Luke 5:1-11 - A miraculous catch

Peter, his brother Andrew, John and James were fishermen and partners in the trade. They had spent all night fishing and caught little and so they decided to call it a day. Having docked their boats by the edge of Lake Gennesaret (another name for the Seas of Galilee) they were washing their nets. Meanwhile Jesus was standing by the shore of the Lake preaching to a large crowd, talking about the Kingdom of God. Since the crowd was so huge, Jesus asked to use Simon Peter’s boat as a floating stage, so that his voice could be carried effectively over the waters to all those gathered on the shore.

To be sure, Jesus had Peter’s attention that day. And when Jesus had finished speaking, He instructed Peter to ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ He responded saying, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” The request in a sense was demanding. He was literally asking a seasoned fisherman, who had been fishing all night, caught nothing and had decided to call it a day, to go out and fish again. What right had Jesus to teach him, an expert fisherman, to do what he knew best? This was an outrageous request, for humanly speaking, Peter would have known better. We can understand why Peter should express reluctance. What made him obey must be all that he had seen Jesus did so far. He had seen firsthand, the deliverance of the demon-possessed man in the Synagogue, the healing of his mother-in law’s fever, and the countless healings and deliverance at his door step. Having ascertained what Jesus wanted, he responded, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets” These words are for us to emulate. The Lord’s word may be demanding and there must have been times when we were reluctant to obey. Peter’s experience is a reminder to us not to disobey anymore. We can see clearly that we will not regret when we do obey.

It happened that when Peter let down the net, there was a huge catch of fish, so much so that the net was near breaking point. So he signaled his partners to come and help. The catch was so much that it filled both boats till they were about to sink. What a massive miracle for those fishermen! His companions, as well as John and James, were all amazed by the miraculous catch. Luke particularly singled out Peter who was awe-struck. Though he had no comprehension of what’s really happening, he knew there was something unusual about Jesus. The Lord was indeed dealing with Peter in a very personal way. It dawned on Peter that Jesus is the Lord. So he fell at His feet and exclaimed, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” He was brought close to the Kingdom of God. The King had come into his world and influenced his career, his sea, his net and his boat, and indeed the whole course of his life. How else can one respond in the presence of the Holy One of God! Jesus responded by issuing a prophetic call to Peter that day, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” So Peter and his fishing partners, John and James, responded and they left their nets and followed Him.

This account tells us that one cannot experience the Lord and be untouched. The prophet Isaiah did and was transformed, and so now Peter also had a similar experience. In the presence of the Lord, there will always be this sense of personal unworthiness. We feel undone by the encounter with the Holy God. The knowledge of our sinful self can be overwhelming. But the presence of the Lord also cleanses.  It compels us to love and follow Him. Can we sense that feeling?!