Sea of Tiberias

Biblical References

In the New Testament, the name "Sea of Tiberias" appears only in the Gospel of John.

• John 6:1: The text gives both names together: "the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias" (KJV). In this chapter Jesus feeds a great multitude with the five loaves and two fish and walks on the water. Afterward, in Capernaum, he teaches that he is the bread of life. John 6:23 says that "there came other boats from Tiberias" (KJV); here Tiberias refers to the city, not the lake.
• John 21:1: This chapter refers to the place only by the name "Tiberias." Depending on the translation, it is rendered "Sea of Tiberias" or "Lake of Tiberias." In this passage the risen Jesus appears to his disciples. Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael of Cana, the sons of Zebedee (James and John), and two other disciples fished all night but caught nothing. The next morning, at Jesus' word, they cast the net on the right side of the boat and caught 153 large fish. Jesus prepared fish and bread over a fire of coals and ate breakfast with the disciples. Afterward he asked Peter three times, "Lovest thou me?"

Background

The lake is a body of fresh water fed by the Jordan River. Its surface is reported to lie more than 200 meters below the level of the Mediterranean Sea. In the Old Testament it was called the "sea of Chinnereth" (Numbers 34:11 and elsewhere), and the Gospel of Luke calls it the "lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 5:1). The Synoptic Gospels usually call it the "Sea of Galilee."

The name "Tiberias" comes from the city of Tiberias on the lake's western shore. The city is generally held to have been founded by Herod Antipas in the early first century (around AD 20) and named after the Roman emperor Tiberius. One explanation for John's use of both names in 6:1 is that the author wished to acquaint readers outside Palestine with the name then in common use.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The shore of the lake in Galilee is where Jesus called disciples who were fishermen and where he did much of his teaching. John 21 is read as a scene in which the risen Jesus meets the disciples again and entrusts them with their mission in the very setting of fishing where he had first called them. John 21:14 records that this was "now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead" (KJV).

Interpretations and Debates

• The 153 fish: The text assigns no meaning to the number. Augustine found significance in the fact that it is the sum of the numbers from 1 to 17. Jerome is said to have connected it with the number of species of fish known at the time. Many interpreters, on the other hand, regard it simply as the actual count recorded by an eyewitness.
• Peter's commission: The Catholic Church reads "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15–17) in connection with the primacy of Peter (his position as first among the apostles). Protestants often read it as the scene in which Peter, who had denied Jesus three times, is restored and entrusted with a pastoral commission. Interpreters also differ on whether the two Greek verbs used in this dialogue, one from the agapē word family and the other phileō, carry distinct meanings.
• Extra-biblical tradition: At Tabgha on the lakeshore stands a Catholic church commemorating the events of John 21. The text itself, however, offers no basis for identifying this as the actual site; the identification rests on tradition.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the lakeshore scene at the Sea of Tiberias in John 21 is frequently used in sermons during the season after Easter. In particular, the words "Feed my sheep" are a common sermon text at ordination services and at services installing pastors. The Sea of Galilee is also a standard stop on Holy Land pilgrimages made by Korean Christians.