The Fish Were Jumping in the Boat!

Jesus in the early part of his ministry was teaching alongside the lake and the vast crowds were pushing trying to get closer to him. crowding him to the water’s edge. So Jesus sees two boats (one of which belonged to Simon Peter) and Jesus asked if he could teach from the boat. Makes sense.

The real purpose of this Gospel episode was not to teach the crowd but to call Peter to be an Apostle and to get him ready for his new job.

After Jesus finished teaching he asked Peter to take the boat out into deeper water and to let down his nets to catch some fish. Of course Peter had been fishing all night long and was tired and just wanted to go back home and a carpenter is giving him advice on how to catch fish. hHe explained that to Jesus but followed Jesus’ advice anyway.

You know the story they caught so many fish that the nets were tearing apart and the boats sinking… they were about to lose everything. And then Peter in his amazement did a very unusual thing… he got on his knees before Jesus and said that he was a sinful man and asked Jesus to leave. The truth is that Peter was afraid to be in the presence of Jesus because Jesus told Peter…

“do not be afraid from now on you will catch men”

Those prophetic words were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost after Peter cast the nets by preaching the Gospel and invited the fish to “repent and be baptized…” and three thousand of them were at that moment and on that day. Imagine the great lines of people lining up and the disciples immersing each and every one of them.

Peter transformed from being a simple fisherman who was afraid of Jesus, some days catching fish and some days not, to one of the preeminent disciples whose teaching caused the fish to jump in the boat.

We shouldn’t be afraid either.