The gospel of Luke 5:1-11

Luke

5:1-11

The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50

3. The signs of the Messiah, 4:31-6:11

ii] Sign of the fish - Lord of mankind

Synopsis

Jesus has chosen to preach in the open air beside lake Galilee. As the crowd presses in on him, Jesus requisitions a fishing boat as an improvised pulpit. Following the sermon, Jesus tells Peter, the boat's owner, to push out from the shore and cast out his nets. The heat of the day is no time to fish, and in any case, they have worked all night and caught nothing, so, what's the point! Still, Peter obviously has some respect for this wondering rabbi and so does as directed. The resulting catch is overwhelming, even requiring the assistance of Peter's partners, James and John. In response, Peter falls to his knees and cries out "Lord, depart from me for I am a sinful man." His reverential fear, prompted by an awareness of his unworthiness, is met with kindly grace. Jesus tells Peter that from now on he will catch people for the Kingdom of God. To this end, they leave their boats and follow Jesus.

Teaching

The messianic sign of the draft of fishes serves as an acted-out illustration of the eschatological harvest realised through the preaching of the gospel. The dawning of the eschatological age rightly prompts fear from sinners, but "don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men".

Issues

i] Context: See 4:31-44. This passage is the second episode in a section which deals with the acts of the Messiah, acts which reveal the nature of the messiah's authority, 4:31-6:11. The episodes are in the form of messianic signs which together reveal the simple truth, "he does what only God can do."

ii] Structure: The sign of the fish:

Setting, v1-3;

A miraculous catch of fish, v4-7:

Jesus and Peter, v4-5;

The catch of fish, v6-7;

Response, v8-11;

Peter's confession, v8-10a;

Jesus' promise, v10b;

"don't be afraid, from now on you will catch men."

They follow Jesus, v11.

iii] Interpretation:

In the episode, The Sign of the Fish, the sign is intertwined with the call of the first disciples, although the passage is more concerned with their vocation than their call. By linking the nature miracle with the call of the disciples, Luke reinforces the nature of the disciples' business-model - their vocation as "fishers of men", people-anglers. Even though sinners, unworthy before God, a disciple is privileged to follow Jesus, casting for the eschatological harvest of lost humanity.

Although this event seems early in Jesus' ministry, it is clear that Jesus now has a considerable popular following. It is also likely that Jesus has an existing acquaintance with Peter, James and John.

Application. If the story describes the vocation of the disciples as those who progress the harvest of salvation, a vocation confirmed in Jesus' final commission to them, is their vocation ours? A specific command to a specific group or person, is not necessarily a universal command, yet when it comes to Jesus' instructions on gospel communication, they do present as propositional revelation applicable to all believers from the first century onward - evangelism presents as the prime vocation of the Christian community. Of course, not every believer is a gifted evangelist, but we can all give account of the truth of the gospel when asked to do so, and we can all support the work of evangelism, contributing in our own particular way. For example, our support for a missionary society is a good example of how the many can contribute to the face-to-face mission of the few.

Miracles: There are a myriad of ways commentators handle miracles, ranging from fables or allegories, to an evidential historical event. This is particularly so with a nature miracle like The Sign of the Fish. Blomberg's description of miracles as "audiovisuals" of a deeper reality points us in the right direction. Nolland titles this passage Fishing Associates for Jesus and in so doing points to the message in the miracle.

iv] Synoptics:

See 3:1-20. It is usually held that this section, and the three that follow, are primarily drawn from Markan material and set out to relate the acts of messiah. Although geography is not of great concern to Luke, these acts form the bulk of Jesus' Galilean ministry. Yet, Luke's expansion of the call of the disciples, his placement of the episode after A Day in the Life of Jesus, and its similarity with both the theme and the account of the disciples' fishing expedition in John 21:1-14, has prompted ongoing debate.

It is very unlikely that Luke has creatively expanded Mark 1:16-20; in fact, one could argue that Mark has condensed his account of the call of the disciples. The basic differences are minimal, eg., Luke has the disciples washing their nets while Mark has them mending them. Mark has two calls, Luke only one, although in Luke, James and John, as well as Peter, "left and followed him". An interesting difference is that Luke does not mention Andrew, Peter's brother, and strangely enough, Andrew is not mentioned in John's account of the great draught of fishes in 21:1-14.

It seems more than likely that Luke is working off an independent miracle story with its key saying "depart from me for I am a sinful man", and has linked it to the story of the call of the disciples, either drawn from the extant oral tradition, or from Mark's gospel itself, cf., Marshall, Fitzmyer, Bock. For Luke, the miracle story reinforces the saying "from henceforth thou shall catch men", RV - Mark has "I will make you become fishers of men", RV.

