Christ save the fishermen...an example of a savior.

Jesus fills the boat with fish. From this time on the disciples leave their ships and fishing and follow Jesus everywhere (Luke 5:1-11).

The Setting for the Miracle
(5:1-3)

Jesus was standing by the Sea of Galilee, which Luke calls the “lake of Gennesaret” (v. 1).⁹² Around Him a crowd had gathered, listening to Him proclaim the word of God. Beyond the crowd of those who were pressing in on the Lord Jesus, there was the sea of Galilee, and two ships were pulled up on the shore. One ship belonged to Peter (v. 3), and the other belonged to James and John (vv. 7, 10). These four fishermen were not among the crowd. Instead, they were off washing their nets (v. 2). They had spent a long and fruitless night fishing (5).

The amazing thing about this scene is that the wrong people seem to be close to our Lord, and likewise the wrong people seem to be at a distance. You would think that the disciples, Peter and Andrew, James and John, who had spent much time with Jesus, would be those in the inner circle, closest to the Master. Instead, the crowds pressed upon Jesus, and the disciples were at a distance, tending to business, washing their nets. They no doubt looked on with some interest as they worked, but they were surprisingly detached from the Master and from the crowd.

Jesus’ appearance at the lake is, in my opinion, not coincidental. I believe that He purposed to be there, knowing that this is where the disciples would be. It is no accident that the boat into which our Lord stepped, and from which He taught, was Peter’s (v. 3). Jesus seems to merely be doing that which would make His speaking more effective and efficient, as well as providing a way of escape from the crowds when He was finished. I believe, however, that Jesus was seeking the disciples. It was time for them to become permanently attached to Him, accompanying Him wherever He went. The time for a deeper level of commitment and involvement had come. The appearance at the lake that day was for the purpose of bringing about a life-changing decision on the part of Peter and his companions. Jesus would momentarily use the boat as His pulpit, but He was intent on making fishermen fishers of men.