Catch of the Day

"So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." (Luke 5:11)
They, who are they? We know that Simon (Peter) was one of the fishermen with Jesus that day. Matthew 4:18 reveals that Simon's brother Andrew was with him also. Verse 21 informs us that, "Going out from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John...Jesus called them..." The remainder of His disciples are noted in Mark 3:14-19. Now there are twelve.

Consider the words, they left everything. When we read this text, it sounds simple enough. But scripture doesn't tell of the emotional struggle involved with leaving everything. We can't picture the family ties that maybe added to the emotional pull.

Why these men? What was so special about them? What did Jesus see in them? What qualities did they possess that made Jesus want to mold and shape them into the ‘fishers of men’ he mentioned. We may ask the same question of ourselves when we feel God’s call on our life. Why me?

Jesus performed an incredible miracle with the abundant catch of fish that day. He had their attention. But what is even more amazing is that the miracle wasn't the draw. That huge catch doesn't seem to be what got their eye. If you remember, they left everything, including all those fish...their lively hood, and followed a stranger.

Consider this:
What if tomorrow during your quiet time you sensed Jesus extending a personal call for you to follow Him, just like what He did that day long ago. How would you respond?

Jesus extends this invitation every day, He asks us to get out of our boat, to leave our comfortable life and start fishing the shoreline.

Luke 5:4-11

Unfinished Business

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

John 21:15-19

Easter is the annual apex of Christian joy. Gathered with the largest crowds we’ll see this year, we shout, “He is risen!” and “He is risen indeed!” We sing praise before celebrating with feasting and fun for the little ones and then …

We go back to work. Back to the same old routine. Back to our unfinished business.

The story of Peter isn’t that different. Easter came. Jesus rose. Peter rejoiced. And when all the excitement died down, Peter went back to work. Back to his unfinished business.

Peter was a fisherman, but his unfinished business wasn’t fishing. He cast his net racked by guilt. In the hour of trial, when the Lord’s life was on the line, Peter denied knowing Jesus thrice.

Peter wasn’t expecting the Lord to come to his workplace that day. Jesus came anyway. He called to Peter from the shore, and Peter swam to him. Then, on the shore, Jesus and Peter talked about this unfinished business. 

It’s tempting to think Peter was right: that the unfinished business was the shame of his denial, that the Lord had to remove that by giving Peter the opportunity to thrice proclaim his love. But the truth is that guilt was removed by the cross. Those things that weighed Peter down came not from the reality of his standing before his Lord, but from his misperception thereof.

The unfinished business the Lord had in mind wasn’t finished on the shore that day. The true unfinished business was the feeding of the lambs, which symbolized Peter’s role in building up the church, caring for the body of believers, and spreading the good news of God’s grace.

Our unfinished business is much the same. Easter behind us, we must realize that the guilt of our sin is gone and that the Lord has work for us to do. It’s the same work he had for Peter: build up the Lord’s church, care for the body of believers, and spread the good news of God’s grace. 

Cast Your Nets, One More Time

This month my husband and I celebrate 19 years of marriage. I remember early in our marriage my struggles with cooking. I would try and duplicate something my mom had cooked, or even something on TV and it would flop. I was a bad cook. What went wrong? Why did every attempt to feed my husband totally fail? Easy I didn’t go to the source of success, a recipe.

I didn’t cook well, because I was doing it my way. The disciple Simon, had an experience with the true source of success, Jesus. In today’s passage. Jesus climbs into the fisherman’s boat and uses it as a place to sit and teach the crowd which had gathered. After he was done teaching, Jesus tells Simon to go fishing.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

I absolutely love how Simon says, “But because you said so, I will let down the nets.” Simon had been unsuccessfully fishing all night, but now he new it would be different. Jesus was the key. Just like a recipe was the key for me to be able to cook. Jesus was all Simon needed. Before he new it, so many fish were in the nets, his boat started to sink!

Is there an area in life where you are trying to do something without a connection to Jesus. It’s not going to work.  Perhaps you feel like it is working just fine, let me ask you…is your boat so full it’s sinking? Stay connected to Christ. Seek him first in all you do. And if he tells you to do something you have already tried without success, do it again, just because he said so.


Read today’s entire passage here. Luke 5: 1-11

Invite a Friend to go Fishing

Do you like to fish? When I was a young girl we lived near a lake and in the spring and summer my sister and I would sometimes accompany our father fishing in the evening. I was always excited when we were able to go with him, not because I loved to fish, but because just maybe I would catch something and my father would be proud.

Today we find Peter, James, and John receiving a fishing lesson from the Master. Jesus suggested they go out where it was deeper and let down their nets to catch some fish. Peter explained to Jesus the reality of the fishing business and shared some basic tactics with Him.

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” (Luke 5:5)

I used to go fishing to get my father's attention because I wanted to do something he would approve of. Jesus taught His good friends that fishing was going to take on a whole new meaning for them. The analogy of fishing for men was one they didn't understand but would soon embrace with all their hearts.

Now I want to go fishing but taking a different stance. I want to invite one or two people to build a new relationship with and for them to get to know me better. I would love to have a few more people to talk and laugh with; to be real with. Who doesn't need more friends, people to share life's ups and downs and process life with? 

Fishing is fun and who knows how it might change a life.  

Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

Do you like to fish?  When I was a young girl we lived near a lake and in the spring and summer my sister and I would sometimes accompany our father fishing in the evening.  I was always excited when we were able to go with him, not because I loved to fish, but because just maybe I would catch something and my father would be proud.

Today we find Peter, James and John having a fishing lesson from the Master.  When Jesus suggested they put out their nets Peter explained to Jesus the reality of fishing during the heat of the day.  Peter also recognized Jesus as different from most and he respected Jesus' word and took Him fishing.

Until studying this passage, I always thought the disciples responded to Jesus immediately when He called them to follow Him.  But it seems until this day, witnessing this miracle, they were part-time followers. Today all that changed and they left their boats and nets and never looked back.

^"For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him"  (Luke 5:9-11)


I used to want to go fishing to get my father's attention because I wanted to do something he would approve of.  Jesus taught His good friends that fishing was going to take on a whole new meaning for them.  The analogy of fishing for men was one they didn't understand but would soon embrace with all their hearts.


Read Luke 5:1-11 here.

Listen to Luke 5:1-11 here.