Fishers of Men
TRANSLATION
(1) Now it happened, as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on him to hear the word of God, (2) he saw two boats by the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. (3) Getting into one of the boats which belonged to Simon, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the crowd from the boat.
(4) And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.” (5) And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and didn’t catch a thing, but at your word we will let down the nets.” (6) And when they did this, they caught so many fish that their nets were breaking. (7) And they signaled to 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 this, he fell down at Jesus’ feet saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (9) For he and everyone with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken, (10) and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” (11) And when they had landed their boats, they left everything and followed him.
OBSERVATIONS
This segment highlights several significant and related turning points in Jesus’ early ministry. With the crowd pressing in on him, Jesus borrowed Simon’s boat so that he could continue to teach the multitude from a short distance out in the lake. Once finished with the crowds, he turned and told Simon to put down the nets he had been cleaning and mending after a long night of fishing. Having reminded Jesus that the best time for fishing had already passed, Simon humored Jesus and lowered his nets. So many fish filled the nets that Simon had to call for James and John to come in their own boat to help land the catch which was so large that it threatened to swamp both boats. Having demonstrated his divine power, Jesus called these men to leave their boats and become his disciples, engaging in the far more significant task of fishing for people. Repetitions in this segment included two occurrences of “lake” (vss. 1 & 2), six of “boat(s)” (vss. 2, 3, 7, & 11), four of “nets” (vss. 2, 4, 5, & 6), six of “Simon” (vss. 3, 4, 5, 8, & 10), two each of “land/landed” (vss. 3 & 11), and three of “fish” (vss. 6, 9, & 10).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus taught the crowd pressing in on him from Simon’s boat. (1-3)
II. Jesus then provided Simon and the other fishermen with a miraculous catch of fish. (4-10a)
III. Jesus called Simon, James, and John to leave their fishing careers to follow him. (10b-11)
IDEA STATEMENT
Responding to his invitation, Peter, James, and John left their fishing careers to follow Jesus.
APPLICATION
Either spend the rest of your life fishing for fish or follow Jesus to fish for people – that was the choice the Savior presented to Peter, James, and John that fateful day in Galilee. Having witnessed his divine power in providing them with a never-before-seen catch of fish, these men had no hesitation about leaving their families and their careers on the lake to follow Jesus as his disciples. While they still had no idea what fishing for people might mean, this pursuit seemed a far better prospect than struggling to eke out an existence on the Sea of Galilee.
The call of God, whenever it comes, provides each of us with a similar choice. While we may not have a clear idea of what following Jesus may entail, we know it will certainly mean lives of greater significance and wider impact than we could possibly have imagined. Will we like Peter, James, and John leave the familiar routines of our boring lives and daringly venture forth into the unknown with Jesus, knowing that he has promised to use us for his glory if we’ll only yield ourselves to him?