The Catch Of Fish
Preaching
Preaching the Miracles
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
1. Text
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,1 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.2 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.3 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."4 Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."5 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.6 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.7 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"8 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken;9 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."10 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.11
2. What's Happening?
Two stories about catching fish occur in this cycle of miracles. Both this Epiphany narrative and Miracle 6, The Post-Resurrection Catch (John 21:1-14), selected for Easter 3, present Jesus and the disciples in relationship. Both speak of a discouraging night of fishing, a miraculous catch of fish, and belief in Jesus. The first account engages the disciples in the initial call and work of discipleship while the post-resurrection recognition story heartens the disciples for a deeper, renewed sense of discipleship.
First Point Of Action
As Jesus stands beside the lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing him to hear the word of God, he sees two empty boats at the shore. Jesus climbs into Simon's boat and asks him to put out a little way from the shore.
Second Point Of Action
Jesus teaches the crowds from the boat. When he finishes, he tells Simon to move into deep water and let down his nets for a catch.
Third Point Of Action
Simon first protests because they had worked all night and caught nothing. Then he agrees because Jesus says so.
Fourth Point Of Action
So many fish catch in their nets that the nets begin to break. Simon signals James and John in the other boat for help. They come and fill both boats, which then begin to sink.
Fifth Point Of Action
Simon falls to his knees, pleading with Jesus to go away from him, a sinful person.
Sixth Point Of Action
Jesus reassures Simon then tells him he will be catching people from now on.
Seventh Point Of Action
After the disciples brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.
3. Connecting Points -- Conversations
Interviewing Zebedee
Asker: Zebedee, what did you make of it when Peter laid aside his net mending to take Jesus out in his fishing boat?
Zebedee: My sons and I took it all in from our boat. Peter's action was clear. Jesus' plan was obvious. The crowds were overwhelming him. I would have done the same thing had he approached me.
Asker: What about Jesus' telling Peter to put out into deep water and let down his nets for a catch?
Zebedee: Jesus was a carpenter's son, not a fisher. Were he a fisher, he would not have told Peter to let down the nets at that time of day. However, that may have been the point of epiphany. Returning to the deep water did not only affect Peter and Andrew but also those in the second boat. Once the nets are let down, our boat is necessary to help draw them together again and move them toward the shore where we could bring in the catch.
Asker: Zebedee, not only Peter and Andrew followed Jesus but also your sons, James and John. The four comprised a major part of your work force.
Zebedee: We were a family enterprise. We formed a partnership with Peter and Andrew. At least, Jesus did not call my hired man to follow him. That would have put us completely out of business.
Asker: What if he had called you as well?
Zebedee: Someone must bring in the fish.
Asker: You were the one left behind, the one not called.
Zebedee: Disciples come in many forms. Just because I was not called to give up my lifework to follow Jesus does not mean I did not become a believer. Whether people sought out Jesus for healing or he came to them, they found each other. My fishermen did not seek out Jesus to become his disciples. Rather, Jesus found and called them.
What does that say about being called to follow? Is the call still genuine from a distance? If some are not part of the inner circle, is their response still of integrity? Is anyone calling people in your day to decide about anything important? Do you answer, "Who cares?" I ask that with both cynicism and genuine doubt. In your me-centered, distancing, mail-order world of the new millennium, the surprise alone of someone's caring can cause one to say yes to almost anything.
What is calling you to say yes? Where do the people of your day hear the call to follow the Christian way of life? Can your trust still extend beyond wondering about being manipulated? Can the people of your day still make time to be a disciple? The question remains: What does it mean to be called to follow Jesus?
Interviewing Simon Peter
Asker: Peter, your first act, even before Jesus had called you to be his disciple, was as a protector. By requesting that you draw him away from shore, Jesus asked you to help him distance himself from the crowd pressing in on him. How did you happen to be where he needed you?
Peter: How does epiphany happen? Jesus would have found me somehow. How perceptive that he sensed my characteristic, protective leadership growing into a watchful loyalty. My partners and I were ashore in our boats mending nets after the night of fishing. By asking me to row him out in the water, Jesus noted my readiness to respond to his calling. Jesus was no fool.
Asker: After Jesus finished speaking to the crowd, he told you to put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch. You protested.
Peter: I know more about fishing than anything else. We were exhausted. We were discouraged, vulnerable. We had been out all night without catching a fish. What good would it have done to try again in daylight when the schools of fish were elsewhere?
