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Disciples

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Our Lord and the Faith › Disciples

The question

Why did the Disciples who were "out fishing in the Sea of Galilee" (John 21:4-7) not recognize the Lord at first? And when they did, "Now, none of the Disciples dared ask Him, 'who are You?' They knew it was the Lord" (John 21:12)? Why did they not dare ask Him?

The answer

In the Holy Gospel of St. John 21:4-7 tells us that the disciples were in a boat and the Lord Jesus Christ was on shore. The disciples did not initially recognize the Lord. They did not expect nor were they anticipating His Appearance. They, like Mary Magdalene, did not fully trust that the Resurrection would occur.

The Holy Gospel of St. John 21:12 states "...None of the disciples dared to ask Him, 'Who are You?' --Knowing that it was the Lord." This along with the meal, "Come and eat breakfast," symbolizes certain overtones of the Eucharist.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 490 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.