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| First Miraculous Catch of Fish |
By:
Paul George |
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First Miraculous Catch of Fish
Luke 5:1-11
This story of the great catch is more than just the account of a great catch, Luke informs us, these men left their jobs as fishermen and followed Jesus wherever He went. This event is therefore one of the turning points in the life of the disciples and in the gospel accounts of the life and ministry of our Lord. It should not be overlooked that Peter, James and John, the three named fishermen here, are the inner three of the circle of disciples, those three who were privileged to witness events which the other disciples did not see, for example, the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8; Luke 9:28-36).
The Miracle
Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee, which Luke calls the “lake of Gennesaret” (v. 1). Around Him a crowd had gathered, listening to Him proclaim the word of God. Beyond the crowd of those who were pressing in on the Lord Jesus, there was the Sea of Galilee, and two ships were pulled up on the shore. One ship belonged to Peter (v. 3), and the other belonged to James and John (vv. 7, 10). These four fishermen were not among the crowd. Instead, they were off washing their nets (v. 2). They had spent a long and fruitless night fishing (5).
The amazing thing about this scene is that the wrong people seem to be close to Jesus, and likewise the wrong people seem to be at a distance. You would think that the disciples, Peter and Andrew, James and John, who had spent much time with Jesus, instead, the crowds pressed upon Jesus, and the disciples were tending to business, washing their nets. They no doubt looked on with some interest as they worked.
Jesus’ appearance at the lake was coincident Jesus was seeking the disciples. It was time for them to become an active part of His ministry. The time for a deeper level of commitment and involvement had come. The appearance at the lake that day was for bringing about a life-changing decision on the part of Peter and his companions. Jesus would shortly use the boat as His pulpit, but He was intent on making fishermen fishers of men.
The disciples had apparently finished washing their nets and had probably hung them out on the ship to dry. Jesus had likewise finished His teaching, and told Peter to put out to deeper water, and to let down the nets for a catch. Notice these words of our Lord, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Jesus did not make a suggestion; He made a command. He did not order the disciples to let down their nets to try to catch fish; He ordered them to put down their nets for a catch of fish. In other words, Jesus was issuing both a command and a promise. The command was to put down the nets. The promise was that there would be a catch.
Peter’s response indicates that he and his partners were dog tired. They had worked hard, all night. Besides that, they had just finished washing their nets. They would have to do it all over again. Second, Peter indicates that their efforts had been futile. Night was the best time to fish. If they had not caught anything at night, why in the world should they catch anything in the daytime, the worst possible time to fish? Third, there is a hint of irritation here. Did Jesus, a carpenter, think that He knew more about fish than these fishermen? His order seemed naive.
Peter relented and let down the nets, but it would seem that he has safeguarded himself for the failure he thinks is certain. Surely when it came to catching fish, he was the expert. Jesus was the Master, and so His word would be obeyed, albeit under protest.
The result was incredible. There were those stories that all fishermen swapped, about good catches, but this beat all that Peter had ever heard, by far. The nets were full. They began to break. They signaled their partners for help, and even with two ships, the harvest was so large that both boats began to sink.
Every miracle had its purpose, and this one was no exception. There was a “catch” to the story, and it is now to be disclosed. Simon Peter was the leader and the spokesman for the others. He immediately responded by falling down at the feet of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8). Falling prostrate at the feet of Jesus was an act of humility and worship. Peter had been ministered to in an area of his own expertise. He now saw Jesus in an entirely different light. Jesus was Lord, and he was but a sinful man. In verse 5, Peter refers to Jesus as a “Master,” but now He is Peter’s Lord. The change of terms implies a change in Peter’s attitude. Peter not only confessed the greatness and power of Jesus he also saw his own sinfulness. Peter saw his resistance to obey Jesus’ command to let down the nets as sin. Peter thought he was the expert, but now sees that Jesus is Lord of the sea as well. Peter doubted that they would make a great catch, and feared that his efforts would be wasted. Now he saw his Lord’s sovereignty and his sin.
Peter’s confession is noteworthy. At the very point that Peter draws nearer to Jesus than ever, he seems to urge Jesus to depart from him. Peter could have departed from Jesus, but his love for Him and His growing awe prohibited him from doing so. It was like the moth and the flame. He could not draw apart, but only nearer. If sin were to drive a wedge between him and Jesus, it would have to be Jesus who departed, not Peter.
Jesus’ response to Peter’s confession, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10)
Peter’s fear can be found in three areas; first, Peter was fearful of leaving his occupation of fishing to follow Jesus. Peter had responsibilities and financial obligations to consider. However, this miracle with the fish demonstrated in a very remarkable way that Jesus was not only to be trusted as Israel’s Teacher and Prophet and Miracle-worker, but as their great Provider. With this remarkable catch, Jesus showed that He was able to provide. He was sovereign in the matter of work, as well as in all other matters. With this miracle Peter’s fears about following Jesus melted. He and his partners walked away without a thought, without even bothering with that huge catch of fish. The fears that had haunted and hindered them so long vanished with the catch of fish.
