From now on, you will fish for people.

A Gospel Enquiry

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen whose lives changed when they encountered Jesus on Lake Galilee. The story of their calling is the Gospel for Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time. 

One day while Jesus was standing beside Lake Galilee, many people were pressing all around him to hear the word of God. Jesus saw two boats at the shore of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Jesus got into one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, and asked him to push off a little from the land. Then Jesus sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat.

When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and put your nets in the water to catch some fish.”

Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will.” When the fishermen did as Jesus told them, they caught so many fish that the nets began to break. They called to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they were almost sinking.

When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” He and the other fishermen were amazed at the many fish they caught, as were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” When the men brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:1-11 - New Century Version)

SEE

• What are the facts of this event in the lives of Peter, Andrew, James and John? Have you experienced a call from Jesus to follow him, to be his disciple? How did you respond?

• Why did Peter, Andrew, James and John choose to leave their lives as fishermen and join Jesus in his mission? When and where have you observed people being motivated to follow Jesus, just as these fishermen were motivated to follow him? 

• What happened because the fishermen chose to follow Jesus? Have you seen similar consequences in your life? Who has been affected by people you know becoming disciples of Jesus? How have they been affected? 

JUDGE 

• What do you think of the decision made by the four fishermen to follow Jesus? Is Peter’s experience of being unworthy of the call to discipleship an essential element of being a follower of Jesus?

• What does your faith tell you about being a follower or disciple of Jesus? Which Gospel stories do you draw on to deepen your understanding of discipleship? 

• Ideally, should people be giving up their livelihood in order to follow Jesus? Or is there another way of looking at this story that makes it transformational for all people? 

ACT 

• What needs to change so that people can follow Jesus no matter what their circumstances are in life? 

• What action can you take over the next week to bring about this change?  

• Who can you involve in your action and how can they help to transform the world?

Author: Pat Branson

Image source: https://pastorkaren.org/2021/01/24/how-to-fish-for-people/