PER055

The First Miraculous Catch of Fish

Pericope 55 recounts the first miraculous catch of fish, reported only by Luke (Luke 5:1-11), at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. After a fruitless night of fishing, Jesus tells Simon Peter to cast the nets, producing an extraordinary catch. This miraculous act, distinct from the one in John 21, seems to have enabled the disciples to provide for their families before leaving everything to follow Jesus, illustrating the divine providence that accompanies every calling.

4 min miraculous catch the calling of the disciples Simon Peter Luke Sea of Galilee 3 verses 3 books

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Biblical texts

Matthew

Matthew (King James Version) not cited in the book

Mark

Mark (King James Version) not cited in the book

Luke

Luke 5.1-11 (King James Version)

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

John

John (King James Version) not cited in the book

Technical details

Place: The shores of the

Date: Probably around March AD 31, before the Passover feast of Monday, March 24, AD 31

Method: We return to Luke

Note on the method: This event reported by Luke resembles the one in Matthew and Mark ( P54 ), who recorded the calling of the apostles

The Messiah Jesus is going to call disciples to follow him, and Luke describes a miracle that must have caught the attention of these fishermen

The First Miraculous Catch of Fish

Comments

We note here that the disciples had not yet left their work as fishermen when the Messiah Jesus proposes to Simon Peter that he become a 'fisher of men'. It is interesting to note that neither Matthew nor Mark mentions this episode.

It is well known that the Messiah Jesus never performed a miracle simply to display his power. Each of his miracles had a specific reason and purpose. Since winter is not the best season for fishing, it was not surprising that, after a whole night of work, they came back with nothing. This happened more often at that time of year.

Overfishing, caused by the arrival of poor populations seeking better conditions in Galilee, was endangering the survival of various species of fish. This situation seriously affected the professional fishermen, who found it harder and harder to fill their nets.

In this account we find again the four men mentioned by Matthew and Mark, but Andrew is not named.

Why does such a miracle happen just when they are about to give up their professional activity?

We have no precise details and can only make suppositions. It was probably unthinkable for these men to leave behind debts that would then fall solely on their families.

Selling all this quantity of fish, rather like the flour and oil of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17.8), could have sheltered from hardship these families who depended on their work as fishermen.

We note that the Messiah Jesus was teaching the crowd before this miracle (verse 1), so that everyone witnessed this unusual catch.

It is important not to confuse this first miraculous catch of fish with the one reported by John 21.1-14, since the details of the two events are clearly different.

La première pêche miraculeuse. La péricope 55 relate la première pêche miraculeuse, rapportée uniquement par Luc (Lc 5.1-11), lors du début du ministère de Jésus en Galilée. Après une nuit de pêche infructueuse, Jésus ordonne à Simon Pierre de jeter les filets, provoquant une capture extraordinaire. Cet acte miraculeux, distinct de celui de Jean 21, semble avoir permis aux disciples de subvenir aux besoins de leurs familles avant de tout quitter pour suivre Jésus, illustrant la providence divine qui accompagne chaque appel. Commentaires. Nous remarquons ici que les disciples n'avaient pas encore abandonné leur travail de pêcheurs au moment où le Messie Jésus propose à Simon Pierre de devenir 'pêcheur d'hommes'. Il est intéressant de noter que ni Matthieu ni Marc n'évoquent cet épisode. Il est bien connu que le Messie Jésus n'opérait jamais de miracle simplement pour manifester sa puissance. Chacun de ses miracles avait une raison et un but spécifiques. L'hiver n'étant pas la meilleure période pour la pêche, il n'était pas surprenant que, après une nuit entière de travail, ils se retrouvent sans prise. Cela arrivait plus fréquemment à cette époque. La surpêche, due à l'arrivée de populations pauvres cherchant de meilleures conditions en Galilée, mettait en péril la survie de différentes espèces de poissons. Cette situation affectait gravement les pêcheurs professionnels qui avaient de plus en plus de mal à remplir leurs filets. Nous retrouvons dans ce récit les quatre hommes mentionnés par Matthieu et Marc, mais André n'est pas cité. Pourquoi un tel miracle se produit-il au moment où ils s'apprêtent à arrêter leur activité professionnelle ? Nous n'avons aucun détail précis et ne pouvons que faire des suppositions. Il n'était probablement pas envisageable pour ces hommes de partir en laissant des dettes qui pèseraient alors uniquement sur leurs familles. La vente de toute cette quantité de poissons, un peu comme la farine et l'huile de la veuve de Sarepta (1 Rois 17, verset 8), aurait pu permettre de mettre à l'abri de la précarité ces familles dépendant de leur travail de pêcheur. Nous notons que le Messie Jésus enseignait la foule avant ce miracle (verset 1), si bien que tous furent témoins de cette capture inhabituelle. Il est important de ne pas confondre cette première pêche miraculeuse avec celle rapportée par Jean 21, versets 1 à 14, les détails des deux événements étant nettement différents.