As for the similarities between Luke's account of the fishing story and John's account, John is certainly using the story to reinforce the disciples' business-model. In the post-resurrection era, the disciples are no long to ply their former trade as fishermen; they are now the eschatological fishermen of the new age. Of course, it's very easy to see John reworking a nature miracle for a post-resurrection teaching purpose, but of course, Jesus is quite able to do that himself!

v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

Text - 5:1

The sign of a miraculous catch of fish, v1-11: i] The setting - Jesus teaches the crowd from a fishing boat, v1-3. Jesus is standing beside lake Gennesaret, or as it is more commonly known, lake Galilee, while a large crowd pushes in to hear him proclaim the message of the kingdom. The excitement of the crowd contrasts beautifully with the tranquillity of the lake and of the fishermen cleaning up after their night of fishing. Beside the lake Jesus sees two boats where the fishermen are washing their nets. Due to the push of the crowd, Jesus decides to put one of the boats into service as a rostrum for his sermon. The boat, belonging to Simon Peter, is pushed out a little from the shore, and as is the custom, Jesus sits to teach while the crowd stands to listen.

de "-" - but/and. Transitional, introducing a new literary unit.

egeneto (ginomai) aor. "one day" - it happened, it came about. Used to indicate a new narrative; see egeneto 1:8.

en tw/ + inf. "as" - in the = while [to press in upon him and to hear, listen to]. The preposition en followed by the dative articular infinitive of "to press in on" and "to hear", forms a temporal clause, contemporaneous time; "while the crowd was pressing in on (him) and listening to the word of God", NAB. Subordinate to "stood beside the lake." "The crowd pressed near him, straining to hear him", Bock. Note that the epi prefix verb "to press in upon" takes a dative of direct object, here the dative autw/, "him".

tou qeou (oV) gen. "of God" - [the word] of god. Possibly a subjective genitive, "the message God reveals", or less likely an objective genitive, "the message about God", or even an ablative genitive of source, "the message from God that Jesus proclaims." A common descriptive of Jesus' preaching and of the apostolic preaching in Acts. Source seems best, "the word coming from God", Fitzmyer.

hn eJstwV "was standing" - he had been standing. The imperfect of the verb to-be with the perfect participle forms a periphrastic pluperfect, expressing a simple past action emphasising aspect. Subordinate to "he saw", v2. Jesus "stood beside the lake", Moffatt.

para + acc. "by" - beside. Spatial; "beside, alongside, near."

Gennhsaret gen. "of Gennesaret" - [the lake] of gennesaret. The assumed genitive is adjectival, limiting lake, probably a genitive of definition, ie., epexegetic.

eiden (oJraw) aor. "he saw" - [and] he saw [two boats]. Main verb. Jesus spots two boats on the edge of the lake, one of which can serve as a preaching platform, given that the crowd is crushing in on him. Note, as usual, Jesus sits to teach.

eJstwta (iJsthmi) perf. part. "at" - having stood [beside the lake]. The participle may be treated as adjectival, attributive, limiting "boats", "two boats which were beside the lake", or as the accusative complement of the direct object "two boats", standing in a double accusative construction and stating a fact about the object, namely that the two boats stand beside the lake. Note that Moffatt treats the participle as adverbial, temporal; "as he stood beside the lake", Moffatt. "He saw two boats drawn up on the lake-side", Barclay.

ap (apo) + gen. "-" - [but/and the fishermen] from [them]. Here expressing source / origin; idiomatic repetition of the prepositional prefix of the verb apobainw, "to depart"; "the fishermen had gone out of them", ESV.

apobanteV (apobainw) aor. part. "left there" - having gone away, departed, disembarked. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "were washing"; "the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets", ESV.

eplunon (plunw) imperf. "who were washing" - were washing [the = their nets]. The imperfect is durative, denoting the ongoing action of washing (Mark has "repairing") their nets following a night of fishing.

embaV (embainw) aor. part. "he got [into]" - [but/and] embarking, entering [into]. The participle is usually treated as attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the verb "he asked"; "he boarded one of the boats ...... and asked ..", Berkeley. It may also be treated adverbially, temporal, "when ....", consecutive, "so he went on board one of the boats", Cassirer.

twn ploiwn (on) gen. "of the boats" - [one] of the boats. The genitive is adjectival, partitive.

