The Miraculous Catch of Fish

Wasted. Another fruitless night of fishing on the lake and not a single fish was caught. The four weary men, two sets of brothers, pulled their nets up and tossed them into the bottom of their two wooden vessels. Time to quit.

All night long they sat waiting for a catch. To kill time they talked about the new man from Galilee, that controversial teacher named Jesus. Religious leaders expressed major doubts about Him, yet the common folk were drawn to Him. It reminded Andrew, Peter, James, and John about their lives; they seemed to have no real purpose, no direction, no plan, and no fish.

They reluctantly rowed to shore at sunrise just as a crowd was gathering on the beach. That’s when they noticed Jesus waving to them.

He asked to sit in their boat, where He could teach the large group. They agreed. As they listened, a thrill rose in their hearts from the words of a man who spoke like no one else. They sat around Him like crewmates with a captain.

Wouldn’t it be nice, they thought, to be on His ship and be a member of His crew? But they hesitated.

The downcast fishermen were sitting on a fence. How could they care for their families and follow Jesus? When Christ finished teaching, He said, “Row out into the lake a little ways and drop your nets.”

Peter thought, “This man is a good teacher, but He doesn’t know a thing about fishing.” Yet out of courtesy he and the others agreed. “This is a waste of time,” he mumbled under his breath.

Suddenly their nets jerked. The skeptical fishermen leaned over and looked into the water. “I don’t believe it!” Peter exclaimed.

He started pulling up his net, and into the boat spilled hundreds of fish. His brother Andrew called for James and John to come help them. Soon both boats were so full of fish, they were ready to sink. As Peter stared at the fish, something caught his eye.

There, sitting at the end of his boat was Christ, calmly waiting. All at once everything came into Peter’s mind: his hesitation, the powerful teaching, the huge catch of fish. He knew without a doubt that this was no ordinary man. In a moment he threw himself at the feet of Jesus, “Go away from me, for I am sinful man.”

But Jesus reached out and placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for men.” Yes, Peter was only a fisherman, but God saw great things in him.

Returning to shore they left their successful catch and all their equipment in the hands of others and followed Jesus. He called them, He provided for them, and He now gave them a purpose for living.