Luke 5:6-11 6And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Peter, James, and John did as Jesus told them and let out their nets again, even though it seemed like a waste of time. They had spent all night casting their nets and came up empty. They were professional fishermen and knew when the fish were not around. But there was something about Jesus that spurred them on to believe that there was hope and promise in what he said. The result was overwhelming, with so many fish that the nets could not hold them but were bursting and about to break. They needed help bringing in all the fish, filling up both boats with the miraculous catch. Many people would be fed with that catch of fish.
The Holy Spirit had obviously been working in Simon’s life. Luke inserts the nickname Peter in his description of Simon in verse 8. Simon was beginning to become Peter, the rock, through his growing faith. All the things he had witnessed led him to that moment of confession as he fell down in worship before Jesus. He realized his utter helplessness and sinfulness before the glory of Jesus, whom he addressed as Lord (kyrie). Simon had to make a choice either to reject and ignore all he had witnessed or put his faith in Jesus. He was caught in between because he realized his own sinfulness. The reason for this feeling of inadequacy is given in verse 9 indicated by the causal transition word for (gar). Simon was amazed at this impossible miracle, which built on more conviction that he may have begun to feel when Jesus healed his mother-in-law.
Jesus perceived that the issue was not unbelief but fear (phobou). Simon was afraid because he felt inadequate before the power of Jesus. His attitude is actually the one required for salvation and discipleship. A person cannot come to Jesus with pride and human knowledge that ignores the miraculous and divine identity of Jesus. James and his brother John witnessed all of this. Simon’s brother Andrew is not mentioned in Luke’s story, but he was also present according to Matthew 4:18. Jesus found one-third of his disciples that day out in fishing boats. It is often thought that Jesus just appeared one day on the lake and called these men to be disciples “out of the blue.” But these men had heard Jesus teach, possibly in the local synagogue, and had watched or heard about his miraculous healing powers, and then just experienced their own miracle in the huge catch of fish. Many things, known and unknown, led up to this point.
Jesus’ response to Simon Peter is typical of a divine being responding to someone who falls down in awe and worship, such as with the angels in 1:13, 30. Jesus had a new mission for these three men. They would no longer catch fish but people. These fishermen could easily understand the metaphor of fishing. They did not yet know what catching people meant, but they understood that Jesus was the answer to their deep spiritual need. And so, they left everything and followed Jesus. Their faith was simple yet radical. We do not know much about their family situation and what this meant for them or the village and other fishermen. These men simply heard the call and followed it, trusting that Jesus was all-sufficient and would meet their needs. They had seen and heard him, and that was enough to spark their faith to the point of leaving their old life and following a new direction that would radically and forever alter their lives. Few people in history have had the same radical call, but the call to believe in Jesus and obey his invitation to follow him is universal.
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