Luke 5:1-11
1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;
2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.
3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat.
4 Now 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 responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”
6 And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear;
7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking.
8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;
10 and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.”
11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
Peter’s Turning Point in Life
The great catch Peter experiences
Peter and his companions, who were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, experience a turning point in their lives in today’s passage. Although they already knew Jesus, through a certain miracle, they come to encounter Him on a completely different level. That miracle occurred in the following way. Jesus was teaching the crowd from Simon’s boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch” (v 4). That was an unreasonable command for Simon. Even as a professional, he had worked all night and caught nothing. All the more, there was no way he could catch anything by letting down the nets during the daytime. However, Simon thought that he must obey the command and answered, “But I will do as You say and let down the nets” (v 5). When he did so, they caught such a large quantity of fish that their nets began to tear. Obedience to the word of God brings forth blessings. This is a truth that applies to us today as well.
Peter lefts his net
Peter was astonished, not because of the miraculous catch of fish, but because that miracle revealed the divinity of the person of Jesus. Luke explains the situation as follows: “But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’” (v 8). In the Bible, the saints who came into contact with the presence of God all felt fear without exception. That was the case with Abraham (Gen. 18:27), the people of Israel during the Exodus (Ex. 20:9), and the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 6:5). Peter also feared. Jesus’ response to that was this: “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people” (v 10). Please take note of how the name Simon eventually transitions to Simon Peter. He experienced a turning point in his life. From now on, his concern will no longer be fish, but human souls. It was not the miracle that brought about the turning point in his life. Rather, it was the new encounter with Jesus through the miracle that changed his life. From this point on, he became not a part-time disciple, but a full-time disciple. Have you encountered the living Jesus? If not, you too can have a new encounter with Jesus right now, in this time of devotion.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, what I know about Jesus Christ is only a small part. Please grant me also an encounter with the living Lord, who brings a turning point in my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.