And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
At daybreak on the lake of Gennesaret after a weary night of fruitless toil that took nothing, two empty boats belonging to Peter and his companions lie near the shore while the discouraged fishermen stand beside them washing and mending their nets. Pressed on every side by the people who crowd to the waterside to hear the word of God, Jesus steps into Simon's boat and has it drawn out a little from the shore that He may be better seen and heard. From that fisherman's boat as a pulpit He proclaims in the open air in simple earnest language the good news of salvation and the mysteries of His kingdom to common peasants and fishermen, with the lake and mountains and sunlight furnishing objects to illustrate lessons that do not fall fruitless. The scene issues in the command to let down the nets after taking nothing, enclosing a multitude of fishes that breaks the net and fills both ships so they begin to sink, and then in the call of Simon with James and John to follow Him and catch men. It shows that God seeks and chooses humble, unlearned, teachable common people in their ordinary work and daily surroundings to become His disciples and co-laborers, and that ordinary work and religious service are not to be divided. Those called must at once leave boats and nets and temporal gain to follow Him, for efforts to win souls fail when wrought in human strength, while the boat is filled and the work prospers because Christ is in it working with and through His followers.
Setting by the Lake
It was daybreak in the morning on the Sea of Galilee, the lake of Gennesaret, after the disciples had spent a weary night of fruitless, unrewarded toil taking nothing. They were weary and discouraged after hard labor without a catch and repeated failure, pulling for shore in their boats. Two ships or boats stood by the lake, empty because the fishermen had gone out of them, lying near the shore with the fishermen beside them washing and mending their nets. The boats belonged to Peter and his companions, to Simon with James and John.
Jesus had come to the waterside in the early morning hoping for a quiet hour of rest from the multitude that followed Him day after day, walking on the beach as the people quickly gathered. But the people pressed upon Him on every side to hear the word of God, crowding for healing and teaching so that He no longer had standing-room on land. To escape the pressure of the crowd and to be better seen and heard, He asked the use of Simon's boat, though Simon was weary with toil and disappointment and yet cheerfully complied. He stepped into Peter's boat and had it pulled or pushed out a little from the shore, moving away from the crowd to teach the multitude on the beach from the boat on the lake so all could see and hear.
From the fisherman's boat used as a pulpit He proclaimed in the open air in simple earnest language the good news of salvation, Bible truth, the great things and mysteries of His kingdom. He who is honored in heaven, the glorious Commander, declared them to common people, to humble peasants and fishermen and the throng pressing down to the water's edge, while swayed to and fro by the restless waves. The setting was most fitting for His labor, for the lake, the mountains, the spreading fields, and the sunlight flooding the earth furnished objects to illustrate His lessons and impress them upon the mind. No lesson taught from the boat fell fruitless, for every message from His lips came to some soul as the word of eternal life.
The verse begins the miracle in which, after the night of taking nothing, He commands the let-down of the nets. At His direction to try again and to launch out into the deep, so many fishes were enclosed that the net broke. The great multitude of fishes filled both ships so that they began to sink. He then bade them leave their nets and follow Him, calling Simon with James and John to catch men, proving that the Lord Jesus will work miracles for His people.
Call and Ministry Lessons
The fishermen by the boats are humble, unlearned, teachable men whose simple way of life, freedom from worldly customs and religious bigotry, candor, fairness, kindness and sympathy for others fitted them for the work, making them willing to follow and work with Him. They were chosen as helpers because they could be taught and would preserve His lessons for future generations, and through three years under His teaching they were refined for their work. He took them from their fishing boats beside their work washing their nets and taught them through the Old Testament Scriptures and by walking with them as His disciples and co-laborers. At this time they had not yet fully left fishing to work with Him, and after John's death they returned for a time to their former employment as a diversion from grief, doubt and fear.
He sought them in their ordinary work and daily surroundings at the lakeshore among fishermen and boats rather than limiting His ministry to religious settings. The scene shows that God calls people from ordinary work to serve Him and can use common men and women to carry the truth, and that ordinary work and religious service are not to be divided. When He called them, Peter and his companions with James and John left their boats, ships, nets and former vocation at once to follow Him without first asking how they would support themselves. They did so even when a great catch made their livelihood especially compelling, showing that fellowship with Christ and service in the gospel must take priority over temporal gain, and their example applies to those who leave occupations to proclaim the gospel.