Asker: Yet you agreed. That protest and your acquiescence foretold much of your future relationship with Jesus. You were not afraid to challenge him.
Peter: Jesus had an extraordinary effect on me. He spoke with authority. As I came to know later, he had reasons for everything he said and did. I was not afraid to confront Jesus, but after I had my say he usually won me over. I also was not afraid of standing up for Jesus.
Asker: What if you had turned him down?
Peter: In his gentle, persistent way, Jesus would have kept working on me. I remember how persistent Jesus was during the foot washing that last Thursday. He knew me well. I did not want him to wash my feet as a servant would. Of course, my words came out with force: "You will never wash my feet." Of course, Jesus rebutted, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." And, of course, my consent of total commitment burst out, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head." (See John 13:6-9.)
That first day in the boat, I did not believe anything would come of returning to deep water. Ordinarily both boats go out together. James and John were still mending nets with Zebedee. They undoubtedly wondered what Andrew and I were up to. Then the nets, suddenly heavy with fish, started to tear. Not even two boats could bear the weight of such a catch.
Asker: Peter, you gave up everything to follow Jesus. Not only you but Andrew and James and John also became disciples. In one day, four workers deserted Zebedee and the family business. Today, we call such people extremists. Only the independently wealthy or the penniless can afford such actions.
Peter: We continued to work in the business whenever we could. Some who become disciples have everything to lose. Leaving behind an important, secure part of one's life to move into the unknown is an extreme measure. The key word in my life is "choice." I do not make choices without deliberation. However, I know myself, I know how I typically react. Eventually I will come around after reflecting and expressing my opinion.
Asker: Peter, why did you respond to the quantity of fish as you did? I expected joy as well as amazement. You could not doubt the miracle. All those fish were the evidence. Instead, you fell at Jesus' knees and told him to go away from you, a sinful person.
Peter: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" That's how the prophet, Isaiah, put it when he saw God. (See Isaiah 6:5 from the Old Testament reading for this Sunday.)
Have you ever been truly awed by an event, especially when it involved you? Somehow, it reflected onto you. Therein lies another aspect of miracle. You become keenly aware of your own inadequacy in light of what happened. As imperfect as I am, I thought, how could I possibly be associated with someone like Jesus? You speak of amazement. His choosing me was the root of my amazement. He told me to feed his sheep.
If being a disciple were simple, everyone would be a disciple. We human beings are filled with conflicts. If only we were not prone to second thoughts. If only we did not falter. Take the time I walked on the water. My first thought was to do it. I was doing fine until the wind arose. Then I stumbled.
Asker: That is a great example of your heart being in the right place -- as when Jesus told you disciples you would all desert him before his death. You said everyone else might but you would never desert Jesus.
Peter: Then I did. Three times before the cock crowed, just as Jesus said, I abandoned him. I was drowning in feelings of my own jeopardy.
Asker: What happened, Peter? You acted spontaneously with initial loyalty, faith, or whatever. Then you stopped trusting your decision. You faltered into second thoughts. Still, you kept trying. Usually I think of a strong leader as one who forges ahead.
Peter: Is the moral of this story that rocks are not as they seem? Jesus named me Peter, the rock. That invites me now to look at what strength is. Strength extends far beyond the impenetrable.
Asker: Might not your faltering have combined with your devotion to Jesus to give the other disciples their strength? You could encourage others not as a perfect model but because of your imperfections. In addition to not giving up on Jesus, you also did not give up on yourself as a vulnerable human being.
Peter: Maybe that is what Jesus meant when he rebuked me after I scolded him. I had heard what Jesus said was about to happen to him. I set my mind not on divine things but on human things. (See Mark 8:33.) I had just answered Jesus' who-am-I question. If Jesus were the Messiah as I proclaimed, then surely he had enough clout to sidestep the disastrous events he predicted.
Asker: Peter, did you feel encouraged when Jesus said you would be catching people from now on?
Peter: Had he made his invitation in any other way, I probably would have turned him down. I understand how to catch fish, the care necessary to bring them in and keep them fresh. I was not afraid, then, to follow Jesus. Catching people, even though I did not know how, required as much care in its own way as catching fish.
4. Words
Fishing
As work, fishing included catching the fish, salting and peddling it, mending nets and sails, and keeping the boats in repair. Fishing might be done by net, either casting from shore as Peter and Andrew may have done or by using the larger dragnet from boats as James and John did. The following passage from Matthew indicates fishers in New Testament times also used hooks: "However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin" (Matthew 17:27).
