Fishers of Men - Luke 5:1-11

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and {began} teaching the people from the boat.

At the end of our last lesson in this series, we saw Jesus being followed by the multitudes who had a desire for Him to stay with them. Jesus’ response to them was that He had to preach the gospel of the kingdom to other people (See Luke 4:42-44). As we begin our study today, we find Jesus fulfilling that need, as He is preaching to a crowd near the Sea of Galilee (a.k.a. Lake of Gennesaret or Sea of Tiberias). Many of the events of the life of Jesus happened right here on and around this body of water (13 miles long and 8 miles wide).

Jesus has become so popular at this point that the people were pressing their way to Him. While the crowd was listening to the word of God through the message of Jesus, He was at first standing by the lake.

We need to see at this moment the change that is gradually taking place in the ministry of Jesus. The first two times Jesus was found preaching, He was in the synagogues of Nazareth and Capernaum. Although Jesus will be seen in a synagogue at other times in the gospel record, we must see that Jesus is now making the transition from Sabbath day meetings in synagogues to everyday meetings on hillsides and byways. Eventually, the doors of the Jewish synagogues would be closed and the way into the New Testament church would be opened. This new church is not restrained by time and place, only by spirit and truth (John 4:21f). John Wesley once wrote (while I do not agree with most of his doctrines), “I love a commodious room…a soft cushion and a handsome pulpit, but field preaching saves souls” This is why Jesus took to the open road to preach the gospel.

Jesus, feeling the pressure of the people, thought it to be necessary to have some separation from them. As He stood by the seaside, He noticed two boats that had been pulled out of the water onto the shore. It was customary practice for fishermen after spending several hours on the water, to bring their gear to land for cleaning. Here, as the morning breaks and a new day begins, Peter, James and John are out cleaning their nets after fishing all night long.

Jesus took advantage of the empty vessels and requested that Simon would help Him to get the boat out on the water a short distance from the land. Simon complied with the Lord’s desire and Jesus sat down and began instructing the people from the boat. Would you have obeyed the Lord’s request? Better yet, do you obey the Lord’s command when He gives you an opportunity to share your blessings with Him? It could be a financial blessing, your home in hospitality, and your time in aiding your fellow man. When Jesus puts you in a position to serve Him, will you? How have you been doing in similar situations of service and obedience to the Lord and others? You could provide the very blessing that the Lord needs to reach others.

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say {and} let down the nets." When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets {began} to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.

After Jesus had spoken for a while, he was not finished with His teaching. To make the point clear, Jesus was preparing these disciples as He demonstrated for them the type of fishing that they would be involved in after that day on the sea. While we are not told exactly what Jesus spoke to the crowds, we must realize that Jesus also taught these early disciples a lesson in action. He commanded Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Understand that Simon and his fellow workers are exhausted. They have already been fishing for a considerable amount of time. And after cleaning their gear, Jesus wants them to go back out and fish again. After all, this is not the most desirable and convenient time for catching fish, anyways.

Simon said in response, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say {and} let down the nets” Simon Peter was willing to obey the voice of the Lord. Because of their obedience to the Lord, they were able to catch so many fish that their nets began to break. They weren’t prepared for the number of fish that the Lord was able to lead them to. Could I suggest that this was not so much a miracle as it was a providential working of the Lord. The Sea of Galilee was already stocked with many fish. Any shoal could hold enough fish to not only fill two boats, but to fill a large ship. Jesus simply led them to a spot and put them in prime position for catching an abundance of fish. 

When we are told to be fishers of men and we find ourselves tired of rejection and lacking effective outreach, what does this lesson teach us that we should do? Should we give up and say to Jesus, “Lord I spent this whole day trying to reach one soul with the gospel and I have had no results…” And will we conclude, “…but I will do as you say and continue to teach the gospel to others?” (See Mark 16:15-16) What do you gain from this lesson that will tell you the kind of results you will have if you obey the voice of the Lord? Our meetinghouses will not be able to hold the people that will come to us. Our schedules will be filled with opportunities to teach others. How are we doing when it comes to reaching and teaching others? Remember it is not a miracle to be able to reach many souls with the gospel. We need to position ourselves for a catch based on the will of the Lord. Listen to His advice and heed His every command.

Not only were the nets breaking, but also the text concludes, “so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.” Imagine seeing this amazing site. To fill both boats to the point that they began to sink is certainly incredible.

To lead many souls to Jesus in obedience to the gospel is also an amazing site to see. Can you imagine being there on the day of the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus when almost 3,000 souls were added to the church, being saved from their sins? (See Acts 2:38-41). We need to revive the spirit of evangelism that existed in the first century and live in such a way that we can reach the masses for Jesus. He has said he would be with us in all that we do for Him, especially in evangelizing the world (Matt. 28:18-20).

Another truth that we can gain from this text is that we need the help of others in trying to bring in all these souls to the church. You cannot expect that you are going to save the world by yourself. We need members of the church to prepare themselves for aiding in the work that we do from week to week in reaching the lost. The Bible teaches that there must be an effective working of every part of the body of Christ for growth to take place (Eph. 4:11-16). 

When the Lord is with us, nothing but blessings can come from His presence. Do we trust Him enough to dedicate ourselves to obedience to His word, so that we can see the desired results? Sometimes we want to wait for the perfect time to tell someone about the gospel, when Jesus is telling us that we may need to simply obey His command to go and teach and we will find those who are ready to accept the message. There are multitudes to be taught and caught. The modern song “You catch them’ He will clean them’”, speaks words of truth about the work of evangelism. Many times, we try to clean the fish that are caught, and we end up skinning them and gutting them. The Lord simply wants us to lead others to Him, and he will wash away the filth on them and set them free in the waters of life (Col. 2:12; I Peter 3:21; Acts 22:16).