SimwnoV (Simwn) gen. "belonging to Simon" - [which was] of simon. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, it was Simon's boat. "Christ uses Peter's boat as a pulpit, whence to throw the net of the gospel over his hearers", Plummer.

epanagagein (epanagw) aor. inf. "to put out" - [he asked him] to bring, to return [a little]. The infinitive introduces a dependent statement of indirect speech, entreating, expressing what Jesus asked Peter to do. Here as "to put out to sea."

apo + gen. "from [the shore]" - from [the land]. Expressing separation, "away from."

kaqisaV (kaqizw) aor. part. "then he sat down" - [but/and] having sat down. The participle is adverbial, probably introducing a temporal clause, "when he sat down."

edidasken (didaskw) imperf. "taught" - he was teaching [the crowds]. Possibly an inceptive imperfect, "he began teaching the people", or durative, "he went on teaching", NEB.

ek + gen. "from [the boat]" - from [the boat]. Expressing source / origin; the teaching was directed "from" the boat to the crowd.

ii] The miraculous draft of fish, v4-7. a) Jesus and Peter, v4-5: The sermon finished, Jesus asks Peter to undertake some more fishing. Peter is less than enthusiastic, but is willing to submit to Jesus. Note the address "master", rather than rabbi/teacher.

wJV "when" - [but/and] like, as / when, while. Here a temporal use of the conjunction, as NIV.

lalwn (lalew) pre. part. "speaking" - [he stopped] speaking. A not so common complementary participle, completing the thought of the verb "finished".

proV + acc. "to" - [he said] toward [simon]. The command is addressed "to" Simon. This may imply that he was steering the boat, so Plummer, or better, it was his boat.

epanagage (epanagw) aor. imp. "put out" - bring, return. "Push out into deep water", Williams.

to baqoV "deep water" - [into] the deep. The presence of the article may imply a particular spot on the lake. "The son of a carpenter is telling the fisherman where to toss their nets!", Bock. Yet, the sense is probably that the boat was "a little from the shore", v3, but now it is to go into deeper water where fish are found.

calasate (caletw) aor. imp. pl. "let down" - [and] let down [the nets of you]. The plural command implies that it is addressed to Peter and those with him in the boat.

eiV "for" - into = for [a catch]. Here expressing purpose, "in order to catch some fish."

apokriqeiV (aporkrinomai) aor. pas. part. "-" - [and] having answered [simon said]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "said" - Semitic construction, virtually redundant; see apokriqeiV, 1:19.

epistata (hV ou) voc. "Master" - chief, master. Vocative. Probably an expression of respect, but possibly a recognition of Jesus' authority. Note how Matthew and Mark prefer the term "teacher", or "rabbi".

kopiasanteV (kopiaw) aor. part. "we've worked hard" - having laboured, toiled, worked hard. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "we caught [nothing]"; "we have toiled all night and caught nothing." Possibly adverbial, concessive; "although we have worked hard throughout the night we have caught nothing." The word carries the sense "wearisome work", BAGD.

dia + gen. "all [night]" - through [whole night]. Spatial, "through" in time; "throughout the night."

epi + dat."because [you say so]" - [but/and] upon, on [the word of you]. Here expressing cause, "in reliance upon, on the basis of" = "because of", but possibly temporal, "at ....." Possibly expressing "reluctant obedience", TH., but more likely a recognition of Jesus' authority; "all the same, if you say so ...", Barclay.

ta dicta (on) "the nets" - [i will let down] the nets. Accusative object of the verb "to let down." Nets (plural) used for deep water fishing.

b) The catch of fish, v6-7: The sign of the fish is now described in the terms of an amazing haul of fish, so large that the two boats begin to sink with the weight of the catch.

poihsanteV (poi) aor. part. "when they had done [so]" - [and] having done [this]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, introducing a temporal clause, as NIV. "After they did this ..."

sunekleisan (sugkleiw) aor. "they caught" - they shut up, enclosed. "They did so and made such a huge catch of fish", REB.

polu adj. "a large number" - a great [multitude]. Attributive adjective limiting the noun "multitude", accusative object of the verb "to enclose." Emphasising the number of fish, and thus the miraculous nature of the catch. It is unclear what type of miracle it was. Does it display Jesus' knowledge (he knew where the fish were without seeing them), or does it display his will (he caused the fish to be there)? Some have argued that Jesus could see the fish from where he was standing, but the response of Peter discounts this view.

icquwn (uV oV) gen. "of fish" - of fish. The genitive is adjectival, partitive / wholative.

de "that" - but/and. A consecutive sense seems likely, "with the result that", as NIV; "that their nets began to split", REB.

