What's the Catch?

Let’s say that you are asked to write the screenplay for a movie about the life of Jesus. In your source material (the Gospel of Mark), Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee by calling the first disciples (Mk 1:16-20): Simon and Andrew, John and James. They were fishermen and he tells them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And they left everything behind and followed him. After this, Mark records a typical day in the life of Jesus (Mk 1:21-39) where, on one Sabbath in Capernaum, he exorcises a man possessed by an unclean spirit, heals Simon’s mother-in-law as well as many others, and leaves town early the next day.

The sequence of events bothers you as a screenwriter because it doesn’t seem plausible that four fishermen would just leave their families and business behind to follow some stranger who happened to be passing by. You need to establish a motivation for the characters in your movie. So you transpose the Capernaum events to occur before the calling of the first disciples. That way, the audience will have seen there’s something special about Jesus. And you will also have Jesus perform a miracle for the fishermen – not just healings or exorcisms – to provide motivation for them to drop everything and follow Jesus.

Alternate Versions of the Same Event?

This is exactly what Luke did with his gospel. We have already discussed how Luke transposed Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth from later in Mark (6:1-5) to the inauguration of his public ministry. Luke follows this with his version of Mark’s events in Capernaum (Lk 4:31-44). Only then does Luke recount the calling of the first disciples (Lk 5:1-11). He uses Mark’s call of the first disciples – along with 4:1-2 – as a frame, but uses his special “L” material as the centerpiece.

The story of the miraculous catch of fish is not in Mark, but it does have similarities to a post-resurrection story found in John (21:1-14). In the Johannine account, the disciples – among whom were Simon Peter and the sons of Zebedee – had returned to their old jobs as fishermen. Having caught nothing all night, a stranger on the shore suggested they cast their net over the right side of the boat and they caught so much fish, they couldn’t pull it into their boats and had to drag it ashore. Only then did they recognize the stranger on the shore “was the Lord.” This story in John is immediately followed by its sequel (21:15-23) in which Jesus twice tells Simon Peter (vv. 19, 22) to “follow me.”

Just like in John’s version, in the Lucan account, Simon and the sons of Zebedee had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus directed them where to cast their nets and they brought in an extraordinary haul of fish, so much so their nets were near breaking and the boats almost sinking. Simon Peter reacts by saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus responds, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And then we rejoin the Marcan frame with the disciples leaving everything behind to follow Jesus.

“You’ve seen the catch, now here’s my offer: Follow me.” The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1545) by Jacopo Bassano

Internal Clues

There are obviously some differences between the two stories – Jesus on the boat in Luke, on the shore in John, for example – but they have similar DNA. Biblical scholars believe that we’re looking at one miracle story that was recalled slightly differently in the sources available to John and Luke.

One clue is Simon’s name in v. 8. This is the only time in Luke’s gospel that he is referred to as “Simon Peter.” Otherwise, Luke calls him “Simon” prior to Jesus giving him the name “Peter” in Lk 6:14. In John’s “fish catch” story he is consistently referred to as “Simon Peter,” so Luke is probably reflecting his private source (“L”) in using the double name.

So is it a miracle story from Jesus’ ministry (Luke) or a post-resurrection encounter (John)? Again, scholars believe that the internal evidence in Luke’s story points to it being a post-resurrection story, and a key point is Simon Peter’s reaction in v. 8.

Faced with the miraculous catch of fish, a natural reaction might be gratitude for the catch or awe at the magnitude of haul. Instead, Simon falls to his knees in front of Jesus and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” The fear, the feeling of unworthiness, and addressing Jesus as “Lord” are consistent with a post-resurrection context in which Peter had previously denied Jesus and feels guilt or shame. Jesus’ reassuring words of “Do not be afraid” are almost standard in post-resurrection appearances.

The events in Luke’s account take place in a boat, so when Simon tells Jesus to “depart from” him, it is not clear how he expects Jesus to do that. However, it would make sense if the original setting took place on land and/or Peter had just recognized the risen Jesus.

Combine this with a setting in which the disciples had returned to fishing in Galilee and the focus on a missionary call specifically to Peter, and perhaps the core of this story is the first post-resurrection appearance to Peter. If this hypothesis is true, the point of the story would be to explain the rehabilitation of Peter after his denial of Jesus and confirm his apostolic mission.

Catchers of Men

Note how Luke changes the challenge of Jesus from “you will be fishers of people” in the Marcan account to “you will be catching people” in the Lucan version. One obvious reason is the grim fate of the fish brought up in the nets. The words usually translated as “catching people” literally means “taking people alive.” Luke wants to put a positive spin on the commission.

The fish are symbolic of the success the disciples will have in bringing in followers. Despite their skill, the disciples cannot do it alone, but with the power of Jesus behind them their achievements will surpass their wildest dreams.