John 21:6

‘And he said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find something.” They cast therefore and now they were not able to draw the net for the abundance of fish.'

When it was suggested that they cast their nets on the right (starboard) side of the boat they did as requested. Possibly they thought the man might have seen something from the shore that they had missed for he spoke with a kind of authority. Or perhaps it was just that they felt that they may as well have a go as there was nothing to lose. But to their astonishment they not only caught some fish, but pulled the nets up overflowing with fish. This immediately struck a chord as they remember the similar incident some time before when Jesus had done a similar thing (Luke 5:1). The incident paralleled that at Peter's first calling and could therefore be seen by him as an indication that Jesus was still ready to act on his behalf and therefore as a renewal of his call to discipleship following his denial (see later).

The overall lesson from the acted out parable is clear. With Jesus absent the disciples are fruitless. Once, however, they have responded to His word fruitfulness abounds. The previous incident in Luke had resulted in their call to follow Christ and had resulted in the forecast that these men would become ‘fishers of men'. Here is the indication that the time has come and the guarantee that with Jesus' help they will be abundantly successful.