dierrhsseto (diarrhssw) imperf. pas. "began to break" - [the nets of them] were being burst, split, torn. The imperfect is probably inceptive where the emphasis is placed at the beginning of the action, so NIV.

kateneusan (kataneuw) aor. "they signalled" - [and] they signalled to (by the nodding of heads). This word is probably chosen because their hands are full and their voices would not carry to the other boat.

toiV metocoiV (oV) dat. "their partners" - the partners, business partners / companions. Dative of direct object after the verb "they singled." Grundmann notes that boats usually worked in pairs so Peter and his crew are signalling to their business partners, James and John, probably still with their boat on the beach.

en + dat. "in" - in [the other boat]. Local, expressing space / place.

elqontaV (ercomai) aor. part. "come" - having come. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the infinitive "to help"; "to come and to help them."

tou ... sullabesqai (sullambanw) aor. inf. "help" - to help, give a hand, assist. This construction, the articular infinitive led by a genitive article, can be epexegetic, although in Luke / Acts it is often final, expressing purpose; "the singled ....... in order that, having come, they may help them = they may come and help them."

autoiV dat. pro. "them" - them. Dative of direct object after the sun prefix verb "to help."

wJste + inf. "that" - [and they came and they filled both the boats] so as. This construction usually introduces a consecutive clause expressing result, "so that / with the result that."

baqizesqai (baqizw) pres. pas. inf. "they began to sink" - to be sinking [them]. The present tense is probably inceptive with the emphasis at the beginning of the action, so NIV.

iii] Response - confession and commission, v8-11. a) Peter's confession, v8-10a: Peter (a shortened form of Simeon), along with his partners James and John, is "astonished" at the catch. He sees the catch as as sign, an evidence of Jesus' messianic authority. If Jesus commands the fish, then he clearly has authority over mankind. Peter's recognition of Jesus serves only to expose his own inadequacies in the face of God. In the presence of the "Lord" Jesus, Peter's sinful nature is exposed. He prostrates himself and asks Jesus to step back from this unworthy servant.

idwn (eidon) aor. part. "when [Simon Peter] saw this" - [and] having seen. The participle is adverbial, best treated as introducing a temporal clause, as NIV.

prosepesen (prospiptw) aor. "he fell at" - [simon peter] fell before. "He threw himself at Jesus' feet", Barclay.

toiV gonasin (u atoV) dat. "knees" - the knees [of jesus]. Dative of direct object after the proV prefix verb "to fall before." The genitive "Jesus" is adjectival, possessive. Peter threw himself "at the feet" of Jesus. "Knees" rather than "feet" possibly indicates that Peter actually knelt before Jesus with his head level with Jesus' knees. Of course, Jesus could already be on his knees in squatting fashion, rather than standing in the boat.

legwn (legw) pres. part. "and said" - saying. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "he fell before"; as NIV.

apo + gen. "from" - [go out, depart] from [me]. Expressing separation; "away from" The sense "go out" as if expelling Jesus' presence from his mind, is unlikely. Lit. "go forth from me" = "go and leave me", Fitzmyer.

kurie (oV) voc. "Lord" - lord, master. Here, "Supreme Lord", rather than just "Sir", Nolland.

oJti "-" - for, because [i am a sinful man]. Introducing a causal clause explaining why Peter has asked Jesus to stand away from him, "because ....."; "For I'm only a sinful man", Phillips.

In this miracle Peter recognises something of Jesus' person and so asks Jesus to back off from him "because" he knows himself to be a sinful man. Peter's response is an interesting one. It is not a full-blown recognition of the person of Jesus, nor is it an overt act of repentance, but it does evidence a quality always found in a seeker, namely, a recognition of their unworthiness before God. This prompts an obvious question; is it necessary to begin a gospel presentation by telling the congregation they are sinners? Confronted by the grace of God in Jesus, the seeker can't help but recognise their state of loss. So, what the seeker needs to hear is the good news of the Lord's acceptance of sinners - even a sinner like Peter can serve as one of the Lord's fishermen.

gar "for" - because. Introducing a causal clause explaining why Peter has responded the way he has, "because .....".

sun + dat. "-" - [astonishment seized him and all the ones] with [him]. Expressing association, accompaniment. Peter is not the only one who is shocked; "Peter and everyone with him were completely surprised", CEV. Mark tells us that Andrew, Peter's brother, is one of the "companions" who are astonished at the catch of fish. In the synoptic gospels amazement is usually a pre-faith response to Christ, a response to both his words and works.

