The miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5)
This Lord's day's lectionary reading is from Luke 5, the story of the miraculous catch of fish, as nosotros spring forward into Jesus' ministry before returning to the temptations in the desert at the start of Lent. Information technology is a captivating story in its own right, merely it besides raises questions virtually the connections with the account in Marking 1 of the call of the disciples and the story in John 21 of a like miraculous grab after Jesus' resurrection.
The narrative is both full of what looks like eye-witness detail, but told in Luke'southward distinctive fashion. The opening sentence runs through verses 1 and 2, and is structured with several subordinate clauses ('hypotaxis') in contrast with Mark's typical paratactical style in narratives ('and…and…'). At that place is a vivid sense of the oversupply pressing in on Jesus; I cannot recollect of some other place in the gospels where this concrete sense of crowding in is expressed in quite the same way. They take come to hear 'the give-and-take of God', which is Luke's distinctive term for Jesus' bulletin of the kingdom (in Matt 15.6 = Mark 7.xiii and John 10.35 the phrase refers to the Scriptures). Luke uses the phrase in the gospel where it is not present in the parallel accounts (as in Luke viii.eleven and Luke 8.21) and in Acts it becomes a term for the bulletin of the gospel (Acts four.31, half dozen.2, 8.xiv, 12.24 and so on) as it oftentimes does in Paul (i Cor 14.36, 1 Thess two.13 and elsewhere) thus expressing the continuity betwixt the Onetime Attestation, Jesus' educational activity, and the apostolic annunciation.
Luke (lonely in the NT) calls the Ocean of Galilee the 'Lake of Gennesaret', using the Greek expression derived from the OT name Kinneret (Num 34.11, Josh xiii.27) meaning 'harp' (-shaped), some other item confirming that Luke is writing for a non-Jewish patron or audience. In Mark 1.16 Simon and Andrew are 'net-casting' and Matt 4.18 expands this into 'were throwing casting-nets', the amphiblestron being a round net with small weights on the terminate which would be thrown from the shore over a small shoal of fish. In this business relationship, Luke uses a more general term diktuon, which must refer to 'seine' nets that hang in the water and are drawn in from the gunkhole to grab a larger shoal. They were made of linen, and then visible to the fish during the day and therefore only used at night, and needed to exist done each morning. Luke's description of Simon and Andrew's practice thus fits historical detail precisely.
I dear the detail that Jesus sees 'two boats' and that he gets into one of them; the other boat then comes into play in the second half of the story when Simon and his companions telephone call on those with the other boat to help with the catch. (Luke as well has an involvement in numbers, for example in noting the 276 people in the shipwreck in Acts 27.37, a 'triangular' number, as well every bit in numerical composition, so it might be that the 'two' boats advise the reliability of testimony as per Deut 17.6—only that is speculative, and I oasis't plant this mentioned in commentaries.) Information technology has been tempting for preachers to talk of Simon as a 'poor' fisherman, but this involves imposing a postal service-industrial configuration of wealth and poverty on an agrarian club. Angling would fit with other artisan skills and be above subsistence or tenant farming, in turn above hired casual labour, and would not be especially 'poor'. Nosotros see both here and in Mark 1.20's mention of the 'hired men' that these fishermen own their own boats and their business.
This region of the shore of Galilee is characterised by a series of small, curved bays, and one of them is at present known equally 'Sower'due south Bay' from the delineation in Mark 4.1 of Jesus telling that parable from the boat (Luke eight.4 doesn't give the situation). The curved depository financial institution of the shore functions like the seating in an amphitheatre, making it easy to hear someone speaking from the border of the h2o or sitting in a boat—I know because I accept done it!
In that location are several hit things about the second one-half of the narrative. The kickoff is that the crowd rapidly disappears from view, and nosotros have an nigh Johannine sense of personal run across betwixt Jesus and one individual, Simon. Although Simon'due south business concern partners (referred to in v 7 with the nigh technical term metochos, softened to the later on 'partner', koinonos in v 10) are mentioned, the narrative keeps returning to Simon—his reaction and his commissioning.
Secondly, his applied questioning of Jesus' pedagogy (after all, it is Simon who is the expert at fishing!) and yet obedience to the command of the 'master' parallels the response of Mary to the angel Gabriel 'How can this exist…?' in Luke one.34. But the shape of the encounter overall has a stronger parallel with OT encounters with the holiness of God; Joel Green notes the structural parallel with Isaiah's epiphany, despite the contrasts in setting:
| Luke 5.1–11 | Isa 6.1–10 | |
| vv 4–seven (nine–10a) | epiphany | vv 1–4 |
| v 8 | reaction | v 5 |
| v 10b | reassurance | v 7 |
| v 10b | commission | vv 8–10 |
It is notable that Luke recounts this story in a different position from Mark, where in Mark 1.18 the response of the disciples to Jesus' call seems strangely abrupt. We have been told little about Jesus' educational activity and ministry building, his miracles being postponed to Mark's business relationship of a 'typical twenty-four hours' in the ministry building of Jesus later in the affiliate, including the healing of Simon'southward mother-in-law. But Luke locates this committee within Jesus' ministry, so Simon'due south mother-in-law has already been healed (Luke 4.38–39) and others have been delivered from demons, which lends this business relationship a 'narrative plausibility' which was highly valued by Graeco-Roman rhetoricians.
