1 One day while Jesus was standing beside Lake Galilee, many people were pressing all around him to hear the word of God. 2 Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Jesus got into one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, and asked him to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat.
4 When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and put your nets in the water to catch some fish.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will.” 6 When the fishermen did as Jesus told them, they caught so many fish that the nets began to break. 7 They called to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they were almost sinking.
8 When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” 9 He and the other fishermen were amazed at the many fish they caught, as were 10 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” 11 When the men brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Read Luke 5:1-11 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
When looking at the call of the closest disciples, I really appreciate Luke for sharing more about what actually happened. Luke was a researcher and interviewer, and he might have even been writing to someone who maybe was a little skeptical.
If we look at how Matthew and Mark include this event, we might get the impression that the four fishermen disciples were a little flakey. In both gospels, we simply see Jesus giving an invitation, and the men dropping everything to follow a random person they had never previously met. (This event is referenced in Mark 1:16-20 & Matthew 4:18-22.)
But Luke gives us the rest of the story, and he shares the amazing miracle that prompts these four disciples to give up their life of fishing for fish in exchange for a new type of fishing, “Fishing for people.” (v. 10b)
Luke tells us that only after the miracle do we read Jesus giving His invitation. The response: “When the men brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.” (v. 11)
Fishing was the family business. James and John were following in their father’s footsteps, and Matthew tells us their dad was present. If we only read Matthew’s gospel, we get the impression that James and John abandon their father in favor of following Jesus. But when we put Luke’s version of this event alongside their response, their dad probably encouraged them to leave with Jesus. Their dad may have even said something like, “Learn everything you can from Jesus, because He may be the greatest Fishermen alive!”
Jesus gave these early disciples a reason to leave everything and follow Him. In a similar way, Jesus is willing to give us a reason to follow Him as well. This reason does not remove our free will, and this reason may require effort and/or testing on our part, but if we are willing to try life Jesus’ way, He will give us a reason to follow Him.
Jesus is not looking for blind followers. He wants people who follow because they have faith in Him. The people who dedicate their lives to Jesus have found many reasons to follow, and for those who are still making their decision, Jesus is more than willing to give reasons to follow Him.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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