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The 153 as mentioned in the Great Catch ofJohn 21

Who received a Direct Blessing from Jesus

by Hubert Luns With substantial changes, the first concept taken from the Internet.

Quite a new thought has recently emerged, which states that amongst the multi-

tudes who have received at least one blessing from Jesus during his mission as from

conception until his ascent to heaven there are recorded 153 individuals! That fits

with the last catch of fish of the apostles when exactly 153 fishes were caught. Inclu-

ded are persons who request a healing for someone else, as in the case of Jairus (no. 8).

If any name appears to be missing, it will be found on examination that there is good

reason for it: for instance, the apostle Nathanael is the same as Bartholomew. A con-

troversial subject is whether the woman from Luke 7:37, Mattheuw 26:7, Luke 10:39

and John 11:1 is the same as mentioned in Luke 8:2, where she is called Maria Mag-dalen. I follow an old and established tradition that agrees with a number of visions of

several visionaries, pointing to the fact that in all cases it is the same woman.

Though the three Magi, Matthias and Barsabas (Acts 1:23), Barnabas (Acts 4:36)

as well as Stephen, with many others, without any doubt received blessing from Jesus

Himself, yet it is not so mentioned; in other cases, like in Matthew 8:16, there is no

mention of the number of people involved, and therefore those cases are ignored.

A principle of being blessed is always the acceptance of a particular blessing, and

therefore the man of Luke 9:59 is not included, because it is not clear whether he follo-

wed the invitation of Jesus to follow Him. Maria Valtorta tells that indeed he followed

Jesus, but only after Jesus gave some more convincing arguments. That does not fol-

low from the biblical account. Judas, on the other hand, is included because he fol-lowed Jesus and it was only later that he became disloyal.

The following is the list of countable cases mentioned in the Bible where Jesus

gave a direct blessing: in total 50 cases with 153 individual blessings. The number in

between brackets is the number of persons blessed on that occasion. The number 50

relates to Pentecost, when fifty days after the resurrection the pouring forth of the Holy

Spirit occurred, which from then on would become the driving force for the great res-

toration, lets say the healing of humanity. The Jubilee year is described as follows

(Lev. 25:10): You shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all

the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a Jubilee unto you; and you shall

return every man unto his possession, and you shall return every man unto his family.

01. (2x) Elisabeth and John the Baptist (in the womb) Luke 1:41

02. (1x) Simeon, in the Temple Luke 2:28

03. (1x) The leper Matthew 8:2

04. (2x) Centurion and servant Matthew 8:5

05. (1x) Peters mother in law Matthew 8:14

06. (1x) A new disciple Matthew 8:21

07. (5x) Palsied man and his four bearers Matthew 9:2, Mark 2:3

08. (2x) Jairus and his daughter, who had died Matthew 9:18

09. (1x) Woman with issue of blood Matthew 9:21

10. (2x) Blind men Matthew 9:27

11. (1x) Dumb and possessed man Matthew 9:32

12. (12x) Twelve Apostles Matthew 10:2

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13. (1x) Man with withered hand Matthew 12:10

14. (1x) The blind, dumb and possessed man Matthew 12:22

15. (2x) Syrophoenician woman and her daughter Matthew 15:28

16. (2x) Lunatic child and father Matthew 17:18

17. (2x) Blind men (Jesus leaving Jericho)* Matthew 20:30

18. (1x) Simon the leper Matthew 26:6

19. (1x) Man with unclean spirit Mark 1:23

20. (1x) Man, deaf and with impediment in speech Mark 7:32

21. (1x) Blind man of Betsaida Mark 8:22

22. (2x) Son of the widow of Nain Luke 7:12

23. (1x) Mary Magdalene Luke 8:2

24. (1x) Joanna Luke 8:3

25. (1x) Susanna Luke 8:3

26. (1x) The man possessed by a legion of demonsLuke 8:35

27. (70x) The seventy disciples Luke 10:1

28. (1x) Martha, the sister of Mary Magdalene Luke 10:38

29. (1x) Woman with infirmity Luke 13:11

30. (1x) Man with dropsy Luke 14:2

31. (10x) The ten lepers Luke 17:12-14

32. (1x) The blind man (Jesus approaching Jericho)** Luke 18:35

33. (1x) Man born blind John 9:7

34. (1x) Nicodemus John 3:1-21, 19:39

35. (1x) Woman of Samaria John 4:7

36. (2x) Nobleman and sick son John 4:46

37. (1x) Impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda John 5:5-9

38. (1x) Woman taken in adultery John 8:11

39. (1x) Zaccheus Luke 19:5

40. (1x) Lazarus John 11:43

41. (1x) Claudia Procula, the wife of Pontius Pilate Matthew 27:19

42. (1x) Malchus Luke 22:51, John 18:10

43. (1x) Simon of Cyrene Matthew 27:32

44. (1x) Penitent murderer on the cross Luke 23:43

45. (1x) Mary, the Mother of Jesus John 19:25

46. (1x) Centurion Matthew 27:54

47. (1x) Salome, the mother of Zebedees children Matthew 27:5648. (1x) Mary, the mother of James and wife of Cleopas Matthew 27:56

49. (1x) Joseph of Arimathaea Matthew 27:57

50. (2x) The disciples at Emmaus Luke 24:13

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* Bartimeus, son of Timeus, is mentioned in Mark 10:46 and belongs to the two beinghealed as Jesus left Jericho.

** The blind man of no. 32 was healed as He was come nigh unto Jericho (Luke

18:35), and therefore is additional to the two who were healed as Jesus left Jericho (no.17). See Matthew 20:30 and Mark 10:46.