Luke 5:1 - 11
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They 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. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and 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.”[a] 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. What was the reason Jesus told the disciples to go out and catch more fish?
2. Under what circumstances did they "leave everything"?
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2017/03/mark-116-19-16-as-jesus-walked-beside.html says:
ReplyDeletePeter, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanial were “following” Jesus, and even believed he was the Messiah before John was arrested, which was before Jesus called them from their boats the first time (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20). Jesus called the disciples from their boats after John was arrested, so they had already been following Jesus for some time (Matt. 4:12-22)
But if Peter and Andrew were following Jesus before John was arrested, why were they fishing when Jesus called them? In the biblical culture a person could be a disciple or follower of a rabbi without giving up his occupation. Although some men were full-time disciples, discipleship often did not require that. This was before Jesus lived in Galilee. Then, after Jesus moved to Capernaum (Matt. 4:14), Jesus called them to intensify their discipleship with him, which they did (Matt. 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20).
This time, in Luke 5, Jesus calls the apostles from fishing to being full-time disciples
Even so, it is likely that these future apostles never completely left the fishing business; it seems likely that they simply handed their business over to managers or other family members so they could then follow Jesus on a full-time basis, which explains how they could go back to fishing so quickly after Jesus was crucified (John 21:3). While acquiring the boats, nets, and other equipment for successful fishing would have certainly taken at least a few weeks and perhaps longer, simply stepping back into an ongoing business would have been something they could have done easily and very quickly.
The full account of how Peter and Andrew came into full-time ministry is helpful to those of us today who are not aware of the customs and processes involved in becoming a disciple of Jesus, or for that matter, of any rabbi of that time period. We can see that it was not an instantaneous and mysterious event in which Jesus just said “Follow me” to total strangers who then gave up the work that supported them and their families and trotted off to follow someone they did not know. If the process was ordinary, normal, and usual, then the Bible would not have to say anything about it because the reading audience would understand the process from their culture.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-5-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteSimon Peter and Jesus represent different sides of the theology that undergirds the community Jesus is forging. Simon, for his part, knows that he is a sinner who is not worthy to experience the benefits of God's power and presence. There is no presumption that God owes him anything. Jesus, exemplifying God's grace, makes it clear that such a humble approach to God is exactly what God will use. Jesus calls these fishermen to fish for people rather than for finned water-dwellers.
Jesus had enlisted Peter, Andrew, James, and John earlier, and they had traveled with Him in Capernaum and Galilee (Mark 1:21-39), but then they went back to their trade. Now He would call them to a life of full-time discipleship.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-5-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteGennesaret derives from the fertile plain of that name to the northwest of the lake. Sea of Galilee is about 13 miles in length and about 8 miles wide and 700 ft below sea level (the level of the Mediterranean Sea). John calls it the Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1; 21:1) the name by which it was known when he wrote. The primary source of inflow for the Sea of Galilee is the Jordan River, which arises from several sources near Mt Hermon (9,200 ft above sea level) and flows into the lake from the north. The enlarged Jordan River exits the southern end of the lake, and flows south into the Dead Sea.
Barclay on Gennesaret - It lies in a dip in the earth’s surface and is 680 feet below sea level. That fact gives it an almost tropical climate. Nowadays it is not very populous but in the days of Jesus it had nine townships clustered round its shores, none of fewer than 15,000 people. Gennesaret is really the name of the lovely plain on the west side of the lake, a most fertile piece of land.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-5-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteBut we know that John 1:35-42 records the first meeting between Jesus and Peter. The incident in our text takes place about one year later. These men had all met Jesus and had begun to follow Him, but they were not yet completely committed to His mission. This incident redirected their lives.
Why would these fishermen be washing their nets? Any good net is going to pick up debris. If you do not wash the net this is what will happen.
1. Nets catch dead fish, mud, and seaweed from off the bottom of the lake or sea. This debris is pulled into the boat when the net is retrieved and will rot and stink if the net is not cleaned. If the fish and mollusks were not cleared from the nets, rats would feed on the dead debris and chew on the nets, making big holes in them.
2. If the net is not washed, the cord of the net will eventually rot and weaken the net.
3. If the net is not cleaned, it will make the work of the fishermen much more difficult. The net is meant to be almost invisible and to easily slide through the waters of the sea. Debris will hinder the ease of the movement of the net.
4. The net will frighten the fish if it is not clean. Fish can see a dirty net, even from a long distance. The water was usually very clear, making it easier for the fish to see the nets and the boats. This is why most of the fishing was done at night in this region.
Of the two boats, Jesus choose the boat Simon Peter was in! Clearly, our Lord was honing in on Simon!
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-5-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteUnlike the call in Matthew, Luke does not mention Simon Peter's brother Andrew who is mentioned in Mt 4:18 and Mark 1:16, but as noted above, these Gospels may be describing different events.