Second, Peter was fearful about beginning a new career. Not only did the call to follow Jesus require these fishermen to leave their career, it required them to commence an entirely new career. Jesus likened the new career of the disciples to the old. In both cases, they would fish. There was some kind of continuity in their tasks. It would seem that the first occupation had prepared them for the second. However, even more than this, Jesus gave these men the promise that they would be fishers of men, a promise which in the light of their huge catch, included being very successful fishers of men. How easy to leave one task for which you have just set a new world’s record, to take on another, which you are assured you will succeed at.
Third, Peter was fearful because he recognized His sin and the righteousness of Jesus. The words of Peter, “Depart from me, Lord,” reveal his awareness that a holy God cannot have intimate communion with sinful men. While Peter had no desire to leave Jesus, He did not know how he could enter into an even more intimate relationship with the immensity of his sin. Jesus did not fully answer Peter’s objection on this count, He only assured him by telling Him to stop fearing.
For Peter, Andrew, James and John, the three who will make up the inner circle of Jesus followers, this incident is a major turning point. They have followed Jesus before, but only partially, only for a time. Now, these disciples have made the decision to leave their careers and follow Jesus wherever He went. This was no small decision. It was a crisis of careers and a mid-life crisis combined. From this moment on, Jesus would begin to pour more of His life into these disciples. The more intimate aspects of His life and ministry would now be made known to them. The change that occurs here is the contrast between the distance of the disciples and their dedication to their job in verses 1 and 2 and their leaving their jobs in verse 11 to become Jesus’ disciples.
There is also a change in the way in which Jesus is perceived and in which the disciples perceive themselves, as indicated by Peter’s response. The Lord Jesus had only been “Master” before, one of a higher rank, but not seen to be who He really was. From now on, Jesus is “Lord” to Peter and his partners. Peter, who saw himself as an expert, at least in fishing, now sees himself as a sinner before a holy God. What a change.
Appling this passage to our lives
This passage is not teaching that those who follow Jesus must leave their secular jobs to be His disciples. Far too many Christians seem to feel like second class Christians because they are not in “full-time Christian service.” There are many who have entered into “full-time Christian service” on the faulty premise that this would make them more significant, spiritual Christians. The Bible does not teach this, and this passage does not teach this, though some may wrongly conclude that it does. Peter, James and John had to leave their secular jobs in order to follow Jesus because He was calling them to preach the good news of the kingdom of God far and wide (Luke 4:43-44). While we may need to leave our homes or our employment to obey His leading and to proclaim the gospel, we do not need to leave anything in order for Him to be in and with us.
What, then, does this miracle teach us? Those who came to our Lord and followed Him in the gospels were those in desperate need. Jesus Himself said that He came to seek and to save the lost, that He came not to the well, but to the sick.
The one area in which Peter felt confident and capable was as an expert in fishing. Peter failed doing what he was capable on doing on his own, but was abundantly successful in obedience to Jesus’ command. Failure is the first step in following Jesus. Those who follow Him have found themselves to fail on their own. Those who feel sufficient will not turn to Him. If Peter found himself to be a failure at fishing and a sinner in life, He found Jesus to be sovereign, righteous, and sufficient. All of Peter’s fears vanished when he realized the sufficiency of the One who had called him to be a fisher of men.
Jesus Christ is the only all-sufficient One. To follow Him is to be assured of God’s provision of forgiveness of sins and of righteousness; to follow Him is to be assured of our physical needs. To follow Him is to be assured of eternal life. To follow Him is to be assured of divine guidance and direction. To follow Him is to be assured of all that is required to do His will. Our great lack of faith can be traced, in almost every case, to an inadequate understanding of the goodness and the greatness of God. When we realize who it is who calls us to follow Him, the faith to do so comes easily. Apart from knowing God, we find our faith lacking and deficient.
The Lord Jesus knew of the inner turmoil that Peter and his partners were dealing with, better than they did. Instead of berating them or of forcing them to follow Him unconvinced and semi-committed, Jesus performed a miracle which vaporized their fears and was a foundation for their faith. For these men, an overflowing, tearing net and two sinking ships was all the evidence they required to see the sufficiency of the Savior.
God has given us even greater testimony to His sufficiency. In the first place, He has given us the evidence of His resurrection. Not two full ships of fish, but an empty tomb testifies to the holiness and the power of our Lord. In addition, He fills us with His Spirit, and He shows us His power in the transformed lives of those who have trusted in Christ as their Savior. Finally, we have the testimony of the Scriptures themselves, including this very account in the gospel of Luke. We have ample evidence on which to base our faith. Our problem is that we do not meditate these matters often enough. Our greatest problem is that we lack faith, and this is due to an inadequate understanding of the greatness of our God. Let us let our minds and hearts dwell long and deep upon Him.
Jesus came “to seek and to save” the lost. The disciples were to become “fishers of men” not only because Jesus would command them to do so, but also because this is His mission. These men would become “fishers of men,” not so much, because they were fishermen, but because Jesus had come to draw men into His kingdom. To follow Jesus means to do as He does. Those who would be followers of Christ cannot ignore the fact that Jesus was a seeker of men, and thus we, too, must be fishers of men. Evangelism is an inseparable part of the calling of a disciple of Jesus. |
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