Going fishing
(Peter)
Read Luke 5:1-11
It’s not a bad life – fishing. It has its moments – adventures even, moments of danger. It can get quite stormy on
the lake; don’t I know it! But it earns us a good living.
It’s been good enough for my family, anyway, down the generations.
‘Fishers of men,’ He said to us. ‘I will make you fishers of men.’[1]
It was Andrew, my brother, who met Jesus first. Apart from fishing, he found another interest, and that interest had a name – John the Baptist. Not a bad name, actually, because that’s what he did – baptised people. A kind of wild man, he was, ate locusts for breakfast, apparently. Lived in the desert and preached to people – talked of the coming of someone greater – someone who’s going to change things.
And then, one day, Jesus showed up. A cousin of the Baptist – but more than that. John was saying He was something special, the Messiah, the one we were waiting for, and Andrew believed him. I didn’t believe him, of course – but Andrew insisted I came to see Him.
He was nothing special to look at, and I wondered what the fuss was all about, but as soon as He spoke to me, I knew. When He looked at you, He really looked at you. As my eyes met His, I got this feeling that He knew me – that somehow, we had already met.
‘You are Simon,’ He said. ‘Son of John. You will be called Cephas, Peter, the rock.’
He was calling me a rock. I liked that. No one had ever called me a rock before. It’s not a word I would use to describe myself. Rocks are solid, reliable, not easily moved. Me, I’m a bit chaotic – a bit of a blunderer. I tend to do things without thinking. But Jesus, He was calling me a rock. I was beginning to see why Andrew had been so excited about Jesus. I was becoming more and more drawn to Him, and in the next few days, those feelings were to get even stronger.
I live in Capernaum with my wife and her mother. Fortunately, I get on well with my mother-in-law, but in the last few days, she had become ill. A fever had taken hold, and things were not looking good. My wife was so distressed.
On the Sabbath, I went with Andrew to the synagogue to pray for healing. When we arrived, Jesus was there, teaching – and with such authority that everyone was captivated. But as He spoke, a man possessed by a spirit suddenly cried out:
‘Go away! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!’
Jesus remained calm. With a firm command He told the demon to leave the man. At once the man collapsed to the floor, but when he rose, the madness was gone. He stood unharmed, overwhelmed with gratitude.
As we left the synagogue, I approached Jesus. I didn’t need to say a word; He seemed to know my heart. ‘We must go to your house, Peter,’ He said.
My wife led Him straight to where her mother lay, eyes closed, drenched in sweat. Jesus took her hand and spoke softly over her. I couldn’t make out the words, but within seconds the fever broke. My wife squealed with joy as her mother sat up, bewildered but completely well again. Moments later, she was out of bed, bustling about and asking what we would like to eat.
Later, as we shared a meal together, I looked across at Jesus. The words of the possessed man echoed in my mind: ‘I know who You are – the Holy One of God!’ Could it be true?
A few nights later, Andrew and I and our friends, James and John, were fishing. It was a bad night. We caught nothing. Then, in the morning, as I was cleaning the nets with the others, Jesus appeared again on the beach. He was getting mighty popular by now, and as usual He had a crowd around Him.
‘Can I borrow your boat, Peter?’ He said.
No need to ask, really. We pushed it out into the water and He started to talk to the crowd from the boat. It was mesmerising. He spoke from the Scriptures, and the familiar words that I have known since boyhood somehow took on new meaning and a life of their own. I could have listened all day.
He finished speaking and gradually the crowd dispersed. We all left to go as well – back to our homes, but He stopped us.
‘Push your boat out again,’ He said. ‘Let the nets down.’
‘There’s no point,’ I said. ‘We’ve been fishing all night!’
But He insisted and, because it was Him, I said OK. Andrew and I pushed out to the deep water again and let down the nets.
It was an outrageous catch of fish! We had to call to James and John to help us drag it ashore. The nets were bursting! My heart was bursting too. Who was this man? Was Andrew right? Was this the man we had been waiting for?
I felt so unworthy, and also afraid. What could such a man want with me? Once back on shore I fell on my knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’
‘Don’t be afraid!’ He said. ‘From now on, you will be fishers of men.’
He was calling me and the others to follow Him, to leave the life we knew for a new adventure with Him.
There was no other choice. Andrew, James, John and I left our nets and followed Him up the beach.
Questions
- What does this story teach us about faith and trust in seemingly hopeless situations?
- Have you ever experienced God working powerfully in an area where you felt like a failure? What happened?
- Can you remember when you decided to follow Jesus? What were the circumstances? Were there any boats or nets in your life that Jesus was asking you to leave behind?
- What does this story teach us about the importance of community and working together in faith?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for this wonderful story of Your abundant provision, reminding us that when we trust in Your direction, even after our own efforts have failed, You are able to do ‘immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’.[2]
Give us the courage to cast our nets in a new direction, if that is what is needed, and may we never forget that all the fruitfulness in our lives comes not from our own strength, but from abiding in You and listening to Your voice.
Just as You called Peter and the other disciples to follow You, we ask that You stir our hearts to follow You more closely as we seek to be Your hands and feet in our world.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Peter
I love my wife. She is the best of women. That evening, we talked into the night about what this would mean for us. She would have come too, but she knew that although her mother was now completely well, she could not leave her. But she was adamant that I should go with Jesus. ‘He sees in you what I do,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you whenever you are back in Capernaum.’
