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!
The official call of the earliest and closest disciples contains a fascinating conversation between Jesus and Simon Peter, the man who would ultimately become the most famous disciple. While Matthew and Mark simply include a shortened version of this event, Luke draws out all the details of what happened – and the miracle that changed the direction of these men’s lives.
The idea that is jumping off the page at me while I read this event is in Peter’s response to Jesus after they had finished hoisting the net full of fish into the boat. When Simon Peter realized what had just happened, Luke tells us that he bowed before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” (v. 8)
Simon Peter realized after his earlier comment, which was full of doubt and perhaps even a little sarcastic, that Jesus was significant. At what was probably the worst time of the day to fish, Jesus had miraculously brought about a catch that was probably many weeks’ worth of pay. Peter realized this and he realized that there was nothing that made him worthy to even be around Jesus.
Looking at Peter’s time as a disciple we can see that he was the one who seemed to get himself in the most trouble, but he was also one of the only disciples brave enough to declare Jesus to be God’s own Son. Luke tells us that Peter felt unworthy of even being considered as a follower. He felt his past excluded him.
However, a couple verses later, we read how Jesus responded. Jesus replied to Peter by saying, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” (v. 10b)
Jesus’ response tells us something incredible about God. God is willing to include sinful people in His plan. While we are entirely unworthy to even be considered for a part in God’s story, He is more than willing to invite us to be a part of it. Jesus invited sinful Peter, and He is more than willing to invite you and me to be a part of His story in the world today!
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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