Fishers often worked together in groups. They sometimes worked at night. In addition to the Sea of Galilee, fishing was done in the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. A family of mouth-breeding fishes, catfish, and the bigger species of carp were found in the Sea of Galilee. Catfish was considered unclean. All fish with fins and scales were considered clean. (See Leviticus 11:9-12.)
Human helplessness is depicted as fish caught in a net. (See Ecclesiastes 9:12: "For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them.") (See also Habbakuk 1:14: "You have made people like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler.")
Note Matthew's emphasis on the variety of fish simile: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad" (Matthew 13:47-48).
Going fishing became a metaphor for the New Testament mission. Later, the outlined symbol of a fish drawn in the sand was a secret sign of being a Christian.
James and John
Jesus gave James and John the name Boanerges. Mark translates this as Sons of Thunder. (See Mark 3:17.) James and John were working in their father's business. They were also partners of Peter.
Lake Gennesaret
An early name for the Sea of Galilee, Lake Gennesaret was used in New Testament times. In the second century, the lake also held the name the Lake of Tiberias or the Sea of Tiberias. (See Miracle 6.) Running from north to south, it is about thirteen miles long and about eight miles wide at the widest place. The Sea of Galilee is 693 feet below sea level. The Jordan River flows both from the north and to the south of the Sea of Galilee. Nearly surrounded by mountains, the lake is open at the north and south ends with the Plain of Gennesaret to the northwest. On the east side, the largest mountains around the lake fall off sharply.
Several towns important to the ministry of Jesus flank the northwest bank. To the north-northwest on the northern edge of the Plain of Gennesaret is Capernaum, a center of the fishing industry.
Nathanael, Mary from Magdala, Philip, and Peter and Andrew found themselves in Capernaum. With their father, Zebedee, James and John, and the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew shared a fishing enterprise. Capernaum was also a Roman military post. (See Miracle 7, The Centurion's Servant, for the story about the Roman centurion at Capernaum whose servant Jesus healed.)
Philip, Simon Peter, and Andrew were born across the Jordan River and east of Capernaum in Bethsaida, another fishing town. Either the Plain of Gennesaret or an isolated spot at a distance east from Bethsaida may have been the area where the feeding of the multitudes happened.
Nets
Nets are used for catching. A net is an open work fabric made of fiber knotted into squares at regular intervals. Cord and rope-making is among the oldest human skills. Fishing nets of Jesus' day were a fabric of cord, usually flax, hemp, palm fiber, and papyrus, woven into meshes. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, he found them "casting a net into the sea" (Matthew 4:18). This cone-shaped, hand-casting net contained leads around a wide mouth to pull it below water.
Another type of net, the seine, was a large fishing net made to hang vertically in the water by weights at the lower edge and floats at the top. The seine often was hauled ashore in a wider semicircle. It acted as a sieve from a circle of boats drawing close to each other or to the shore. Both nets were apt figures of speech for seaside villagers of biblical times. "The enemy brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices and exults" (Habbakuk 1:15).
Of the thirty biblical references to "net," most carry the negative undertone of a snag. For example, "For they are thrust into a net by their own feet, and they walk into a pitfall" (Job 18:8). "[K]now then that God has put me in the wrong, and closed his net around me" (Job 19:6). "For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them" (Ecclesiastes 9:12).
In calling the fisher disciples in the present miracle story, Jesus used a metaphor they would understand: "Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people' " (Luke 5:10). Jesus changes net imagery from the negative to the positive with this simile: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind" (Matthew 13:47). A net overpowers in a positive manner, gathering in a catch of people without harming them. Rather than a destructive snag, a net carries an embrace.
Simon Peter
Simon, the earlier name of Peter, was in common use during Jesus' ministry. Other names for this disciple are Simon Peter, together, and Simon called Peter. Peter is given later. After Simon proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ, Jesus gave him the special name Peter, which means rock: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." (See Matthew 16:16-18. See also Mark 3:16.)
Peter was married. It was Peter's mother-in-law whom Jesus healed. See "Healings," Cycle B, Miracle 2 (Mark 1:29-31). Peter and his brother Andrew were partners in a fishing business on the Sea of Galilee. They lived in the same house. According to the writer of the Gospel of John, Andrew met Jesus first and brought Peter to him. (See John 1:40-44.)
