Calling of Peter and Andrew, James and John
Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11
Lk 5:1As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, He was standing by Lake Gennesaret. 2He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
Fishing on Lake Galilee
Lake Galilee in northern Palestine was the center of the commercial fishing business for the Jewish nation during New Testament times. Fresh fish were sold in the local markets. Fish were also preserved by salting, then shipped to Jerusalem in the south and even exported to major markets such as Rome.
Casting nets from small boats and pulling in the catch was hard, messy work. And there was always something for fishermen to do even when on shore—patching and washing their nets, taking care of their boats, buying supplies, and preserving the fish for shipment.
This passage from Luke shows clearly that at least four of Jesus’ twelve disciples were commercial fishermen—the brothers Peter and Andrew and the brothers James and John. Other disciples may also have been involved in the fishing business.
4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
5“Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I’ll let down the nets.” 6When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear. 7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 9For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they took, 10aand so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.
10b“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people!”
Jesus in Galilee
From His headquarters city, Capernaum on Lake Galilee, Jesus traveled throughout the surrounding province of Galilee—preaching, teaching, and healing. Galilee was the most northerly of the three provinces of Palestine—Galilee, Samaria, and Judea.
In this region of the country, known as “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isa. 9:1; Matt. 4:15), Jesus spent the first two years of His ministry. The Galileans, influenced by both Jewish and Gentile customs, were probably more open to Jesus’ message than the citizens of the southern part of the country, where the Pharisees and scribes were strong and influential.
Jesus Himself was a native of Galilee, and all His disciples except Judas were from this province. He was known as Judas Iscariot, indicating he was from the town of Kerioth in southern Judah (Luke 6:16; Josh. 15:25).
Luke 5:1-10a (Lake of Gennesaret)
What was the first paying job you had?
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- What do you think Simon was thinking and feeling? Luke 5:5, 7, 8
- How did this miracle affect Peter? Why does it have a more profound effect on him than the healing of his mother-in-law? What is Peter beginning to grasp about Jesus? About Sin? About belief in himself?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I
- When was the first time, if ever, that you responded to Jesus like Peter did? Luke 5:8
- In your "fishing business," how do you see Jesus:
- Interesting, but a slightly irrelevant teacher?
- Potentially a great business partner -- if you could hire him to work for you?
- The one who calls all the shots?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
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