epi + dat "at" - upon = concerning / because of [the catch]. Possibly identifying the particular referent that astonished them, "were astonished with respect to / with reference to / concerning the catch of fish", although reference / respect is usually followed by an accusative. So, it may take a causal sense here, "on the basis of" = "because of [the catch of fish]."

twn icquwn (uV uoV) gen. "of fish" - of fish. The genitive is adjectival, idiomatic / content; "the catch full of fish."

wJn gen. rel. pro. "-" - which. Genitive due to attraction to "of fish."

sunelabon (sunlambanw) aor. "they had taken" - they took. "All the fish they had caught", CEV.

v10a

omoiwV de kai "and so" - but/and likewise and = also. Coordinate.

Zebedaiou (oV) gen. "of Zebadee" - [james and john sons] of zebedee. The genitive is adjectival, relational.

tw/ Simwni (wn wnoV) dat. "Simon's [partners]" - [who were partners] with simon. Instrumental dative, of accompaniment, association.

v10b

b) Jesus' promise, v10b: Although divine power resides with Jesus, Peter and the others need not be afraid, cf. Lk.1:13, 20. A person's recognition of their unworthiness before Christ is the very basis of their acceptance by God. Yet there is more, the divine authority that gathered the fish, will gather people ("men") into the kingdom, and Peter and his friends can share in this gathering of humanity. Under God's sovereign grace, Christ will do the gathering and if the disciples are willing to place themselves in the centre of his will, then they can serve as "fishers of men."

mh fobou (fobew) pres. imp. "don't be afraid" - [and jesus said to simon] do not be afraid. It was once held that his particular negation indicates that the command is to cease an action already in progress, although today it is usually classed as a simple prohibition. For Jesus, a recognition of unworthiness is no ground for fear, but rather, is the very basis of approval before God.

apo tou nun "from now on" - from the now, present. Temporal construction. For the disciples, things will be different from this moment on. "Beginning immediately", TH.

esh/ zwgrwn (zwgrew) pres. part. "you will catch / you will fish for" - you will be catching alive. Probably with the sense "rescue", so "save alive", and therefore "gather for salvation." The future of the verb to-be with the present participle forms the periphrastic future. Although it is difficult to give any particular reason for the choice of a periphrastic construction rather than a simple verb, the choice is often for emphasis, and here one suspects that the choice serves to underline durative action; "you will continue to gather people for salvation." This story describes the incorporation of Peter, James and John into Jesus' mission, and so serves as Luke's version of the call of the disciples. None-the-less, the story doesn't really describe the call of the disciples, but rather their vocation. "It's people you will be catching", NJB.

anqrwpouV (oV) "men / people" - men. The position is emphatic, emphasising that the disciples will be catching people from now on, and not fish. "From now on you will bring in people instead of fish", CEV.

v11

c) The disciples follow Jesus, v11: Clearly, this small group of disciples accept Christ's assurance; they have nothing to fear and everything to gain. So, they set out with Jesus. Although this verse is often taken to mean that they abandoned everything they owned to follow Jesus, we know that the disciples continued to own property, including their fishing boats. The phrase simply indicates a change in vocation.

katagagonteV (katagw) aor. part. "so they pulled [their boats] up" - [and] having put in at, arrived at, brought to [the boats upon the land]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, "then they hauled the boats up onto the land", Barclay, or possibly consecutive "and so they ......"

afenteV (afihmi) aor. part. "left" - having left. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "they followed"; "they left all and followed him." The "they" indicates that it is Peter and his associates who leave their profession behind and follow Jesus as disciples. As Danker notes, from now on they are only amateur fishermen.

panta "everything" - everything. We get the impression from John 21 that these disciples still owned their boats, let alone their homes, so what is the "everything" all about? Possibly in the sense of leaving their profession behind. Evans suggests that it is "a generalisation of the cost of discipleship." Mark specifies, family, nets, servants, boats. Bock sees it as an indicator of "commitment". Marshall sees it as an expression of discipleship, ie., "became his disciples." Nolland, "the totality of a new beginning." "Leaving all that has been of value, they will now find their fundamental sense of belonging and being in relationship to Jesus .... and the redemptive purpose he serves", Green.

hkolouqhsan (akolouqew) aor. "followed" - they followed, came after, accompanied. The sense is to follow as a disciple, follow as a student or proteges of a teacher; "and became his followers (disciples)", Barclay.

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - him. Dative of direct object after the verb "to follow."

Luke Introduction

Exposition

TekniaGreek font download

Exegetical Commentaries

lectionarystudies.com