could this be part of the beauty of the 153 fish numbered in John 21? I would not be dogmatic. John does not explain the number. But what an appropriate picture it would be, pointing to the remnant: complete in God’s knowledge, restored according to His promises, and brought into resurrection life through Messiah.
And perhaps most beautifully: They are gathered. They are counted. Not one is lost. The remnant may seem small to us, as it did to Elijah. But God knows exactly who they are. He preserves them, and He will fulfill every promise He has made.
Go to the video – Romans 9-11- Part 7: Israel: Humanity’s Enigma