The Miracles of Jesus
Lent – February 21, 2024
The first miraculous catch on the Lake of Gennesaret
Luke 5:1-11; Matthew 28:18b-21
When I was much younger and living in Chicago, I often attended concerts at McCormick Place’s Arie Crown Theater. Over the years, I saw musical stars like The Guess Who, America, The Carpenters, Kenny Rodgers, Billy Paul, and Earth, Wind, and Fire.
The concerts were always enjoyable, and sometimes quite loud. Have you ever thought about what it would be like if your favorite musical star or band was on stage without electricity? And there were no massive speakers, just the band playing or the artist singing?
You might hear the drums, but electric guitars would be a non-starter. And singers would only be heard by the first few rows of the crowd.
*******************The Point***************
In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 5, Jesus speaks to and teaches a crowd by the Sea of Galilee’s shore.
“One day, as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (5:1, That is, the Sea of Galilee), the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then, he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.”
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So, they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon,
“Don’t be afraid; from now on, you will fish for people.”
So, they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him.
Luke 5:1-11
The gathering keeps getting larger and larger. Finally, Jesus turns to His acquaintance, Simon Peter, as He boards Peter’s fishing boat, telling him to let the ship out from the shore. When they are an unknown distance from the shoreline, Jesus continues to preach to the people at the water’s edge and beyond.
How can they possibly hear Jesus speaking? He has no microphone, no speakers, and certainly no bullhorn. Here’s what Jesus does have, according to one of the world’s foremost Biblical scholars, N.T. Wright:
“Along the lakeshore close to Capernaum, there is a sequence of steep inlets, a zigzagging shoreline with each inlet forming a natural amphitheater. To this day, if you get in a boat and push out a little from the shore, you can talk in quite a natural voice, and anyone on the slope of the inlet can hear you clearly – more clearly, in fact, than if you were right there on the shore with them. Jesus was simply exploiting the geography of the area and the ready availability of the boat.”
(N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, Westminster John Knox Press.)
This is not the main emphasis of the story. Still, I find it very interesting from a historical and geographical point of view.
After Jesus was done preaching, He told Simon Peter to row the boat out into deeper waters and let the nets down. Now Peter and his crew were tired from fishing all night (they had caught nothing). Peter said this to Jesus. But he did as Jesus asked, as He was a friend and had healed his Mother-in-law.
Peter and his crew let down the fishing nets. Even though nighttime fishing was generally more successful, they caught many fish. Peter had to call his other ship over to help. Both ships began sinking from the weight of so many fish.
When they all finally got back to shore, Peter asked Jesus to leave, as he was a sinner and not worthy to be in His presence. But Jesus surprises Peter and his men. Jesus says, “From now on, you will follow me, and I will teach you how to catch men.” (The image of catching a man or woman with a net or fishing rod is the image that comes into my mind when I read this passage 😊)
But Jesus is talking about something else. It was time for Him to expand His ministry and throw a far-reaching “net” to reach more people with the Good News. Jesus didn’t want to leave anyone out.
Interestingly, this miraculous catch and Jesus telling Peter that He will make him a fisher of men came into play even more profoundly in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:41, Peter preached to crowds of people, and 3000 were baptized and began following Jesus that day.
That was quite a catch for someone who, three years earlier, was a fisherman. How can God use you to be a better fisher of men? Why not ask Him? Then, wait and listen for His answer.
Dear Jesus. You not only taught your first disciples and followers how to “fish for men,” but You have also instructed us to do the same. Help us to follow your final instruction in Matthew 28:18b-20 when you said:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
joegministries.com 