Luke 5:1-11 - Jesus Brings the Catch
Luke 5:1) Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2) he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3) He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4) When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”5) Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6) When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. 7) So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8) But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9) For he and all that were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken;10) and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”11) When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
About Luke: The evangelist Luke was the author of both Luke and Acts. He is a big picture evangelist. For him the gospel is a single story whose individual parts are given meaning by the whole and by their placement in the whole. As he writes he sees the whole sweep of salvation history as one prolonged act of God. As a sacred historian, he is concerned with helping the developing church understand that history, what it’s pivotal turning points have been, and what the individual and community’s role is in the continuing drama. For Luke, the good news was the drama of the new dawning of the kingdom of God initiated and enacted in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
About today’s passage: Consistent with Luke’s broad view, today’s story is an invitation to participate in salvation history. The miraculous catch is not the core of the story. The core is Jesus’ challenge to Simon to “put out into the deep water, and let down (his) nets for a catch.” In this passage Jesus is asking Simon to trust him even in the face of much evidence to the contrary. He is asking Simon to trust Jesus to do for him what he had been unable to do for himself.
Fishing in ancient Palestine: Fish was a staple in first century Palestine. It was eaten more than any other meat. Fishing was a thriving industry, and the waters were filled with a whole variety of edible fish. Fish was eaten fresh, processed, salted, dried and pickled. The catching of fish was the backbone of the local economy. Fishing was something these fishermen knew how to do, and it provided Jesus with a perfect object lesson to both test Simon’s faith and display his power to work in the lives of people.
Word Study
Vs. 1- lake of Gennesaret – also known as the Sea of Galilee. The picture provides quite a contrast between the quiet, routine activities of the fishermen cleaning their nets and the hubbub of the crowds as they clamor to hear more from Jesus.
Word of God – this is probably associated with the prophetic word. In Luke, Jesus was already a well-known prophet with a large following before he called the disciples to work with him.
Vs. 3 – boats – these were open crafts about 20’ to 30’ in length. The boat provided Jesus a platform from which to speak. The water provided natural amplification.
He sat – it was customary for a rabbi to sit for formal teaching and for students to stand while the rabbi spoke.
Vs. 5 – master – an unusual word used only by Luke, and then only on the lips of one who submits to the authority of Jesus. It means something like commander, administrator, supervisor, boss.
Yet if you say so – this phrase indicates a kind of skeptical obedience
Vs. 8 – he fell down at Jesus’ knees – Simon’s response to the miracle is interesting, isn’t it? It does not indicate that he is ungrateful, but rather that when the power of God is manifest in a person’s life, we see immediately who we are and how undeserving we are of that grace. Often in scripture miraculous acts, or special calls from God are accompanied by a desire to flee from the awesome realities of God.
Vs. 10 – Do not be afraid – these are the words that angels utter when their appearance frightens people. It is what Gabriel said to Mary at the time he told her she would give birth to Jesus. It is what the angels told the shepherds when they appeared to them to celebrate the miraculous birth of Messiah.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- Have there been times when you have felt like your best efforts were frustrated? How might Jesus be calling you “out into the deep” in that situation?
- What do you think it would take today for people to “press in” to hear the word of God taught?
- If you knew that you were in the presence of God in a special way today, what would your response be? Get away from me? Welcome? What would you not want God to see in your life?
- What would it take for you to radically reorganize your priorities as the disciples did after this encounter with Jesus?