It was well known that nighttime in the shallow water was the most productive time for fishing, not daytime in the deep water!
We are meant to learn the blessing of immediate unhesitating obedience to every plain command of Christ.
Maribeth responds:
DeleteI wouldn't get hung up on the chronology thing. It was not considered essential in ancient biographic accounts to get things chronologically correct; one could group events by theme and not be considered to have messed with their veracity. Matthew, it is pretty well established,did this.
That the calling of the disciples is in both cases while cleaning nets and the point is made that they will be fishers of men, that they are surrounded by the healing of Peter's mother-in-law and other healings leads me to think there were not two callings. Not a big deal either way. It was helpful to be reminded that leaving their nets and boats didn't necessarily mean they sold it all, but that the other's in the family business probably took them over temporarily.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-5-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteGod wants us to be diligent and to do well in our work. It is not more spiritual to be mediocre in our jobs and it is not inherently more worldly to become successful. Also, when I say that we must shift our focus from success in business to success in catching people for Christ, I am not implying that everyone must leave so-called “secular” employment and work full-time in the gospel. Some are called to do that, as Peter was, but certainly not all. It is not more spiritual to be in full-time ministry than it is to be a faithful servant of the Lord in some other kind of work. It is just a matter of gifts and calling.
But, having said all that, I do insist that if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you must adopt His purpose for your life, and His primary purpose for His children never involves becoming a success in our jobs. His word to all of us is, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth,” but rather, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:19, 33). Whatever you do to make a living, your main goal should be to glorify God and your main focus should be to be a witness for Jesus Christ through your behavior, your attitudes, and your words. This requires a shift in focus where you begin to view people as Jesus did and to view yourself as His representative in your sphere of influence. The people you come in contact with are your mission field.
These fishermen just had what was probably the most successful catch of their careers. The two boatloads of fish probably would have brought in a handsome profit at the local market. Like a miner who finally finds some gold, this successful catch probably whet their appetites to go back out and try for more. They easily could have thought, “Wow, if this keeps up, we could get rich!” But because Jesus clearly stated a new focus for them, we read instead, “when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him” (5:11). Things changed from this moment because of what Jesus did and said. Catching fish did not compare to following Jesus and catching men. Christ and His purpose had now captivated them.
Simon addresses Jesus as Master which as explained below is used by Luke in place of Rabbi. Matthew and Mark use either "Teacher" or "Rabbi" instead of Master. TDNT comments that "the transcription rabbi used by the other Evangelists is avoided by the Hellenist Luke (directed to Greek audiences who would not understand "rabbi")." In using Master Simon recognized Jesus' authority.
When it comes to fishing for souls, the issue is not how good we are at persuading people. It’s whether we are obeying the Master whenever His Spirit directs us to share the gospel story. Today, “let down your nets for a catch.”
If you want to fish for souls,
Seek to follow Christ's commands;
Lay aside unworthy goals,
Let Him lead you by His hand. —Hess
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-5-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThere is a big difference between the disciples who followed Jesus in Mt 4:20, 22 and the crowds following Him (Mt 4:25, 8:1, etc) for the former left their possessions (nets, boat), while the latter left nothing. Some claimed they wanted to follow Him but were not willing to count the cost (Mt 8:19, 22).
“Following” involves a commitment that makes all other ties secondary, which is why Jesus’ followers often left other things behind. Although Jesus’ disciples are often compared to rabbinical students, this term is never used of a rabbi’s student (Hengel 1981:50-57), so the expression with this nuance appears to be of Christian origin. Here is radical discipleship. Jesus is put first, so family and vocation become secondary.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-5-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 5:11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
Believer's Church Bible Commentary - A follower/disciple is thus defined as one who has taken up a position behind Jesus. The second reference to following uses the verb akoloutheō, a word that implies movement along with (but still behind) Jesus. Thus discipleship (following after Jesus) is defined with three qualifiers, each of which deserves a few comments:
- Self-denial does not focus on denying things to ourselves or living as an ascetic. The self is denied as the controlling center. Jesus and his cause are taken up as one’s chief loyalties.
- Cross-carrying - willingness to submit to God’s will (and Jesus’ teaching), no matter what the cost.
- active identification with Jesus, and acceptance of what he teaches. The disciple who has denied self (ceased to live for oneself) and taken up the cross (submitted to God’s will) is free to follow (keep in step with Jesus as he models and teaches God’s way). All these elements together define what it means to come after Jesus (8:34).
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. What was the reason Jesus told the disciples to go out and catch more fish?
He wanted to give them an object lesson in what He wants them to do next, which was catch fish in a bountiful harvest. He also wanted them to put their faith in Him.
2. Under what circumstances did they "leave everything"?
At this point, they had been followers of Jesus for a year, but still worked their jobs. At this moment in time, Jesus called them to full time discipleship. They accepted and left their boats and nets to their business partners and left with Jesus.