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 crowd gathers beside the Lake of Gennesaret, another name for the Sea of Galilee, to listen to “the word of God” (v. 1). In the Old Testament, this expression often refers to the message God entrusts to His prophets. Here it refers to the good news of the kingdom of God that Jesus has been sent to proclaim (Luke 4:43). Because the crowd is pressing upon Him, Jesus enters Simon’s boat and asks him to move a short distance from shore. Sitting in the customary posture of a teacher, Jesus uses the boat as a place from which to address the people. Simon has already encountered Jesus, who entered his home and healed his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38–39). He now allows Jesus to use his boat as a place from which to teach the crowd.
After teaching the crowd, Jesus tells Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch” (v. 4). Simon is an experienced fisherman. He and his companions have worked throughout the night, the usual time for fishing, and have caught nothing. They are tired and have already begun washing their nets. His experience as a fisherman gives him little reason to expect that another attempt will succeed. Nevertheless, he answers, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets” (v. 5). The word translated “command” can also mean “word.” Even though Simon and his companions had worked throughout the night without catching anything, Simon obeyed Jesus and lowered the nets at His command. His obedience prepares for what Jesus is about to reveal through the extraordinary catch.
Simon’s obedience is followed by a catch far beyond anything the fishermen had experienced or expected. The fishermen catch so many fish that their nets begin to tear. Even after their partners arrive, both boats are so full that they are in danger of sinking. Their labor remains necessary—they must put out into the deep, lower the nets, haul in the fish, and call others to help—but the extraordinary abundance comes through the power of Christ. The catch anticipates the future mission of the Church: when Christ’s disciples act according to His word, God can bring fruit far beyond the measure of their abilities. Simon’s reaction reveals that he understands something greater than an unusually successful catch has occurred. At first, he calls Jesus “Master,” acknowledging His authority as a teacher. After witnessing the catch, Simon falls at His knees and calls Him “Lord.” He recognizes the presence of divine power and holiness in Jesus, and that recognition makes him acutely aware of his own sinfulness.
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (v. 8) resembles Isaiah’s response when he encountered the holiness of God and cried out, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Simon’s words express his profound sense of unworthiness in the presence of divine holiness. Yet Jesus does not drive Simon away. He tells him, “Do not be afraid” (v. 10). These words of reassurance appear throughout Luke’s Gospel when God calls someone to participate in His saving plan. Rather than allowing Simon’s awareness of sin to separate him from Jesus, the Lord entrusts him with a mission that he could never envision or fulfill by his own strength.
Jesus then declares, “From now on you will be catching men” (v. 10). “From now on” marks the beginning of a new life for Simon. The Greek verb translated “catching” carries the sense of catching alive. Ordinary fishermen catch fish that will die, but Simon’s new mission will be to bring men and women through the Gospel into the new life offered by God. He will proclaim God’s word, but the power to bring people into new life belongs to the Lord. Although Jesus directs this promise particularly to Simon, James and John also witness the catch and receive the call. Their former fishing partnership now becomes a partnership in the mission of Christ.
When the fishermen reach the shore, “they left everything and followed him” (v. 11). They leave more than nets and boats. They surrender their established livelihood and place their uncertain future in the hands of Jesus. Not every disciple is called to abandon an occupation or all material possessions in the same manner as the apostles. Every disciple, however, is called to place Jesus above possessions, security, and personal plans. The passage traces Simon’s movement toward discipleship: having heard Jesus’ teaching and witnessed His power, Simon obeys His command, acknowledges his own sinfulness, receives Jesus’ reassurance and call, and leaves everything to follow Him.
Lord Jesus, teach us to trust Your word when our own efforts appear fruitless and Your commands exceed our understanding. Free us from fear and from every attachment that prevents us from following You. Work through our obedience so that others may be brought to the new life You offer. Amen.
Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Luke 5:1–11 and notes.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Notes on Luke 5:1–11, 115.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, general editor. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Notes on Luke 5:1–11, 265.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, editors. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 691–92, paragraphs 68–72.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 110–13.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., editors. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1049.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, editors. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition. With a foreword by Pope Francis. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1311.
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