THE GOSPELS: LESSON 20:

A GREAT DRAFT OF FISHES

TEXT: MATT. 4: 23 - 25; MARK 1: 34 - 45; LUKE 5: 1 - 16

          After his “official” call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be apostles, Jesus went about the Galilee region teaching and performing many miracles. Then, while on the Sea, Jesus performs another great miracle that demonstrates to his disciples just who this man called Jesus actually is. After convincing them of his divine origins, he will then take them up into a high place and teach them the basics of this new “Gospel of the Kingdom.”

MATTHEW 4: 23 - 25: MIRACLES IN GALILEE.

Figure 1 The region around the Sea of Galilee where Jesus did many miracles.

VERSE 23: “And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom . . .” Jesus went all through Galilee – from Esdralon up to Gischala and from Phoenicia over to Bethsaida. (See map.) He did not teach in people’s houses, but taught publicly in their synagogues. That way more Jews could hear his message. Remember, he preached to Jews, not to the Gentiles. (See Matthew 15: 24.) He preached the “gospel of the kingdom,” not the traditional Jewish teachings.

“. . . and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.” Why so many miracles? 1. Because he had pity on the suffering people (as in Matt. 20: 32 - 34), and 2. To prove his divinity and Messiah-ship.

VERSE 24: Jesus fame spread throughout Syria and people brought out their sick for him to heal.

Syria: (Aram in the Old Testament) means “the highland between the rivers.” Syria here is not the same as the Roman province of Syria, but is everything north and east of Samaria. Everything from the Jordan to the Euphrates River. In other words, Jesus fame as a healer spread for hundreds of miles all around.

VERSE 25: Multitudes of people began to follow Jesus around. These multitudes demanded a great deal from Jesus and often pushed him to the brink of his patience. These multitudes were from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and east of the Jordan River (Perea and Nabatea).

MARK 1: 34 - 45: JESUS PREACHES THROUGHOUT GALILEE.

(See also Luke 5: 12 - 16)

VERSES 35 - 37: Jesus was already feeling pressure from the multitudes, so, before the dawn, he went off by himself and prayed.

VERSE 39: Casting out demons was one type of healing miracle Jesus did very often.

VERSES 40 - 44: Jesus healed a leper and told him to present himself to the priest, for cleansing, as Moses had commanded. Jesus never encouraged anyone to violate the Law of Moses, for he himself was an “orthodox” Jew.

VERSE 45: Jesus became so “popular” that he could not openly enter any town without causing a near riot, so he would “camp” outside the cities and let the people come out to him. It certainly would NOT have helped his new ministry to create public disturbances in all the cities of Galilee.

LUKE 5: 1 - 11: A GREAT DRAFT OF FISHES.

VERSE 1: The crowds are still pressing Jesus. Why? To hear the Word of God. They had not yet gotten greedy for “loaves and fishes” and miracles as they would later.

Lake Gennesaret: Greek form of Chinnareth. In the Old Testament, the Sea of Galilee is called the Sea of Chinnareth (as in Joshua 12: 3). Galilee is actually a large fresh-water lake, about one-third the size of Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho. In Jesus day, this “sea” was called the Sea of Tiberius. Also called Kinnereth and Geausar in some manuscripts.

VERSES 2, 3: Jesus saw 2 fishing boats, but their crews were on land repairing their nets. One of the boats, which belonged to Peter, became a floating “podium” from which Jesus preached to the people on shore.

VERSES 4, 5: Jesus finished his speech and then told Peter to launch out into deeper waters and let his nets out. Jesus had used Peter’s boat, and now was about to pay him for the use of it. Also, as we will see, Peter and his fellows still had something to learn about their discipleship. Peter resisted, citing poor fishing the night before, but went out as Jesus instructed. How often we foolishly question the will of God, because we cannot see His ends and then we wonder why we are not blessed! We need to be more like Peter: “Nevertheless, at your word I will let down the nets.”

VERSES 6, 7: So many fish entered the nets that the two boats were in danger of foundering with the load!

When God blesses, he blesses in full! (See Mal. 3: 10.)

VERSE 8: But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." When a righteous man sees the power of God, he is reminded of his own unworthiness, and falls at the feet of God, weeping.

VERSE 9: This is what Jesus’ miracles were really for: to produce faith in his divine power.

VERSE 10: ALL who saw this miracle believed: Peter, Andrew (not stated directly, but doubtless in the boat with Peter), John, and James. "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." Is this the second time in a few days that Jesus had to repeat his message to his slow-to-learn disciples? Apparently, for the details provided in Matt. 4: 18 - 22 and Mark 1: 16 - 20 are quite different. How foolish these men must have felt to be reminded that they were no longer to be fishermen, but “fishers of men.” Jesus is patient with us, thank God.

VERSE 11: And so, once again, they left their nets to be full time apostles, not just disciples. This miracle so impressed them that after Jesus’ resurrection, a similar miracle by Jesus was considered unmistakable proof of Jesus’ identity. (See John 21: 1 - 7.)

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