In the early days of Jesus' ministry, according to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus called Peter to become a fisher of people. When the inner circle of disciples is mentioned, Peter's name appears first. A prominent and outstanding member among the twelve disciples, Peter was quick to take initiative. According to the Gospel writers, he took the lead in acting or speaking for the group. For the story of his significant leadership in the early church, see Acts.
Peter was a complex human being. He did not want Jesus to wash his feet. Peter volunteered to come to Jesus on the water. See "Walking on Water," Cycle A, Miracle 8 (Matthew 14:22-33). He was loyal to Jesus. Peter told Jesus he would lay down his life for him. (See John 13:36, 37.) He also betrayed Jesus. (See Matthew 26:69ff.) He fell asleep while Jesus prayed at Gethsemane. (See Matthew 26:40.) Peter, whose role was to hold fast and encourage others, denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. He was the first disciple who witnessed Jesus' resurrection.
5. Gospel Parallels
Introduction
The writer of Luke speaks in story fashion, "once," as in "once upon a time" (Luke 5:1). Mark and Matthew summarize the miracle. Luke says "Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret." Mark and Matthew call the lake the Sea of Galilee, its later name.
Jesus may have looked away from or beyond the gathering people as "the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God." He "saw two boats there at the shore of the lake" (Luke 5:2). Mark says "as Jesus passed along" (Mark 1:16) and Matthew says "as Jesus walked by" (Matthew 4:18).
Fishers
In Luke, Jesus comes upon the fishers who have returned with their boats and are washing their seine nets. At the start of the story, Luke names only Simon. (See Luke 5:3.) The writers of Mark and Matthew describe the fishers as using individual casting nets. (See Mark 1:16 and Matthew 4:18.) Mark and Matthew specifically name Simon and Andrew. Mark names "Simon and his brother" while Matthew names "two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother." Both Mark and Matthew add "--for they were fishermen."
Later on in Luke's narrative, the writer names "James and John, sons of Zebedee" (Luke 5:10). Luke further defines them as "partners with Simon" (Luke 5:10). Matthew suggests Jesus saw James and John as he was leaving the area: "As he went from there" (Matthew 4:21). Mark implies that Jesus had not left the area yet: "As he went a little farther" (Mark 1:19).
The Boats
By telling first that Jesus saw the boats, Luke suggests Jesus was looking for a way to get some distance from the crowds. For Luke, two boats at the shore were the focal point and the fishers were the auxiliaries who could draw Jesus "a little way from the shore" (Luke 5:3). Luke says "the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets" (Luke 5:2). Jesus enters the boat belonging to Simon. Jesus asks Simon's assistance. He teaches the crowds from this boat.
Jesus' and Simon's Conversation
This conversation, including the miracle of the catch of fish, is exclusive to Luke. (See Luke 5:4-10.) Note that Simon answers Jesus' bidding him to go out into deep water and let down the nets by addressing Jesus as "Master" (Luke 5:5). This term suggests that they were already acquainted or, at the least, Peter knew who Jesus was and held a certain degree of belief in him.
The Call
All three Synoptic Gospels phrase the call in the idiom of the fisher. The call is implicit in Luke's version: "Then [much later in the story] Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people' " (Luke 5:10).
The words of the call, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people," are the same for Mark and Matthew. However, Mark emphasizes that "Jesus said to them" (Mark 1:17), while Matthew says, "he said to them" (Matthew 4:19).
James and John
Both writers name James first, identifying him as "son of Zebedee." These writers define John as James' brother. (See Matthew 4:21 and Mark 1:19.) Matthew stresses they were in the boat mending nets with their father while Mark says they were in their boat mending nets. Later, Mark says they left their father.
Luke does not say directly that Jesus called James and John at this time. Rather, he refers to their amazement, hence their presence, at the catch of fish: "so also were James and John [amazed]." One presumes Jesus spoke to the partners when he told Simon Peter that "from now on you will be catching people." (See Luke 5:9, 10.)
Matthew says Jesus called James and John then "[i]mmediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him" (Matthew 4:21, 22). Mark places the word "immediately" in a different position: "Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him" (Mark 1:20). Luke says "they left everything and followed him" after they had brought their boats to shore. (See Luke 5:11.)
Response Of The Disciples
Mark and Matthew emphasize the quick response of the disciples to Jesus' call. With the exception of Mark's "[a]nd immediately," the words are identical. "Immediately they left their nets and followed him" (Mark 1:18 and Matthew 4:20). Luke implies a similar response, saying, "When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him" (Luke 5:11).
