A Day on the Lake

By Ilcias Vargas, Jr.

​Excitement filled the air. Crowds of people gathered at the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was in town, and people flocked to hear Him teach. The crowds by the shore grew so large that Jesus decided to teach from inside a boat belonging to Peter, one of His disciples. After He finished teaching, He told Peter and Peter's fellow fishermen to launch the boats and let down their nets to catch fish. Peter responded by telling Jesus that they had tried all night to catch fish, but without success; "nevertheless," he said, "at Your word I will let down the let" (Luke 1:5, NKJV).

​A few moments later, Peter was astonished. The catch had been successful; in fact, the boats were almost sinking because of the weight of all the fish that had been caught! Kneeling at Jesus' feet, Peter said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8, NKJV). He recognized that he was unworthy to be in the presence of the One whose word even the fish of the sea obeyed. Yet what was Christ's response? "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men" (Luke 5:10). Peter and his friends then left their boats, their nets, and their fish to follow Christ and learn from Him what it means to be fishers of men.

Notice that it was after Peter recognized his unworthiness before Christ that he was called to serve Him. Just like Peter, we need to come to Jesus, reflecting on His goodness and acknowledging our sinfulness. It is then that Christ will bid us follow Him, and we will learn from Him what it means to be fishers of men.