While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2 He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 9 For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, 10 and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
The scene opens on the “Lake of Gennesaret,” another name for the Lake of Galilee, a large freshwater lake where many earned their living as fishermen. A crowd is “pressing in” to hear Jesus teach the “word of God,” so He steps into Simon’s boat and asks him to push out a short distance. Teaching from the boat helps the crowd hear and lets His voice carry across the water (vv. 1-3). Local shoreline coves on that lake create a natural “amphitheater” effect, so a teacher in a small boat could be heard by a large crowd.
After teaching, Jesus turns to Simon with a clear command: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch” (v. 4). Simon answers honestly: they are tired and have caught nothing. Yet he adds the decisive line: “Master, we have worked hard all night… but at your command I will lower the nets” (v. 5).
In Luke, “Master” translates the Greek epistátēs—a respectful title for one “in authority,” close to “teacher” but stronger. Simon has already seen Jesus teach with authority, heal his mother-in-law, and cast out demons in Capernaum (4:31-44). So when Jesus speaks, Peter yields his professional judgment to the Lord’s word. He obeys not because the timing looks good for fishing, but because Jesus speaks.
The order matters: Jesus speaks; Simon obeys; the abundance follows. The catch is so great that the nets begin to tear, and both boats are nearly sinking (vv. 6-7). This is not luck; it is the authority of Jesus’ word welcomed in trust.
By this point Jesus has shown authority over sickness and evil (4:31-44), and now over nature (5:1-11). No wonder they are amazed (v. 9): these signs echo God’s own works and awaken hope that the promised Messiah has come (cf. Lk. 4:18-21; Ps. 107:23-32).
When Simon sees this, he falls at Jesus’ knees: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (v. 8). This is not despair; it is humble truth before holiness. In that light, he sees himself clearly. Jesus answers not with distance but with mercy: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (v. 10). “Catching men” is a rescue image—not trapping, but bringing people alive into friendship with God through the good news. As St. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407) notes, Peter’s humility shows a heart ready to be taught: grace first reveals our need, then heals and sends.
James and John, partners with Simon, share the work and the wonder (v. 10). Mission is not solitary. From the start, Jesus forms a company of witnesses who obey His word together. The overflowing nets say something about that mission: in Christ there is more than enough. This is His pattern—wine in abundance at Cana (Jn. 2:1-11), bread with baskets left over (Lk. 9:16-17), a ‘good measure…running over’ for those who give (Lk. 6:38), and another great catch after the Resurrection (Jn. 21:6, 11). His gifts exceed our plans and call for cooperation. God acts first; we respond in faith and work together, so others may receive His saving grace (cf. Phil. 2:12-13; 1 Cor. 3:9).
“They left everything and followed him” (v. 11). “Everything” means more than tools and boats. It means the security of familiar work, the rhythm of life, and even a record catch. They choose the giver above the gifts. This does not despise work or daily duties. It reorders them. To follow Jesus is to place Him at the center and to hold all else in right relation to Him. For some, that may mean a new path. For most, it means a new heart within the same tasks: prayerful obedience, honest repentance, patient love, and clear witness.
We can live this today by bringing our “empty nets” to Jesus—the efforts that have failed, the fatigue we feel, the prayers that seem unanswered—and we say, “At your command.” When His word leads us “into deep water,” we go. When His presence reveals our sin, we tell the truth. When He says, “Do not be afraid,” we receive courage. And when He sends us to “catch” people, we remember that this is rescue, not pressure: we invite, we serve, we speak with hope, and we persevere together in the Church. The tools differ from nets and boats, but the call is the same: listen, obey, and follow.
Jesus provides for all. If you are seriously ill, entrust yourself to Him and ask your church to pray with you (Jas. 5:14-15). If you are Catholic, ask a priest for the Anointing of the Sick; if you belong to another Christian community, ask your pastor or elders to pray and, where customary, anoint you with oil. We entrust the outcome to God: He may grant physical healing, or He may sanctify us through suffering; in every case, He wills our eternal good and the healing of our souls (cf. 2 Cor. 12:8-9; Rom. 8:28).
Lord Jesus, step into the small boat of my life. Speak your word, and give me the grace to act on it. Calm my fear with your mercy. Fill what is empty with your presence. Make me a faithful witness who helps others come into the life that you offer, for you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: St Luke, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al. (2018).
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Raymond E. Brown et al. (1990).
- A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Bernard Orchard et al. (1953).
- St. John Chrysostom (c. 349–407), Homilies on the Gospels (select insight).
- B. Cobbey Crisler, “The Acoustics and Crowd Capacity of Natural Theaters in Palestine,” The Biblical Archaeologist 39, no. 4 (Dec 1976): 128–41.
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