Fishers of Men

Much of Jesus’ ministry centered around the sea of Galilee and the region around it. A remarkable number—four out of twelve, or 1/3—of his 12 disciples were fishermen. On one occasion, Jesus was preaching to crowds near the sea, and they were pressing in on him. So, he got into Peter’s boat and had him go little out from the shore, and Jesus preached to the crowds from the boat. Afterwards, he commanded Peter to put out the nets for a catch. But Peter said, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5). What happened next took Peter’s breath away. The net had caught so many fish that it began to tear. They had to call in help from another boat, but the number of fish nearly sank both boats!

How did Peter respond? “He fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). Why did catching fish convict Peter of sin? What’s the connection? I think it’s this: i

n the catch, he saw two things: (1) Jesus’ power and (2) Jesus’ goodness. Jesus’ power revealed Peter’s weakness. And Jesus’ goodness revealed Peter’s badness. In the presence of such a powerful and good being, the only proper response is humility, repentance, submission, faith.

What then?  “Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men’” (Luke 5:10). What’s the lesson? First, seeing ourselves for who we really are—broken, fallen, sinful—doesn’t disqualify but actually qualifies us for His service. This humility is a prerequisite for being used by God. Second, we learn that the greatest catch is the human heart. How desperately the church needs more fishers of men! Follow Jesus. And go fishing!