Verses 1-11 “1And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3And 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.
4Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5And 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.
6And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7And 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.
8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10And 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.
11And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.”
There is reason to believe that Peter followed Jesus intermittently in the beginning (see John 1:42-44), but on this occasion the Big Fisherman leaves his boat to go with Jesus full time. This was apparently also the case with Andrew, James, and John, Peter’s partners in the fishing business. The sale of two shiploads of fish would provide funds to begin their ministry; and this miracle, no doubt, convinced the fishers that Jesus was able to supply all their needs as they followed the Messiah.
The miracle was not a miracle of creation (making the fish appear out of thin air). It was a miracle of provision, bringing the fish into the net supernaturally. It proves that God is able to cause all of creation to obey Him.
The great draw of fish caused Peter, an experienced fisherman, to be so amazed at Jesus power that he fell at Jesus’ feet in repentance and worship. When we get an understanding of the Lord’s greatness, love, grace, and holiness it will humble us before Him and cause us to confess our own sinfulness and unworthiness. Peter said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
We are reminded that the apostle John, when he saw a glorified vision of Jesus, “fell at His feet as dead” (Rev 1:17). Israel at Sinai, cried “Let not God speak to us, lest we die!” (Ex 20:19). Isaiah saw the Lord and said, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Is 6:5). Ezekiel saw the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD and said ” When I saw it, I fell upon my face” (Eze 1:28). When Saul of Tarsus saw a light from heaven on the road to Damascus, he fell to the earth and said “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do” (Acts 9:3-6)? This was also the experience of Peter. It shows us that the goodness of God should lead us to repentance (Rom 2:4).