Morning Bible Study: Luke 5:1-11

The First Disciples

5:1 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, he was standing by Lake Gennesaret.

2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 

3 He 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.

4 When 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 if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”

6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear. 

7 So 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.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 

9 For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had taken, 

10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.” 

11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him.

Commentary

(the following is from Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary, 1706 -- www.christianity.com)

"What vast crowds attended Christ's preaching: The people pressed upon him to hear the word of God(v. 1), insomuch that no house would contain them, but he was forced to draw them out to the strand,that they might be reminded of the promise made to Abraham, that his seed should be as the sand upon the sea shore (Gen. 22:17), and yet of them but a remnant shall be saved, Rom. 9:27. 

When Christ had done preaching, he ordered Peter to apply himself to the business of his calling again: Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets, v. 4. It is our wisdom and duty so to manage our religious exercises as that they may befriend our worldly business, and so to manage our worldly business as that it may be no enemy to our religious exercises.

Peter having attended upon Christ in his preaching, Christ will accompany him in his fishing. He stayed with Christ at the shore, and now Christ will launch out with him into the deep. Note, Those that will be constant followers of Christ shall have him a constant guide to them.

Christ ordered Peter and his ship's crew to cast their nets into the sea, which they did, in obedience to him, though they had been hard at it all night, and had caught nothing, v. 4, 5. We may observe here,

• How melancholy their business had now been
• How ready their obedience was to the command of Christ
• The draught of fish they caught was so much beyond what was ever known that it amounted to a miracle (v. 6)
• All concerned were astonished, and the more astonished for their being concerned. All the boat's crew were astonished at the draught of fishes which they had taken (v. 9)
• Peter, above all the rest, was astonished to such a degree that he fell down at Jesus's knees, as he sat in the stern of his boat, and said, as one in an ecstasy or transport, that knew not where he was or what he said, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, v. 8
• The fishermen's farewell to their calling, in order to their constant attendance on Christ (v. 11). When riches increase, and we are therefore most in temptation to set our hearts upon them, then to quit them for the service of Christ, this is thank-worthy."