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,1 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.2 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.3 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."4 Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."5 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.6 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.7 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"8 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken;9 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."10 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.11
2. What's Happening?
Two stories about catching fish occur in this cycle of miracles. Both this Epiphany narrative and Miracle 6, The Post-Resurrection Catch (John 21:1-14), selected for Easter 3, present Jesus and the disciples in relationship. Both speak of a discouraging night of fishing, a miraculous catch of fish, and belief in Jesus. The first account engages the disciples in the initial call and work of discipleship while the post-resurrection recognition story heartens the disciples for a deeper, renewed sense of discipleship.
First Point Of Action
As Jesus stands beside the lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing him to hear the word of God, he sees two empty boats at the shore. Jesus climbs into Simon's boat and asks him to put out a little way from the shore.
Second Point Of Action
Jesus teaches the crowds from the boat. When he finishes, he tells Simon to move into deep water and let down his nets for a catch.
Third Point Of Action
Simon first protests because they had worked all night and caught nothing. Then he agrees because Jesus says so.
Fourth Point Of Action
So many fish catch in their nets that the nets begin to break. Simon signals James and John in the other boat for help. They come and fill both boats, which then begin to sink.
Fifth Point Of Action
Simon falls to his knees, pleading with Jesus to go away from him, a sinful person.
Sixth Point Of Action
Jesus reassures Simon then tells him he will be catching people from now on.
Seventh Point Of Action
After the disciples brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.
3. Connecting Points -- Conversations
Interviewing Zebedee
Asker: Zebedee, what did you make of it when Peter laid aside his net mending to take Jesus out in his fishing boat?
Zebedee: My sons and I took it all in from our boat. Peter's action was clear. Jesus' plan was obvious. The crowds were overwhelming him. I would have done the same thing had he approached me.
Asker: What about Jesus' telling Peter to put out into deep water and let down his nets for a catch?
Zebedee: Jesus was a carpenter's son, not a fisher. Were he a fisher, he would not have told Peter to let down the nets at that time of day. However, that may have been the point of epiphany. Returning to the deep water did not only affect Peter and Andrew but also those in the second boat. Once the nets are let down, our boat is necessary to help draw them together again and move them toward the shore where we could bring in the catch.
Asker: Zebedee, not only Peter and Andrew followed Jesus but also your sons, James and John. The four comprised a major part of your work force.
Zebedee: We were a family enterprise. We formed a partnership with Peter and Andrew. At least, Jesus did not call my hired man to follow him. That would have put us completely out of business.
Asker: What if he had called you as well?
Zebedee: Someone must bring in the fish.
Asker: You were the one left behind, the one not called.
Zebedee: Disciples come in many forms. Just because I was not called to give up my lifework to follow Jesus does not mean I did not become a believer. Whether people sought out Jesus for healing or he came to them, they found each other. My fishermen did not seek out Jesus to become his disciples. Rather, Jesus found and called them.
What does that say about being called to follow? Is the call still genuine from a distance? If some are not part of the inner circle, is their response still of integrity? Is anyone calling people in your day to decide about anything important? Do you answer, "Who cares?" I ask that with both cynicism and genuine doubt. In your me-centered, distancing, mail-order world of the new millennium, the surprise alone of someone's caring can cause one to say yes to almost anything.
What is calling you to say yes? Where do the people of your day hear the call to follow the Christian way of life? Can your trust still extend beyond wondering about being manipulated? Can the people of your day still make time to be a disciple? The question remains: What does it mean to be called to follow Jesus?
Interviewing Simon Peter
Asker: Peter, your first act, even before Jesus had called you to be his disciple, was as a protector. By requesting that you draw him away from shore, Jesus asked you to help him distance himself from the crowd pressing in on him. How did you happen to be where he needed you?
Peter: How does epiphany happen? Jesus would have found me somehow. How perceptive that he sensed my characteristic, protective leadership growing into a watchful loyalty. My partners and I were ashore in our boats mending nets after the night of fishing. By asking me to row him out in the water, Jesus noted my readiness to respond to his calling. Jesus was no fool.
Asker: After Jesus finished speaking to the crowd, he told you to put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch. You protested.
Peter: I know more about fishing than anything else. We were exhausted. We were discouraged, vulnerable. We had been out all night without catching a fish. What good would it have done to try again in daylight when the schools of fish were elsewhere?
