Luke 5:1-11 Commentary

Jesus Calls His First Disciples
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, [a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 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.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

5 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."

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 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.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 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." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.



Dig Deeper
A few years ago Hollywood produced a film called “Remember the Titans.” The film was based on a true story of an American high school football team in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. This was during the time when America was intentionally integrating schools and trying to eliminate the existence of all-white and all-black schools. It was decided that an all-black high school would be combined with an all-white school and that they would start the process even before the school year began by combining the football teams during those few weeks when high school teams start practicing before the school year starts. As the movie depicts, the process of combining the white players with the black players was not an easy thing. The players didn’t like each other and didn’t really want to play with each other. There is one scene in the movie in particular that is an amazing scene. One of the star black players on the team, Julius, was upset because one of the white offensive lineman was clearly, intentionally not blocking for the black quarterback and allowing him to get nailed on play after play. So, the player confronts the white captain of the team, Gary, while at the same time the white player derided Julius for not playing as hard as he could. Julius retorted that there was no way he would play hard for the team when the white players wouldn’t even protect their own quarterback. Gary responded by saying that he couldn’t believe how much of a bad attitude that Julius had and was disgusted by the way that Julius refused to show respect to his authority and play hard. Julius’ response was priceless. He looked at the captain of the football team, Gary, and said “attitude reflects leadership, captain.” In other words, he wouldn’t follow Gary’s leadership because he didn’t respect his authority and wouldn’t submit to it. That left Gary speechless and with much to ponder about the fact that he hadn’t been doing what he should have done as captain to bring the team together.

Luke has carefully shown us Jesus’ identity and his right to be considered the Messiah, the Son of God, in both the earthly sense and in the deeper theological sense. He picked up on that identity and showed that Jesus had more than just the right to be Messiah, he also had an incredible authority that was noticed by those around him readily. His authority was so obvious and strong that even demons and illnesses respected the authority he possessed. But authority doesn’t mean much if people don’t respect it and submit to that authority. The football captain discovered that. Authority without submission to that authority is meaningless. That is exactly why, I believe, Luke has decided to give us this account immediately on the heels of several stories demonstrating Jesus’ authority. If Jesus has authority, and Luke has demonstrated that, then he will need followers who are also going to respect his authority, submit to it, and obey him.

Luke’s intent is not to give a blow-by-blow account of Jesus’ life so we have no specific idea in most cases as to how much time passed between the last scene and the present one but we do know that Jesus’ notoriety was increasing and people were coming to see and hear him in increasingly larger crowds. Local experts say that, to this day, if you get into a boat and push out a little from the shore that the slopes surrounding Lake Gennesaret act like a natural amphitheater of sorts, and actually allow the audience to hear the speaker better from the boat than if he was on the shore right in front of the audience. Jesus took advantage of this so that the crowd could hear him as he spoke of the kingdom of God. Luke doesn’t tell us what Jesus taught on this occasion but is more interested in the object lesson that Jesus would provide after he was done talking. Jesus was about to, once again, demonstrate that the significance of his miracles go beyond just the physical realm but that they also display spiritual truths behind the act itself.

It is an important detail that we can deduce from Luke’s details that this event took place in the morning. Simon Peter and the others with whom he was working had been out fishing all night. This is the most effective time to fish in this area so it is no minor detail that they weren’t able to catch much of anything all night. If they were out during the prime hours and couldn’t get anything, then why on earth would they think that they could catch anything during the day. In fact the thought of a carpenter/ handyman turned teacher giving orders to fishermen regarding their craft is a bit amusing on it’s own.

