Mt. 4:18a Now Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee,
Mk. 1:16a And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee,
Lk. 5:1 Now so it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret.
Mt. 4:18b He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
Mk. 1:16b He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
Lk. 5:2 And saw two boats standing by the lake; and the fishermen had gone from there and were washing their nets.
Peter and the other fishermen were using a trammel net to catch cichlidae (mouth breeders), also known as St. Peter’s Fish. They fished at night and stopped their work at dawn because in the light the fish could see the netting. Before the fishermen turned in for the day, they carefully washed their nets and hung them to dry. If the linen nets were not dried promptly after they were used they would rot in a short time.
Lk. 5:3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitude from the boat.
This is not the first time that Yeshua has met Simon Peter. John’s Gospel records that when Andrew first met Yeshua, he ran and got Simon Peter and brought him to Yeshua. It was at that time that Yeshua told Peter that his name would be called Cephas. Andrew also told him that Yeshua was the Messiah. This will come into play later on at Caesarea Philippi.
Sources: Matt. 16:17; John 1:41, 42
Lk. 5:4 Now when He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Lk. 5:5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
The implication of Peter’s initial statement, “master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing,” is that Peter is telling Him that He is a rabbi and not a fisherman. Peter and the others were fishermen who knew more about fishing than He does. But also, a very important quality of Peter’s is demonstrated here. Peter recognizes that if Yeshua is the Messiah, as Andrew told him, then obedience must overrule experience.
Lk. 5:6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
Lk. 5:7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
Lk. 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Yeshua’s knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
At this point Peter recognizes that there is something going on that is beyond him. Peter was told by Andrew that this was the Messiah, but this is the first time he has been confronted by Yeshua’s deity. His reaction is probably the same as any of ours today. We compare ourselves to the One before us and we come up wanting. This is Peter’s reaction. But, there will come another time when Peter will see Yeshua in similar circumstances. The next time his reaction will be quite different.
Lk. 5:9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;
Mt. 4:19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Mk. 1:17 Then Jesus said to them, “Come after Me, and I will make you become fisher of men.”
Lk. 5:10 And also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”
Yeshua is not only a Jew, but He also was a rabbi. There were hundreds of rabbis in Israel during this time. These rabbis were always wandering from place to place. If one wanted to study with a certain rabbi, you had to follow after him. They called the ones who were with him their talmidim (disciples or students). The call of the rabbi to come and study with him was, “come and follow me.” This actually meant “come and study with me.” This call was heard the length and breadth of Eretz Ysrael during the first century and before.
Mt. 4:20 Then they immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Mk. 1:18 And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Lk. 5:11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Mt. 4:21 And going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boats with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And He called them.
Mk. 1:19 When he had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.
Mt. 4:22 And immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Mk. 1:20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.
There is a slight conflict that doesn’t really matter that much, except to point it out because of different writers penning their stories. According to Luke 5:10, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were with Simon Peter when Yeshua made the call for him to follow Him and they responded at the same time. According to Matt. 4:21, 22; Mark 1:19, 20, Yeshua went on further down the seashore where He saw James and John in the boat with their father Zebedee and called them then and they responded to His call. This doesn’t really make that much difference, but some people will nitpick at anything.
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