Asker: Yet you agreed. That protest and your acquiescence foretold much of your future relationship with Jesus. You were not afraid to challenge him.
Peter: Jesus had an extraordinary effect on me. He spoke with authority. As I came to know later, he had reasons for everything he said and did. I was not afraid to confront Jesus, but after I had my say he usually won me over. I also was not afraid of standing up for Jesus.
Asker: What if you had turned him down?
Peter: In his gentle, persistent way, Jesus would have kept working on me. I remember how persistent Jesus was during the foot washing that last Thursday. He knew me well. I did not want him to wash my feet as a servant would. Of course, my words came out with force: "You will never wash my feet." Of course, Jesus rebutted, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." And, of course, my consent of total commitment burst out, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head." (See John 13:6-9.)
That first day in the boat, I did not believe anything would come of returning to deep water. Ordinarily both boats go out together. James and John were still mending nets with Zebedee. They undoubtedly wondered what Andrew and I were up to. Then the nets, suddenly heavy with fish, started to tear. Not even two boats could bear the weight of such a catch.
Asker: Peter, you gave up everything to follow Jesus. Not only you but Andrew and James and John also became disciples. In one day, four workers deserted Zebedee and the family business. Today, we call such people extremists. Only the independently wealthy or the penniless can afford such actions.
Peter: We continued to work in the business whenever we could. Some who become disciples have everything to lose. Leaving behind an important, secure part of one's life to move into the unknown is an extreme measure. The key word in my life is "choice." I do not make choices without deliberation. However, I know myself, I know how I typically react. Eventually I will come around after reflecting and expressing my opinion.
Asker: Peter, why did you respond to the quantity of fish as you did? I expected joy as well as amazement. You could not doubt the miracle. All those fish were the evidence. Instead, you fell at Jesus' knees and told him to go away from you, a sinful person.
Peter: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" That's how the prophet, Isaiah, put it when he saw God. (See Isaiah 6:5 from the Old Testament reading for this Sunday.)
Have you ever been truly awed by an event, especially when it involved you? Somehow, it reflected onto you. Therein lies another aspect of miracle. You become keenly aware of your own inadequacy in light of what happened. As imperfect as I am, I thought, how could I possibly be associated with someone like Jesus? You speak of amazement. His choosing me was the root of my amazement. He told me to feed his sheep.
If being a disciple were simple, everyone would be a disciple. We human beings are filled with conflicts. If only we were not prone to second thoughts. If only we did not falter. Take the time I walked on the water. My first thought was to do it. I was doing fine until the wind arose. Then I stumbled.
Asker: That is a great example of your heart being in the right place -- as when Jesus told you disciples you would all desert him before his death. You said everyone else might but you would never desert Jesus.
Peter: Then I did. Three times before the cock crowed, just as Jesus said, I abandoned him. I was drowning in feelings of my own jeopardy.
Asker: What happened, Peter? You acted spontaneously with initial loyalty, faith, or whatever. Then you stopped trusting your decision. You faltered into second thoughts. Still, you kept trying. Usually I think of a strong leader as one who forges ahead.
Peter: Is the moral of this story that rocks are not as they seem? Jesus named me Peter, the rock. That invites me now to look at what strength is. Strength extends far beyond the impenetrable.
Asker: Might not your faltering have combined with your devotion to Jesus to give the other disciples their strength? You could encourage others not as a perfect model but because of your imperfections. In addition to not giving up on Jesus, you also did not give up on yourself as a vulnerable human being.
Peter: Maybe that is what Jesus meant when he rebuked me after I scolded him. I had heard what Jesus said was about to happen to him. I set my mind not on divine things but on human things. (See Mark 8:33.) I had just answered Jesus' who-am-I question. If Jesus were the Messiah as I proclaimed, then surely he had enough clout to sidestep the disastrous events he predicted.
Asker: Peter, did you feel encouraged when Jesus said you would be catching people from now on?
Peter: Had he made his invitation in any other way, I probably would have turned him down. I understand how to catch fish, the care necessary to bring them in and keep them fresh. I was not afraid, then, to follow Jesus. Catching people, even though I did not know how, required as much care in its own way as catching fish.
4. Words
Fishing
As work, fishing included catching the fish, salting and peddling it, mending nets and sails, and keeping the boats in repair. Fishing might be done by net, either casting from shore as Peter and Andrew may have done or by using the larger dragnet from boats as James and John did. The following passage from Matthew indicates fishers in New Testament times also used hooks: "However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin" (Matthew 17:27).
