Fishers of Men

Peter did not meet Jesus for the first time on that day when he had a miraculous catch of fish on the lake of Gennesaret—that is, the Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:1–10a). Earlier, our Lord had healed Peter’s mother-in-law in Capernaum (Luke 4:31–39), and John 1:35–42 tells us that Peter’s brother Andrew first introduced Peter to Jesus. But the day on which Peter had the large catch of fish after Jesus taught the crowds from his boat did mark the beginning of Peter’s ministry. We learn this from today’s passage.

After mentioning that James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were there with Peter, Luke says that Jesus told Peter that he would be “catching men” from that moment on (Luke 5:10b). Jesus was playing off an image from Peter’s vocation to describe his new calling. Peter had worked as a fisherman catching fish, but from that point forward he would be catching men in the sense of bringing them to Jesus as new disciples of the Savior. The term translated “men” here is inclusive of males and females, and in the Greek the adjective meaning “living” is attached. Peter—and by extension James, John, and other disciples—would catch “living people” for Jesus. There is a contrast here with normal fishing. Usually someone catches fish and then kills them for food, but in the work of discipleship, one catches individuals who remain alive. Indeed, it is in becoming disciples of Jesus that we actually find true life. Christ came so that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Our Lord’s use of the fishing metaphor also likely alludes to several Old Testament texts that have overtones of judgment. Jeremiah 16:14–21, for example, says that judgment on the sins of the Israelites would occur so that they could come back from their exile among the nations, and in the process God would send forth fishers to catch the individuals among the nations. Amos 4:2 refers to the historical practice of the Assyrian Empire in taking away the exiles of Israel from their land by putting fishhooks through their noses and leading them away, and of course, Assyria’s conquering of Israel was an act of divine judgment. With this background in mind, divine judgment is always in view as the gospel is proclaimed and people are commanded to receive Christ. Those who are caught in the nets of the gospel, as it were, and trust in Jesus will escape God’s wrathful judgment because Christ has been judged in their place (Isa. 52:13–53:12).