Peter Meets Jesus

Luke 5:1-11 New King James Version

Luke’s Gospel gives us an in-depth account of the call of Peter (c.f. Matthew 4:19–22 and Mark 1:16–20)[1].

Luke 5:1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,

· Lake of Gennesaret - a name for the Lake of Galilee, also called the Lake of Tiberias [2]

Luke 5:2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.

· Bivin identifies the nets being used as “trammel nets”—made of linen, visible to fish during the day and so used at night, requiring two to four men to deploy, and needing washing each morning.[3]

Luke 5:3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

Lessons from a day at the lake

1. One person matters to God (Luke 5:1, 4).

a. Luke 5:1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,

b. Luke 5:4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

i. Jesus left the crowd to give His attention to Peter.

2. Our efforts often leave us empty(Luke 5:5a).

a. Luke 5:5a But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing;”

i. Luke 5:2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.

3. Obeying God’s word produces results (Luke 5:5-7).

a. Luke 5:5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”

b. Luke 5:6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

c. Luke 5:7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

4. Our future is greaterthan our past (Luke 5:8-10).

a. Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

b. Luke 5:9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;

c. Luke 5:10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”

i. Catch - to capture alive v. — to capture something while it is still living.

5. One life can impact multitudes(Luke 5:9-11).

a. Luke 5:9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;

b. Luke 5:10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”

c. Luke 5:11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Application:

1. Who is your one?

2. What areas of your life are coming up empty?

3. In what area do you need to obey God’s Word?

4. What in your past is holding you back from your future?

5. Who are you impacting with your life?

[1] Liefeld, W. L. (1984). Luke. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 875). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. [2] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains(electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 834). New York: United Bible Societies. [3] Green, J. B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke(p. 232). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.