Fishers often worked together in groups. They sometimes worked at night. In addition to the Sea of Galilee, fishing was done in the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. A family of mouth-breeding fishes, catfish, and the bigger species of carp were found in the Sea of Galilee. Catfish was considered unclean. All fish with fins and scales were considered clean. (See Leviticus 11:9-12.)
Human helplessness is depicted as fish caught in a net. (See Ecclesiastes 9:12: "For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them.") (See also Habbakuk 1:14: "You have made people like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler.")
Note Matthew's emphasis on the variety of fish simile: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad" (Matthew 13:47-48).
Going fishing became a metaphor for the New Testament mission. Later, the outlined symbol of a fish drawn in the sand was a secret sign of being a Christian.
James and John
Jesus gave James and John the name Boanerges. Mark translates this as Sons of Thunder. (See Mark 3:17.) James and John were working in their father's business. They were also partners of Peter.
Lake Gennesaret
An early name for the Sea of Galilee, Lake Gennesaret was used in New Testament times. In the second century, the lake also held the name the Lake of Tiberias or the Sea of Tiberias. (See Miracle 6.) Running from north to south, it is about thirteen miles long and about eight miles wide at the widest place. The Sea of Galilee is 693 feet below sea level. The Jordan River flows both from the north and to the south of the Sea of Galilee. Nearly surrounded by mountains, the lake is open at the north and south ends with the Plain of Gennesaret to the northwest. On the east side, the largest mountains around the lake fall off sharply.
Several towns important to the ministry of Jesus flank the northwest bank. To the north-northwest on the northern edge of the Plain of Gennesaret is Capernaum, a center of the fishing industry.
Nathanael, Mary from Magdala, Philip, and Peter and Andrew found themselves in Capernaum. With their father, Zebedee, James and John, and the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew shared a fishing enterprise. Capernaum was also a Roman military post. (See Miracle 7, The Centurion's Servant, for the story about the Roman centurion at Capernaum whose servant Jesus healed.)
Philip, Simon Peter, and Andrew were born across the Jordan River and east of Capernaum in Bethsaida, another fishing town. Either the Plain of Gennesaret or an isolated spot at a distance east from Bethsaida may have been the area where the feeding of the multitudes happened.
Nets
Nets are used for catching. A net is an open work fabric made of fiber knotted into squares at regular intervals. Cord and rope-making is among the oldest human skills. Fishing nets of Jesus' day were a fabric of cord, usually flax, hemp, palm fiber, and papyrus, woven into meshes. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, he found them "casting a net into the sea" (Matthew 4:18). This cone-shaped, hand-casting net contained leads around a wide mouth to pull it below water.
Another type of net, the seine, was a large fishing net made to hang vertically in the water by weights at the lower edge and floats at the top. The seine often was hauled ashore in a wider semicircle. It acted as a sieve from a circle of boats drawing close to each other or to the shore. Both nets were apt figures of speech for seaside villagers of biblical times. "The enemy brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine; so he rejoices and exults" (Habbakuk 1:15).
Of the thirty biblical references to "net," most carry the negative undertone of a snag. For example, "For they are thrust into a net by their own feet, and they walk into a pitfall" (Job 18:8). "[K]now then that God has put me in the wrong, and closed his net around me" (Job 19:6). "For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them" (Ecclesiastes 9:12).
In calling the fisher disciples in the present miracle story, Jesus used a metaphor they would understand: "Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people' " (Luke 5:10). Jesus changes net imagery from the negative to the positive with this simile: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind" (Matthew 13:47). A net overpowers in a positive manner, gathering in a catch of people without harming them. Rather than a destructive snag, a net carries an embrace.
Simon Peter
Simon, the earlier name of Peter, was in common use during Jesus' ministry. Other names for this disciple are Simon Peter, together, and Simon called Peter. Peter is given later. After Simon proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ, Jesus gave him the special name Peter, which means rock: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." (See Matthew 16:16-18. See also Mark 3:16.)
Peter was married. It was Peter's mother-in-law whom Jesus healed. See "Healings," Cycle B, Miracle 2 (Mark 1:29-31). Peter and his brother Andrew were partners in a fishing business on the Sea of Galilee. They lived in the same house. According to the writer of the Gospel of John, Andrew met Jesus first and brought Peter to him. (See John 1:40-44.)