The call proves He chooses His workers from among the common people, and the same work will be repeated, for the Lord will raise up men and women from the common people to accomplish His work. There will soon be an awakening that will surprise many, those who do not realize its necessity will be passed by, and heavenly messengers will work with those called the common people to fit them to carry the truth to many places, so now is the time to awake and do what can be done. Efforts to win people to the Saviour fail when they rely on human strength and wisdom after a night of unrewarded labor and repeated failure and discouragement, while the boat later filled with fish was successful because Christ was in it and because of obedience to His direction. Christ working with and through His followers and His indwelling presence is equally necessary for success in winning souls.
The unpretentious fishing boat made a pulpit, cheerfully lent though Simon was weary with toil and disappointment, was never so honored and never put to so profitable use to its owner as on this occasion. The Bible truth and words of eternal life spoken from it go all over the world and accomplish a work which eternity alone will reveal. When the judgment shall sit and the books of record shall be opened it will be seen that a light sprang up to be reflected all through the world through time and through eternity, and this experience has been repeated to thousands of messengers and has inspired hope and courage and faith. The miraculous draught belongs to the commencement of His ministry when He bade them launch into the deep and let down their nets, taking so many fishes that the net broke, and then bade them leave their nets and follow Him to become fishers of men. The later miraculous draught after the resurrection was wrought to make this first miracle more impressive, to show that though deprived of His personal companionship and of sustenance from fishing, a resurrected Saviour has care over them and will provide for them while they are doing His work. His bidding to cast on the right side of the ship shows He stood on that side on the shore, and if they labor in connection with Him His divine power uniting with their human effort will not fail of success. The setting leads to the miraculous catch that convinced Peter of divine power and exposed his own sinful unbelief in the scene where Jesus called them from their fishing work to follow Him.
At daybreak on the lake of Gennesaret after a weary night of fruitless toil that took nothing, two empty boats belonging to Peter and his companions lie near the shore while the discouraged fishermen stand beside them washing and mending their nets. Pressed on every side by the people who crowd to the waterside to hear the word of God, Jesus steps into Simon's boat and has it drawn out a little from the shore that He may be better seen and heard. From that fisherman's boat as a pulpit He proclaims in the open air in simple earnest language the good news of salvation and the mysteries of His kingdom to common peasants and fishermen, with the lake and mountains and sunlight furnishing objects to illustrate lessons that do not fall fruitless. The scene issues in the command to let down the nets after taking nothing, enclosing a multitude of fishes that breaks the net and fills both ships so they begin to sink, and then in the call of Simon with James and John to follow Him and catch men. It shows that God seeks and chooses humble, unlearned, teachable common people in their ordinary work and daily surroundings to become His disciples and co-laborers, and that ordinary work and religious service are not to be divided. Those called must at once leave boats and nets and temporal gain to follow Him, for efforts to win souls fail when wrought in human strength, while the boat is filled and the work prospers because Christ is in it working with and through His followers.
Setting by the Lake
It was daybreak in the morning on the Sea of Galilee, the lake of Gennesaret, after the disciples had spent a weary night of fruitless, unrewarded toil taking nothing. They were weary and discouraged after hard labor without a catch and repeated failure, pulling for shore in their boats. Two ships or boats stood by the lake, empty because the fishermen had gone out of them, lying near the shore with the fishermen beside them washing and mending their nets. The boats belonged to Peter and his companions, to Simon with James and John.
Jesus had come to the waterside in the early morning hoping for a quiet hour of rest from the multitude that followed Him day after day, walking on the beach as the people quickly gathered. But the people pressed upon Him on every side to hear the word of God, crowding for healing and teaching so that He no longer had standing-room on land. To escape the pressure of the crowd and to be better seen and heard, He asked the use of Simon's boat, though Simon was weary with toil and disappointment and yet cheerfully complied. He stepped into Peter's boat and had it pulled or pushed out a little from the shore, moving away from the crowd to teach the multitude on the beach from the boat on the lake so all could see and hear.