In the days that followed, two others joined us: Philip and Nathanael. Then came the wedding – a huge wedding in Cana. We were all invited, along with most of the people in the surrounding villages and towns, it would seem. This was the first time I met Jesus’ mother, Mary.[3]
The wedding at Cana
(Mary, mother of Jesus)
Read John 2:1-12
I thought Deborah and Jesse were being ambitious inviting the whole town to the wedding – carried away with the excitement of it all! They just wanted everyone to share their happiness – to see their daughter and her wonderful young man so in love and so happy! I was glad of it too. A chance for me to celebrate with Jesus. Since my dear Joseph died, Jesus has been the man of the house – but things have changed recently. He’s more absent. I knew the moment would come when He would leave and get on with whatever His Father in heaven had in mind for Him to do, but I don’t feel quite ready for it yet.
He has been making friends – fishermen, mainly: Peter and Andrew, Zebedee’s lads and a couple of others. He spends most of His time with them now. They were all invited to the wedding, along with everyone else. No wonder the wine ran out!
It was midway through the afternoon. The first I knew that something was wrong was seeing Deborah coming towards me with a worried face. The sense of joy had vanished.
‘There is no more wine,’ she said. ‘This should never happen. It’s so humiliating. What shall we do? It’s too late to get some more now.’
I looked over at my Son, talking with guests, seemingly unaware of the crisis that was unfolding. I felt in my heart that He needed to know. So I went to Him.
‘Jesus, my love, they have no more wine.’
He looked down at me. ‘Mother, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.’
I was disappointed. But I also saw something in His eyes, something that gave me hope. I went over to a group of servants who were standing around looking uncomfortable – sharing in the disgrace of the situation. Looking at Jesus, I said to them, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’
A minute later, Jesus went to talk to them. Immediately, they fetched jars of water and filled the six huge, stone water jars reserved for ceremonial washing. Then Jesus spoke to them again and one of the servants drew some of the water out and took it over to the master of the banquet. I was transfixed. I was aware that Zebedee’s wife was there at my shoulder, talking to me about something or other, but I wasn’t listening. My eyes were fixed on the face of the master of the banquet. As he drank, his face broke into a smile. Quickly, he came over to the bridegroom who was standing just a few feet from me.
‘Everyone brings out the best wine first – but you have saved the best until now,’ he said.
I smiled to myself, though it was slightly bittersweet. So, Your time has not yet come, my love? I think maybe it has.
Questions
- What does this miracle reveal about Jesus’ character and mission?
- What does the abundance and quality of the wine say about the kind of joy or celebration Jesus brings?
- Imagine you are one of the servants. What are you thinking as you carry water, and then serve wine?
- Where in your life do you feel like you’ve ‘run out of wine’ – emotionally, spiritually or relationally? How does this story encourage you?
Prayer
Gracious Lord,
Thank You for revealing more of who You are through the story of the wedding at Cana. We are amazed at how You turned water into wine – showing us that You care deeply about our needs, both great and small, and that You bring joy, abundance and transformation wherever You are welcomed.
Remind us that we can always bring our concerns to You, just as Your mother, Mary, did that day, and teach us to trust You, even when we don’t fully understand what You’re doing.
May our lives be vessels that You can fill, transform and use for Your glory.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Peter
Unbelievable! Water into wine! Jesus – this extraordinary man who I had only just met but who I was starting to love… it would seem He loves a good party!
After the wedding, we went to Capernaum for a few days, a chance for me to be with my wife again. Mary and Jesus’ brothers came too. She seemed reluctant to be without Him. Then it was time for Passover, so we headed off to Jerusalem.
That was an eye-opener. It was the first time I saw Jesus get angry. The temple was full of traders, livestock, money changers. He threw them out – pretty much single-handed.
‘This is My Father’s house!’ He shouted. ‘You have turned it into a market!’
I looked around at the chaos Jesus had caused: the overturned tables, birds and animals escaping and running riot, angry traders huddling together to lick their wounds, and Jesus – wild, His face etched with pain, totally uncompromising when it came to the sanctity of the temple. In that moment, I knew that this was not going to be easy, attaching ourselves to this man who clearly did not care who He was upsetting.
Mary and the rest of Jesus’ family returned home to Nazareth – she reluctantly, His brothers and sisters not so much. I’m sensing some tension there. We went into the Judean countryside, and many people came to hear Jesus and ask Him for healing. He healed and baptised there and encouraged us to baptise people too. My head was saying, ‘What right do I have to do this?’ but I enjoyed it – somehow it felt right.
The crowds were growing, and His name was everywhere. People flocked to Him to be healed. He did so with such love and care for each individual. This was such a different scene from the one I had witnessed in the temple courts, but the same man. Should I be scared? Maybe, but I wasn’t, just excited!
Then it was time to go back to Galilee. That would be a long journey. I assumed we would be going round Samaria, but no, Jesus wanted to walk through. Some of us were not happy about this. The Samaritans are our enemies! But Jesus was adamant.
We arrived at Sychar, tired and hungry, especially Jesus, so we left Him sitting at Jacob’s well, while we went off in search of food.[4]
[1] Matthew 4:19, ESV.
[2] Ephesians 3:20.
[3] Some of the material in this chapter can be found in Luke 4:31-39; John 1:42.
[4] Some of the material in this chapter can be found in John 2:13-25.