A great spiritual truth is revealed here in Simon Peter’s response to a man whom they likely knew of to some degree or another but whom they hadn’t yet been chosen by to follow. The other Gospel writers tend to just tell the basic facts of Jesus calling Simon Peter and the others to be his disciple but Luke adds some important details as he is showing not just the call to discipleship but the very grounds on which their discipleship and submission to his authority rest. It all boils down to obedience. Obedience to the word of God is perhaps the key element in being a true disciple of Jesus Christ anywhere at any time. Jesus’ request to let down their nets makes no sense at all from a practical point of view. They had fished all night and caught nothing, and everything they knew about fishing told them that it was pointless to try again. But Peter, even though he gently alludes to the fact that this would be an exercise in futility, obeys at nothing more than Jesus’ word. That is his only interview and his sole qualification for discipleship and it is so instructive for us. Much of the Christian life in general, and many of the specific things that we believe that God calls us to do on a more individual basis, make no sense from a worldly point of view. God’s will is often not just counter-cultural but can seem downright crazy. But it is up to us to have the same response that Simon Peter did. It may not make sense, ‘but because you say so.”

When Simon Peter obeyed wholeheartedly he discovered what so many disciples since then who have found themselves obeying Jesus despite the seemingly crazy things he is asking of us. He found that his obedience paid off in a way greater than he could have imagined. When they let down the nets, “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” Obedience to Jesus’ word doesn’t always have such tangible and immediate results but we will always receive a harvest for obedience that is given out of true faith in Jesus. They caught so many fish, in fact, that they nearly submerged both boats that were out there. Jesus was clearly teaching them a lesson about submission and obedience to his word. He offered them no pre-obedience explanation of why he would be telling them to let their nets down right there. He didn’t try to persuade them at all. He simply gave the command at it was up to them to obey or not. But they found that when they did obey Jesus, things can happen that are beyond natural explanation. The same principle is as true for us today as it was for them nearly 2,000 years ago.

Simon Peter’s response to the miraculous haul of fish again shows his submission and humility. He likely had no comprehension of Jesus’ full identity yet, even though he addressed him as Lord, but he clearly recognized Jesus as the agent through whom the power of God was breaking into the present age. When an unclean and sinful man feels that he is in the presence of God’s power, his response is exactly Peter’s. He wants the Lord to leave. Peter immediately recognized that Jesus had an authority that no one else on earth possessed. He also knew that he was sinful and had no claim or right to be in the presence of such a man. His obedience combined with his humility were the very reason that Jesus deemed him worthy to not just be in his presence but to follow him and be among his first disciples.

Jesus wasn’t just showing off to Simon Peter and the others, though. He wasn’t just trying to give their business a little boost. He was teaching them what it would take to follow him on his mission and what that mission would be about. If they follow him they would experience a radical change in vocation. No longer would they be mere fishermen. They would be fishers of men. That would be the mission. But it would require the same sense of obedience, submission to God’s will, and humility to bring in a harvest of men like the one of fish that they had just experienced. They would fish for men but they would have to continue to hold to Jesus’ word no matter how crazy and contrary to good judgment that might seem. To be Jesus’ disciple and to truly experience the success of sharing with him in his mission takes the utter conviction to hold Jesus’ words above all else (Jn. 8:31-32).

But there was just one more thing that they would have to learn before they could truly follow Jesus. These weren’t a bunch of guys out on a weekend fishing trip. These were lifelong fishermen who worked that lake for a living. It was likely that their family had been fishermen on that lake for many generations. This was a family business and it would have been the expectation that they would make the business as profitable as possible and pass it on to their children. But Jesus issued to them the same challenge that he does to anyone who would follow him as a disciple. They must drop everything and follow him immediately. Notice that they not only dropped their nets but they also left the bonanza of fish that they had just caught. The call to follow Jesus would surely mean that they laid down their lives and left everything to follow him. The call to follow Jesus today is different in that we don’t physically need to give up our physical possessions in most cases, but the call to die to ourselves and give up everything in our hearts (Lk. 9:23-26) is just as real as it was for Simon Peter.



Devotional Thought
Are you willing to obey Jesus just because his word said so regardless of how crazy it may seem? To what is God calling you to do right now that requires the same sort of submission and obedience to his word? Go in prayer and determine to obey God’s word with the same immediate obedience that Simon Peter demonstrated.