Luke 5.8-11:
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (9) For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, (10) and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” (11) And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (ESV)
These verses from the gospel of Luke, which are part of a paragraph which includes verses 1 to 11, give important details of the early interactions between Jesus and Simon Peter. Peter and his fishing partners, James and John, had finished their fishing operations and did not catch any fish. Jesus then asked Peter to put his boat a little bit out from the shore of the lake so that he could sit in the boat and teach a crowd of people who were on the bank of the lake. Afterwards Jesus told Peter to put his boat out in the deep water and let his fishing nets down in the water for a catch of fish. Peter was initially skeptical, but did so and they caught a great catch of fish. Peter knew a miracle had taken place by Jesus’ word. Peter called Jesus “Lord”, and he also indicated that he knew Jesus was holy, and himself sinful. Within this context, Peter was acknowledging that Jesus is the Messiah, and God.
This miraculous catch of fish was an event that worked in Peter’s life, and the lives of James and John, to build their faith in Jesus. These men were not merely hoping that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus gave them a reason to believe and trust. And Jesus used this event to frame their new mission in life: catching men. Spoken in another way, they will win other people into the Kingdom of God by faith in Jesus. Peter shows himself to be a strong personality, but he was willing to be humble before Jesus.
And these first disciples responded to Jesus with actions that gave their faith a life changing outcome. They left all they had and followed Jesus. Such was the certainty of their faith.