From the fisherman's boat used as a pulpit He proclaimed in the open air in simple earnest language the good news of salvation, Bible truth, the great things and mysteries of His kingdom. He who is honored in heaven, the glorious Commander, declared them to common people, to humble peasants and fishermen and the throng pressing down to the water's edge, while swayed to and fro by the restless waves. The setting was most fitting for His labor, for the lake, the mountains, the spreading fields, and the sunlight flooding the earth furnished objects to illustrate His lessons and impress them upon the mind. No lesson taught from the boat fell fruitless, for every message from His lips came to some soul as the word of eternal life.
The verse begins the miracle in which, after the night of taking nothing, He commands the let-down of the nets. At His direction to try again and to launch out into the deep, so many fishes were enclosed that the net broke. The great multitude of fishes filled both ships so that they began to sink. He then bade them leave their nets and follow Him, calling Simon with James and John to catch men, proving that the Lord Jesus will work miracles for His people.
Call and Ministry Lessons
The fishermen by the boats are humble, unlearned, teachable men whose simple way of life, freedom from worldly customs and religious bigotry, candor, fairness, kindness and sympathy for others fitted them for the work, making them willing to follow and work with Him. They were chosen as helpers because they could be taught and would preserve His lessons for future generations, and through three years under His teaching they were refined for their work. He took them from their fishing boats beside their work washing their nets and taught them through the Old Testament Scriptures and by walking with them as His disciples and co-laborers. At this time they had not yet fully left fishing to work with Him, and after John's death they returned for a time to their former employment as a diversion from grief, doubt and fear.
He sought them in their ordinary work and daily surroundings at the lakeshore among fishermen and boats rather than limiting His ministry to religious settings. The scene shows that God calls people from ordinary work to serve Him and can use common men and women to carry the truth, and that ordinary work and religious service are not to be divided. When He called them, Peter and his companions with James and John left their boats, ships, nets and former vocation at once to follow Him without first asking how they would support themselves. They did so even when a great catch made their livelihood especially compelling, showing that fellowship with Christ and service in the gospel must take priority over temporal gain, and their example applies to those who leave occupations to proclaim the gospel.
The call proves He chooses His workers from among the common people, and the same work will be repeated, for the Lord will raise up men and women from the common people to accomplish His work. There will soon be an awakening that will surprise many, those who do not realize its necessity will be passed by, and heavenly messengers will work with those called the common people to fit them to carry the truth to many places, so now is the time to awake and do what can be done. Efforts to win people to the Saviour fail when they rely on human strength and wisdom after a night of unrewarded labor and repeated failure and discouragement, while the boat later filled with fish was successful because Christ was in it and because of obedience to His direction. Christ working with and through His followers and His indwelling presence is equally necessary for success in winning souls.
The unpretentious fishing boat made a pulpit, cheerfully lent though Simon was weary with toil and disappointment, was never so honored and never put to so profitable use to its owner as on this occasion. The Bible truth and words of eternal life spoken from it go all over the world and accomplish a work which eternity alone will reveal. When the judgment shall sit and the books of record shall be opened it will be seen that a light sprang up to be reflected all through the world through time and through eternity, and this experience has been repeated to thousands of messengers and has inspired hope and courage and faith. The miraculous draught belongs to the commencement of His ministry when He bade them launch into the deep and let down their nets, taking so many fishes that the net broke, and then bade them leave their nets and follow Him to become fishers of men. The later miraculous draught after the resurrection was wrought to make this first miracle more impressive, to show that though deprived of His personal companionship and of sustenance from fishing, a resurrected Saviour has care over them and will provide for them while they are doing His work. His bidding to cast on the right side of the ship shows He stood on that side on the shore, and if they labor in connection with Him His divine power uniting with their human effort will not fail of success. The setting leads to the miraculous catch that convinced Peter of divine power and exposed his own sinful unbelief in the scene where Jesus called them from their fishing work to follow Him.