"But when Simon Peter saw {that} he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also {were} James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men."

After these fishermen realized what had taken place that day, they were all amazed. Peter fell at the feet of Jesus in humility and awe saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Simon Peter was here demonstrating his remorse for doubting the Lord. Peter didn’t feel worthy of the presence of the Lord at that time. Peter comprehends the application of this message and knows that he must obey Jesus for the rest of His life; not in catching fish, but mankind. Jesus was trying to teach Peter that he would be the one who would be chosen to cast the first net in bringing a catch into the kingdom of God. I wonder why we often doubt the Lord when He tells us exactly what we must do to not only please Him, but to be completely effective in the work He has called us to do. This lesson will remind us of how important it is to trust in Him. Don’t doubt and regret it later!

Jesus once taught a profound truth about the catching of men in Matt 13:47-51 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering {fish} of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good {fish} into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things? They said to Him, ‘Yes.’” Now the question come to you, “Have you understood all of these things?” I hope you can say “YES” and prepare yourself for the coming day of judgment.

Imagine for a moment that the roof of the place where you are was removed, and a net came down into this room and surrounded and caught every one present. We are pulled up into the air by the angels to meet the Lord and hear our eternal sentence. Some of us would be squirming and fidgeting, not knowing what had taken place. Others would be shocked, because we never really thought that this “Day of Judgment” would be coming so soon. Others will try to escape but will be unable. The angels then reach into their hands and begin to sort through those who have been brought before the Lord. Before you know it, one of our friends who never obeyed the gospel would be cast out of the net. While he thought he was being set free, he didn’t realize that he was being cast into a burning lake of fire for an eternity. Brother and Sister Prideful flipped and flopped their way over towards the hands of the angels, just knowing that the Lord would accept them. But you see, they were among those who always thought too much of themselves and never served the Lord like they should. They too were cast away from the net. While the rest of us would wonder at our outcome, we see humble Ann Lowly, who was resting there peacefully without a concern. The angels reached in and picked her up with great care and released her into the waters of eternal life. At this point we would all be concerned because we always thought that Ann Lowly was too quiet and that she never really did anything but attend the Sunday morning and Wednesday evening services. What people didn’t realize is that the Lord saw her acts of kindness, as she paid visits to those who were shut-in and baked goodies and cooked meals for those who had little. Ann always told her neighbors about Jesus and made calls and cards of encouragement in a time of need. Even though others had poor attitudes towards her, the Lord welcomed her into his eternal dwelling place. Now the angels reach in and pull you out of the net… what would they do with you…would the Lord welcome you or have you cast away from His presence…only you can decide that! Where will you spend eternity?

It is easy for us to get sidetracked and forget our purpose in serving the Lord. It seems that after the Lord’s death in John 21:1-12, Peter had returned to fishing with the other disciples until the Lord had resurrected from the dead and reminded him of his mission, one last time. It was then that Peter fulfilled His work and helped to start the New Testament church in the preaching of the gospel to the lost (Acts 2). It is now that we must be caught and cleaned. If we realize our need to serve the Lord for the very first time on the day of His coming for judgment, it will be too late. Let the gospel change your heart and mind to serve the Lord today.

Jesus says to them, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men." In other words, “You will be putting this same energy into catching others with the gospel in obedience to my commission to you. Do not be fearful, I just want you to learn from this event and spend the remainder of your life netting the souls of men.” We need to learn this truth today, as we study together. The same teachings regarding evangelism and restoring the lost have been passed down to us, and it is our responsibility to carry them out (See II Tim. 2:2).

"When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”

It seems that Peter and his fellow fishermen fully understood their new purpose. As soon as they could get to shore (for they no longer needed to be in the water to make a catch), they left everything pertaining to fishing for fish and followed Jesus on land to go fishing for men.

Leaving “everything” to serve the Lord is an exceedingly demanding thing to do. Making those necessary sacrifices to be faithful and true to Jesus can sometimes be overwhelming. In the lives of many people, there are little “things” pertaining to the flesh that they will not remove to be completely led by the Spirit.

Imagine the money that Simon and his friends could have made from the number of fish that they had caught. Couldn’t you see then talking Jesus into being their permanent charter boat Captain (they could have made a fortune by charging other a large fee to go with them on the Sea. They might say, “Come and see our Divine fish finder”. But notice that the text says, “they left everything and followed Him.”. That included their personal belongings, their large catch, their jobs, their livelihood, they forsook it all to be a disciple of Jesus.

We need to learn our purpose so that we can prepare our hearts and minds to be dedicated to the things of the Lord. We must follow Jesus every day. If you are not following Jesus today, it is my prayer that you will submit to the will of the Lord and receive the many blessings that will come from His hand. Jesus came to this earth to seek and to save the lost (Luke 17:10). He died on the cross and shed His blood so that we could have the forgiveness of our sins. He invites you to come to Him in obedience to His will (Matt. 11:28-30). Will you leave everything and follow Jesus today?

If I can assist you in obeying the gospel or get you connected to a good church in your area where you can be taught what the Lord requires of you for salvation, please let me know. Jesus taught, "He that believes and is baptized will be saved." (Mark 16:16). Have you responded to the gospel?