In the early days of Jesus' ministry, according to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus called Peter to become a fisher of people. When the inner circle of disciples is mentioned, Peter's name appears first. A prominent and outstanding member among the twelve disciples, Peter was quick to take initiative. According to the Gospel writers, he took the lead in acting or speaking for the group. For the story of his significant leadership in the early church, see Acts.
Peter was a complex human being. He did not want Jesus to wash his feet. Peter volunteered to come to Jesus on the water. See "Walking on Water," Cycle A, Miracle 8 (Matthew 14:22-33). He was loyal to Jesus. Peter told Jesus he would lay down his life for him. (See John 13:36, 37.) He also betrayed Jesus. (See Matthew 26:69ff.) He fell asleep while Jesus prayed at Gethsemane. (See Matthew 26:40.) Peter, whose role was to hold fast and encourage others, denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. He was the first disciple who witnessed Jesus' resurrection.
5. Gospel Parallels
Introduction
The writer of Luke speaks in story fashion, "once," as in "once upon a time" (Luke 5:1). Mark and Matthew summarize the miracle. Luke says "Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret." Mark and Matthew call the lake the Sea of Galilee, its later name.
Jesus may have looked away from or beyond the gathering people as "the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God." He "saw two boats there at the shore of the lake" (Luke 5:2). Mark says "as Jesus passed along" (Mark 1:16) and Matthew says "as Jesus walked by" (Matthew 4:18).
Fishers
In Luke, Jesus comes upon the fishers who have returned with their boats and are washing their seine nets. At the start of the story, Luke names only Simon. (See Luke 5:3.) The writers of Mark and Matthew describe the fishers as using individual casting nets. (See Mark 1:16 and Matthew 4:18.) Mark and Matthew specifically name Simon and Andrew. Mark names "Simon and his brother" while Matthew names "two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother." Both Mark and Matthew add "--for they were fishermen."
Later on in Luke's narrative, the writer names "James and John, sons of Zebedee" (Luke 5:10). Luke further defines them as "partners with Simon" (Luke 5:10). Matthew suggests Jesus saw James and John as he was leaving the area: "As he went from there" (Matthew 4:21). Mark implies that Jesus had not left the area yet: "As he went a little farther" (Mark 1:19).
The Boats
By telling first that Jesus saw the boats, Luke suggests Jesus was looking for a way to get some distance from the crowds. For Luke, two boats at the shore were the focal point and the fishers were the auxiliaries who could draw Jesus "a little way from the shore" (Luke 5:3). Luke says "the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets" (Luke 5:2). Jesus enters the boat belonging to Simon. Jesus asks Simon's assistance. He teaches the crowds from this boat.
Jesus' and Simon's Conversation
This conversation, including the miracle of the catch of fish, is exclusive to Luke. (See Luke 5:4-10.) Note that Simon answers Jesus' bidding him to go out into deep water and let down the nets by addressing Jesus as "Master" (Luke 5:5). This term suggests that they were already acquainted or, at the least, Peter knew who Jesus was and held a certain degree of belief in him.
The Call
All three Synoptic Gospels phrase the call in the idiom of the fisher. The call is implicit in Luke's version: "Then [much later in the story] Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people' " (Luke 5:10).
The words of the call, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people," are the same for Mark and Matthew. However, Mark emphasizes that "Jesus said to them" (Mark 1:17), while Matthew says, "he said to them" (Matthew 4:19).
James and John
Both writers name James first, identifying him as "son of Zebedee." These writers define John as James' brother. (See Matthew 4:21 and Mark 1:19.) Matthew stresses they were in the boat mending nets with their father while Mark says they were in their boat mending nets. Later, Mark says they left their father.
Luke does not say directly that Jesus called James and John at this time. Rather, he refers to their amazement, hence their presence, at the catch of fish: "so also were James and John [amazed]." One presumes Jesus spoke to the partners when he told Simon Peter that "from now on you will be catching people." (See Luke 5:9, 10.)
Matthew says Jesus called James and John then "[i]mmediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him" (Matthew 4:21, 22). Mark places the word "immediately" in a different position: "Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him" (Mark 1:20). Luke says "they left everything and followed him" after they had brought their boats to shore. (See Luke 5:11.)
Response Of The Disciples
Mark and Matthew emphasize the quick response of the disciples to Jesus' call. With the exception of Mark's "[a]nd immediately," the words are identical. "Immediately they left their nets and followed him" (Mark 1:18 and Matthew 4:20). Luke implies a similar response, saying, "When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him" (Luke 5:11).
