And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Luke said in the beginning of his gospel (Luke 1:3,4) It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. It’s not that the other gospels can’t be trusted, but I always keep these words in mind when reading Luke’s account. He was very attentive to detail. And we see this in his account of this matter especially when we put this up against the other gospels:
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20)
Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)
So Simon Peter forsook all to follow Jesus. And if we had only read Matthew and Mark, we wouldn’t have known the story behind Peter’s conversion, so to speak. Yes, there was more to the story, and Luke has told it to us here in the text. It took a miracle for Peter to come to Jesus. And it’s going to take a miracle to get any sinner to God. That being said, any sinner that has bowed before God under real Holy Ghost conviction and asked for mercy can relate to when Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. I wonder at the amazing work of Christ to bring a sinner to that place of repentance. Like the old song sings I know not how the Spirit moves, Convincing men of sin, Revealing Jesus through the Word, Creating faith in Him.
What was it about the fish that brought Peter to his knees? It was much more than ohs and ahs. Surely all of us have seen some awesome things happen in nature, things that strike you with a Woe! Giant whales bolting out of the water? The Shamu show at Sea World I remember was pretty exhilarating. But has a sight like that ever brought you to your knees in despair of your sin? He wasn’t just astonished. He was afraid; afraid for his sinful condition. For Jesus said Fear not.
This is all I can say: It takes a miracle for a lost sinner to see his sinful condition. God came to where Peter was at. He got right in the middle of who Peter was and what Peter did. He moved all of nature in order that Peter might know him. It may seem like a little thing, but God may be trying to get your attention. Jesus first told Peter to thrust out a little. That was the first step. It was just a little. Oh if you’d just respond to God a little. He may be trying to show you something. He may be trying to take you to a place where he can open your understanding.
If you’ll just take that first step, he’ll take you the rest of the way. I remember Preacher Allen saying during an invitation The first step is the hardest step. I remember the night before I got saved, as we drove back from church, as we crossed the railroad tracks, I said to myself I’m lost. The next morning, all of glory came down and I met the lowest sin-sick soul; the chiefest of sinners. It was a miracle I can never explain. And to this day I’m still astonished and fearful of it. Respond to God is all I can say. Be honest with him.
Paul said (Romans 10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. It takes both. It takes a miracle of God to get those two working together. Peter said I am a sinful man, O Lord. The O Lord is just as important as the I am a sinful man.