You Will Catch People

"One day, as JESUS stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, with a crowd gathered around HIM listening to the word of GOD, HE caught sight of two boats, left at the water's edge by fishermen, now washing their nets.  HE got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked HIM to pull out a little from the shore.  There HE sat, and continued to teach the crowd.

When HE had finished speaking, HE said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.'  Simon replied, 'Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing.  But if you say so, I will lower the nets.'  This they did, and caught such large number of fish that their nets began to break.  They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  They came, and they filled both boats almost to the point of sinking.

Upon seeing this, Simon Peter fell at JESUS' knees, saying, 'Leave me, LORD, for I am a sinful man!'  For he ands his companions amazed at the catch they had made, and so were Simon's partners, James and John, Zebedee's sons.

JESUS said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid.  You will catch people from now on.'  So they brought their boats to land and followed HIM, leaving everything." - Luke 5:1-11 

(JESUS invites HIMSELF aboard Peter's boat,  and Peter is willing to render HIM this service.  JESUS looks for more: even though many are ready to assist HIM, HE seeks those who are willing to totally surrender to HIS work.  The listeners are many, but HE needs apostles.

Miracles are another way in which JESUS teaches.  The miracle reported here is GOD's word for future apostles.  Lower your nets; the nets were at the breaking point; you will catch people...

Leave me, LORD, for I am a sinful man.  Such is the fear of the one who discovers that GOD has entered into his inner life: this is a first act of faith in the divinity of JESUS.  Yet JESUS calls on sinners to save sinners.

Leaving everything, they followed HIM.  It is not that they had much, but it was their whole life: work, family and their whole past as fishermen.

Apostle means sent.  CHRIST is the one who chooses HIS apostles and sends them in HIS name.  Where will HE find someone to send except among those who are willing to cooperate with HIM?  One begins to be an apostle or at least to cooperate with CHRIST, when one looks for something more than performing good works for the benefit of the parish, when one feels responsible for people: fisher of people.

Here Luke may have combined two different events: the call of the disciples briefly presented in Mark 1:16 and the miraculous catch.  John also relates a miraculous catch [John 21] but he places it after the resurrection.  We have good reason to think we are dealing with the same miracle, but it suited John to combine it with the appearance of the risen JESUS to the apostles, which occurred later in the same place.)

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