Luke 5:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For they clung to Him with love and admiration, and longed to keep Him with them. For who would depart while He performed such miracles? who would not be content to see only His face, and the mouth that uttered such things? Nor as performing miracles only was He an object of admiration, but His whole appearance was overflowing with grace. Therefore when He speaks, they listen to Him in silence, interrupting not the chain of His discourse; for it is said, that they might hear the word of God, &c. It follows, And he stood near the lake of Gennesaret.

Behold the gentleness of Christ; He asks Peter; and the willingness of Peter, who was obedient in all things.

Let us reflect on the ingenious strategy used to ensnare those who were destined to capture the entirety of creation; the holy apostles, who, despite being adept fishermen themselves, found themselves drawn into the net of Christ. This was so they could, by casting the net of their apostolic ministry, gather the souls of all nations unto Him. Indeed, as one of the sacred prophets declared, ‘Behold I send many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall catch them as fish; and then I will send many hunters, and they shall hunt them as game.’ The term "fishers" refers to the holy apostles, while "hunters" is used to describe those who subsequently became leaders and teachers of the holy churches.

From which ship He taught the multitude, for by the authority of the Church He teaches the Gentiles. But the Lord entering the ship, and asking Peter to put off a little from the land, signifies that we must be moderate in our words to the multitude, that they may be neither taught earthly things, nor from earthly things rush into the depths of the sacraments. Or, the Gospel must first be preached to the neighbouring countries of the Gentiles, that (as He afterwards says, Launch out into the deep,) He might command it to be preached afterwards to the more distant nations.

Condescending to all, in order that He might draw forth a fish from the deep, i. e. man swimming in the everchanging scenes and bitter storms of this life.

When the Lord had performed many and various kinds of cures, the multitude began to heed neither time nor place in their desire to be healed. The evening came, they followed; a lake is before them, they still press on; as it is said, And it came to pass, as the people pressed upon him.

The term "asked" is used in place of "commanded."

He selected the vessel of Peter and set aside the vessel of Moses, signifying his rejection of the unfaithful synagogue and his acceptance of the faithful Church. These two boats were divinely appointed to gather the salvation of humanity, akin to fishing in the sea, just as the Lord instructs the apostles, “Come, I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). The Church is called to ascension, engaging in the deep mysteries, which reflects the height of which the Apostle declares: “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom 11:33).

The lake of Gennesaret is said to be the same as the sea of Galilee or the sea of Tiberias; but it is called the sea of Galilee from the adjacent province, the sea of Tiberias from a neighbouring city. Gennesaret however, is the name given it from the nature of the lake itself, (which is thought from its crossing waves to raise a breeze upon itself,) being the Greek expression for “making a breeze to itself.” (quasi a γιννάω et ἀὴρ.) For the water is not steady like that of a lake, but constantly agitated by the breezes blowing over it. It is sweet to the taste, and wholesome to drink. In the Hebrew tongue, any extent of water, whether it be sweet or salt, is called a sea.

The vessels seemed to be in close proximity to the land; thus, when Jesus Christ perceived the crowd pressing upon Him and interrupting His message, hindering those eager to listen, He chose to board Peter's boat. He instructed that it be moved a little away from the shore, allowing Him to address the people from the vessel without obstruction. Seated in Peter's boat, He delivered streams of His life-giving teachings to the needy listeners.

Upon noticing Simon's boat, He quickly climbed in to distance Himself slightly from the pressing crowd and their incessant demands. Despite their affection for Him, the people failed to grasp His true nature. This juxtaposition of circumstances was striking: on one hand, He faced rejection, while on the other, they flocked to Him. The greater the contrast, the more perilous the situation became for Jesus. It seemed that His mission could be thwarted at the outset by the malice and jealousy of His adversaries, while simultaneously, the people’s zeal might lead Him into outcomes He did not intend. These factors compelled Him to devote more time to instructing His disciples, the future leaders of His church.

A large crowd gathered, making the position of the Divine Teacher precarious on the lakeside. Fortunately, He noticed two fishing boats on the water, one belonging to His disciples, who, not yet fully called to abandon all worldly pursuits to follow their Divine Leader, were engaged in their usual work. He instructed the apostle Peter to come to the shore and bring Him into the boat. Then He directed him to set sail away from the land, allowing Him to teach the people from the vessel. From this serene and unobstructed platform, He imparted His teachings to the gathered crowd, gently rocking on the shimmering waters of the lake, illuminated by the morning sun.

When the Lord stepped into one of the boats, the specific details leading up to verse 10 are unique to Luke’s account. Peter, along with his brother, was already acquainted with the Lord (John 1:37-42). The Lord chose to enter their vessel, likely positioned closer to the shoreline, and requested that they push out a short distance. This arrangement allowed for a more manageable setting for teaching, as the crowds were pressing in around Him, leaving little space or ease for the Lord.

The initial act of Christ the Savior in Capernaum involved summoning Simon, Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee to be His disciples. While the Lord was walking along the lake's shore, He spotted two boats that had been abandoned by fishermen, some of whom were washing their nets and others mending them. One boat belonged to Simon and his brother Andrew, and the other, positioned a bit farther away, was owned by Zebedee, who was out fishing with his workers along with his sons, James and John. A crowd followed the Lord, eager to hear His teachings. He climbed into Simon's boat, requested that they move away from the shore, and from there, He imparted His message to the gathered multitude.