1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, 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. ~ Luke 5:1-6
Luke's gospel is the lengthiest of the four gospels. Today's narrative is set at the lake of Gennesaret which was 13 miles long and 7 miles wide. To the east are low ridges and then the flat lands of the wilderness that goes to the east. To the north are the great high mountains of Lebanon from which the water flows creating the lake. To the west are the fertile fields of grain and crops.
This was a good place to speak to people because one could be at the shore and the slope would be a place that would create sort of a natural amphitheater and the people could hear. The events of this day were so convincing that these fishermen left everything to follow the Lord Jesus.
According to v.1 the crowds were getting bigger and bigger. This was a typical problem as the Lord Jesus' popularity was fast growing. And, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, a freshwater lake fed by the snowmelt out of the Lebanese mountains.
So there He is on the shore with this mass of people coming out of towns and villages and cities, crowding around and eventually pushing Him. The people came to hear the Word of God. They were listening to the word that comes from God. This is the first time Luke uses the phrase "the Word of God."
God is the source of truth. God by nature is truth. And the truth is what He speaks. As the Lord Jesus stands by the lake and speaks the very word of God, the crowd is pushing in on Him. In v.2 we learn the Lord Jesus saw two boats by the waters edge.
In that area of the Sea of Galilee, it is shallow. The Lord Jesus sat down in Peter's boat and asked Peter to pull it out a little bit. That would give the Lord Jesus a natural amphitheater effect. In the spot where they were that day, there is a natural sloping. There, the water is flat, and then the shoreline goes up, sort of like an amphitheater. In that setting, the voice of the Lord Jesus was amplified. It bounced off the water and was heard easily on the shoreline. His voice, as a result, was projected as the people were pressed on the shore.
In v.3 we read, "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." The Lord Jesus doesn't do anything just by accident. Everything is intentional and purposeful. His actions here were making it conducive for Peter to decide to follow the Lord Jesus as His disciple.
The Lord Jesus first met Peter back in John 1. Then, later on, as recorded in Mark 1 there was a second meeting. So, Peter had already had a couple of encounters with the Lord Jesus. Peter was with his brother Andrew on that first day, the second day he was with James and John. So, these actions were impacting these brothers, as well.
The Lord Jesus was in the process of getting to know Peter. This explains why Peter is following Him. This is why in Luke 4 after the synagogue service, when it was lunch time, the Lord Jesus went to Simon's house.
The fishermen had fished at night and they are now repairing their nets. Galilean fisherman typically fished at night because at night when it was cooler out, the fish would come closer to the surface. In the sea of Galilee, the hot sun causes, to this day, the fish to go deep in the middle of the day. So, during the daytime the fishermen would work on their equipment. The nights were for fishing. It was daytime now and the Lord Jesus had begun teaching. The crowd is pushing in and He notices the two boats on the edge of the lake.
According to v.3, the Lord Jesus gets into Simon's boat. And, in v.4 He says to Peter, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." But, Peter and his buds had fished all night and had caught nothing. No doubt, Peter was convinced fishing for that day was over. But, this was not about fishing, the Lord Jesus had much more on His mind for Peter that day.
Then, in v.5, it is as if Peter is saying, "We fished all night, we caught absolutely nothing. I'm telling you, the fish aren't there. Master, at your bidding, I will let down the nets. That is the least I can do for you for healing my mother-in-law." The lake is seven miles wide by thirteen miles long. The deepest part of the lake in the center is about 141 feet or so. All the fish go there during the day. At night when it's dark, they come to the surface and they feed. But, unbeknown to Peter, the Lord Jesus knew exactly where the fish were.
Peter thought this was about what he was doing for the Lord Jesus. But, in reality, this story is about what the Lord Jesus is doing for Peter. We always benefit when we allow the Lord to be the Lord of our lives, when we are allowing Him to define us. Note that in v.5 Peter calls the Lord Jesus here, "Master."
In v.6, we read, "When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." Peter, now, has entered into a new adventure with God. Up to this point all the world that Peter knew was the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, maybe going down to Jerusalem a few times a year for a feast, but all he knew, his whole world was wrapped in a fishing business of a little inland lake called Galilee. That was his whole world. But, he has entered into a new realm, now, it has entered the greatest adventure known to man.
Peter had never caught this many fish. I am sure he is thinking, "With the Lord Jesus involved, my business is about to really take off." But, the main teaching in this passage is that when we follow the Lord Jesus and develop a personal relationship with Him, not only is our lives blessed. Others are blessed, as well. God rarely blesses us with only us in mind. God's goal in blessing us is that others might be blessed through us. And, God sometimes calls us to ministry when our business is at its best, which requires us to turn our backs on our plans, availing ourselves to His control.
