In the remainder of this message we shall consider 5:1-11, a case of the Man-Savior’s attracting the occupied ones.
Luke 5:1 says, “Now it came about as the crowd pressed upon Him and listened to the word of God, that He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.” “Gennesaret” was a common name for the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 4:18; Mark 1:16).
The calling of the first four disciples was a calling that attracted the occupied ones. Human beings do not realize how much they are fallen not only in sin but also in their occupation. Our occupation is our business or means of employment, that is, our means of making a living. Today fallen human beings are occupied by their way of making their living. We may say that fallen human beings are occupied by their occupation.
Of course, it is necessary for us to work. Paul charged the believers to work for a living (2 Thes. 3:10-12). We should not rely on others to provide a living for us. This means that we should not have the kind of faith that requires others to exercise their love and take care of us. We need to have a means of employment. However, the problem is that our occupation occupies us and keeps us from God.
Human beings were created by God for Himself, but they are occupied and kept from Him by the matter of making a living. Nothing takes people away from God as much as their occupation. Consider today’s world. Who is not occupied by his job or by the education in preparation for work? Although most people are busy, hardly anyone is busy with God. Instead, virtually everyone is occupied by something in place of God. The first disciples were called and attracted by the Lord not from their sinful life, but from their occupation. In particular, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were occupied with fishing.
Those who are occupied with making a living usually give excuses when invited to hear the gospel or to attend a meeting. If you invite such a one to hear the gospel, he may say that he does not have the time. If you invite an occupied person to attend the meeting of the church, he may say that he is too busy. This was the reason that, immediately after beginning to carry out His fourfold commission, the Man-Savior in 5:1-11 did something to attract certain occupied ones.
Satan’s desire is to keep people occupied with making a living. This is illustrated by what Pharaoh did to the children of Israel. When Moses told Pharaoh to let God’s people go, Pharaoh did his best to keep them occupied with their labors. In a similar way, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were busy and occupied. Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus came to them, attracted them, and called them.
In 5:2-10a we have a record of the Man-Savior’s attracting some who were occupied with earning a living. This record is not found either in Matthew 4:18-22 or in Mark 1:16-20. As we read Matthew and Mark, we may wonder why Peter and the others followed the Lord when He told them to come and follow Him. Here in Luke 5 we have an additional record indicating that when the Lord Jesus called Peter, He performed a miracle related to fishing. The Lord performed a similar miracle in John 21, after His resurrection. In Luke 5 the miracle was part of the Lord’s attracting the occupied ones. This miracle attracted Peter to the Man-Savior.
A few years later, after the Lord’s resurrection, it seemed that Peter had nothing to do, and he announced that he was going fishing (John 21:3). Several others followed him. Because they returned to their former occupation, the Lord Jesus returned, in resurrection, to perform a second miracle related to fishing in order to attract Peter to Himself again. Therefore, twice for Peter’s sake the Lord did a miracle related to fishing.
The calling of Peter in Luke 5:1-11 is related to the highest standard of morality. Verse 2 says, “He saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing the nets.” The Lord then got into Simon’s boat and asked him to put out a little from the land (v. 3). He taught the crowds from the boat, and when He had ceased speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (v. 4). Simon answered, “Master, through the whole night we toiled and took nothing; but at Your word I will let down the nets” (v. 5). Before this Simon had been brought to the Lord by his brother Andrew (John 1:40-42).
In verse 5 Simon addressed the Lord as Master. The Greek word, a different one from that translated Master in 2:29, denotes one who exercises any kind of oversight.
Peter was a professional fisherman, the lake had an abundance of fish, and night was the proper time for fishing. Nevertheless, they did not catch anything. It must have been that the Lord exercised His sovereignty to keep the fish away. This was an exercise not of His human virtues, but of His divine attributes.
The reason the Lord exercised His sovereignty in this way was that His intention was to attract Simon and his brother. Therefore, at the proper time, the Lord commanded the fish to come near. As a result, “they enclosed a great number of fish; and their nets were tearing apart” (v. 6). Both boats were filled to the point of sinking (v. 7). “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” (v. 8). We are told that “amazement had taken possession of him and all who were with him at the catch of the fish which they took” (v. 9).
The point here is that in this miracle we can see both the Lord’s human virtues and His divine attributes. The human virtues express the divine attributes. This means that the Man-Savior was living a life full of the human virtues, and these virtues expressed the divine attributes. Because the Man-Savior lived in this way, Peter and the others were attracted to the Lord and followed Him.
In 5:10 the Lord Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching men alive.” This was the Lord’s calling of Peter by a miracle in fishing. The Greek word for “catch” is zogreo, compounded of zoos, living and agreuo, to catch; hence, to catch alive, to take captive alive in war, instead of killing. The common fishermen catch fish unto death. But Peter was called by the Lord to be a fisher of men (Matt. 4:19) to catch men unto life (Acts 2:38; 11:18).
Luke 5:11 says, “And when they had brought the boats to the land, they left all and followed Him.” They were attracted by what the Lord did in His human virtues with His divine attributes.
Luke’s intention in 5:1-11 is to show how the Man-Savior acted in His ministry in His human virtues with His divine attributes. This attracts people and gains them. This is the way the Man-Savior carries out His ministry.