Luke 5:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For in His condescension to men, He called the wise men by a star, the fishermen by their art of fishing.

Peter did not refuse to comply, as it follows, And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing. He did not go on to say, “I will not hearken to thee, nor expose myself to additional labour,” but rather adds, Nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. But our Lord, since he had taught the people out of the ship, left not the master of the ship without reward, but conferred on him a double kindness, giving him first a multitude of fishes, and next making him His disciple: as it follows, And when they had done this, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes.

Having sufficiently taught the people, He returns again to His mighty works, and by the employment of fishing fishes for His disciples. Hence it follows, When he had left off speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

John seems indeed to speak of a similar miracle, but this is very different from the one he mentions. That took place after our Lord’s resurrection at the lake of Tiberias, and not only the time, but the miracle itself is very different. For in the latter the nets being let down on the right side took one hundred and fifty-three fishes, and these of large size, which it was necessary for the Evangelist to mention, because though so large the nets were not broken, and this would seem to have reference to the event which Luke relates, when from the multitude of the fishes the nets were broken.

The phrase ‘gave a sign to the companions’ refers to the seventy-two disciples, indicating that the twelve apostles alone were not adequate for the task of gathering and harvesting, as noted in Luke 5:10 and John 4:35-37.

But the other ship is Judæa, out of which James and John are chosen. These then came from the synagogue to the ship of Peter in the Church, that they might fill both ships. For at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, whether Jew or Greek.

They gestured to the collaborators, unable to articulate their thoughts due to astonishment and fear. The Evangelist refers to these companions as collaborators.

Peter, in order to clarify that the Lord is discussing spiritual endeavors, responds: Master, we toiled throughout the night and caught nothing, yet at your command I will let down my nets (Lk 5:5). It is as if he wants to convey that, having worked hard with no success, we should fish not through mere instruments but through divine grace, not by our own effort and precision but through steadfast devotion. He declares, at Your word, I will let down my nets. The Word of the Lord is referred to as our Savior, as the Evangelist states, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn 1:1). Therefore, when Peter casts out his nets by the Word, he is indeed casting into the hearts of men the message of Christ.

Or the other ship is the Church of the Gentiles, which itself also (one ship being not sufficient) is filled with chosen fishes. For the Lord knows who are His, and with Him the number of His elect is sure. And when He finds not in Judæa so many believers as He knows are destined to eternal life, He seeks as it were another ship to receive His fishes, and fills the hearts of the Gentiles also with the grace of faith. And well when the net brake did they call to their assistance the ship of their companions, since the traitor Judas, Simon Magus, Ananias and Sapphira, and many of the disciples, went back. And then Barnabas and Paul were separated for the Apostleship of the Gentiles.

When Peter and his fellow disciples, the sons of Zebedee, witnessed the great catch of fish and the nets breaking, they signaled to their companions, the sons of Zebedee, to come over and assist in hauling in the nets. They arrived and filled both of their boats with fish to the point of sinking due to the overwhelming catch. Firstly, observe the results of faithful obedience; however, it is essential to recognize that without the presence of Jesus, our efforts are futile, and we exhaust ourselves for nothing. Conversely, when Jesus is present among us, our endeavors bear abundant fruit, and we harvest a rich yield.

Upon concluding His sermon, He was not preoccupied with His own fatigue but was concerned for His struggling disciples. He recognized that their efforts had been fruitless, as they had not caught any fish. Yet, He observed that while He spoke, they were diligently engaged in their tasks, attentively listening to His teachings and preparing themselves for a forthcoming endeavor that held the promise of greater success. To lift their spirits, He instructed Peter to venture into the deeper waters and cast his nets once more. Although Peter was feeling disheartened, a single command from the one he revered and to whom he had witnessed miraculous power was sufficient motivation for him.

To the 'companions' mentioned earlier: it becomes clear from the subsequent verses (Luke 5:10) that James and John were in a separate vessel with their father Zebedee and the hired hands (Mark 1:20). They 'began to sink' due to the abundance of fish, as the catch was exceptionally large.

In Capernaum, the initial action of Christ the Savior was to summon Simon, Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee to become His disciples. As the Lord walked alongside the lake, He noticed two boats that were moored, with fishermen either washing or mending their nets. One boat belonged to Simon and his brother Andrew, while the other, positioned slightly farther away, was owned by Zebedee, who was fishing with his laborers and his sons, James and John. A crowd gathered around the Lord, eager to hear His teachings, prompting Him to enter Simon's boat. He instructed Simon to move away from the shore and began preaching to the gathered multitude from the vessel.