Thirdly, Peter's reaction and cry that he is a 'sinner' is quite startling. In that location is no suggestion here that Peter is a particular bad or unworthy person for whatsoever specific reason, but he recognises the vast difference between himself and Jesus. The term Luke uses to limited the 'astonishment' of Simon and his companions in v nine, thambos, is regularly used of the dread that comes over those who see the awesome holiness of God. In other words, they are not just astonished at the inexplicable miracle; they realise that they are in the presence of someone who is (w)hol(l)y other. This is Luke's first apply of the discussion 'sinner', and it introduces a theme complementary to the accent we have seen previously on God'due south honouring the piously devout: Jesus came to 'telephone call sinners to repentance' (Luke 5.32), a summary statement that gathers this sequence of stories together. This focus emphasises both the difference between Jesus and those he has come up to and his purlieus-crossing initiative also as the content of his message, that of the transformation that comes with repentance, a theme nosotros run into all through the gospel which reaches a climax in the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19.
Fourthly, the take hold of of fish, and the whole activity of fishing, becomes a metaphor for the ministry of the gospel to which Simon and his companions are called—though it is worth noting that, in the gospel itself, the disciples are almost invisible, in contrast with Matthew and Mark, since the focus on their ministry will come in Luke's 2d book. (And, sadly, the Greek text does not offer the nice pun we have in English, irresolute fisher-men to fishers-of-men, equally the Greek term is only halieis who get halieis anthropon in Mark and Matthew—and Luke stays fifty-fifty further away past but saying 'Yous will take hold of alive [zogreo] people' in v 10.) Nosotros will run across the metaphorical gunkhole of the early church building filled most to sinking throughout Acts, every bit on several occasions thousands come up to organized religion in Jesus at a time, and the structural nets of leadership need expanding and reconsidering, not least when the 'gentile mission' takes off nether Paul'southward ministry building.
In the Quondam Testament, the image of catch and landing fish was mostly negative, sometimes existence an image for warfare, merely often associated with God'southward eschatological judgement:
The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The fourth dimension will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks." (Amos 4.2)
You have made people similar the fish in the sea…The wicked foe pulls all of them upwards with hooks, he catches them in his net… (Hab 1.14–15)
"But now I will send for many fishermen," declares the LORD, "and they will catch them. After that I will transport for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mount and loma and from the crevices of the rocks." (Jer 16.xvi)
Although judgement is non absent from Luke'due south clarification of Jesus' ministry, here the strong association is between the oversupply pressing in to hear the word of God, and the extraordinary catch of fish. Jesus' commission to Simon (and the others) to 'catch people alive' is clearly offered equally a parallel to his own ministry of didactics and calling people to repentance. Whereas a fisherman catches fish to kill and sell them, Simon will 'catch' people from death to set them free into the life of the kingdom. And this moment of grace in the bulletin of the gospel delays the day of judgement and invites response.
Fifthly and finally, there is an unmistakable accent on a decisive break with the past. 'From now on' they will be doing something quite dissimilar, and this means that, pulling their boats up on the shore (another prissy 'eye-witness' particular) they leave everything—their business, their boats, their livelihood, and even this bodily catch which could exist sold. Where Marker emphasises the break with family loyalties ('they left their father…' Mark one.20), Luke emphasises the economical consequences of the determination.
Leaving all that has been of value, they will at present observe their fundamental sense of belonging and being in relationship to Jesus, the community beingness built around him, and the redemptive purpose he serves. (Joel Light-green, NIC commentary on Luke, p 235).
Every bit a postscript, I note that commentators from a previous generation who were wedded to form-critical approaches to the text and postulated a long time menstruation between the events of Jesus' life and the writing of the gospels, in which the oral tradition allowed stories to develop in quite contained directions, saw John 21 and Luke 5 every bit two re-workings originating from one story. A summary of this is found in the footnotes to the New American Bible (NAB):
At that place are many not-Johannine peculiarities in this chapter, some suggesting Lucan Greek way; yet this passage is closer to John than John 7:53-8:eleven. In that location are many Johannine features besides. Its closest parallels in the synoptic gospels are found in Luke 5:one-11 and Matthew 14:28-31. Maybe the tradition was ultimately derived from John merely preserved by some disciple other than the writer of the rest of the gospel. The appearances narrated seem to exist independent of those in John twenty. Even if a later improver, the chapter was added before publication of the gospel, for it appears in all manuscripts.
And withal even the most cursory of assessments of the setting of the story, the people involved, the location of Jesus, and theological bug communicated, the reaction of those involved, and the narrative consequences, make this a completely unpersuasive statement.
Follow me on Twitter @psephizo.Like my page on Facebook.
Much of my work is washed on a freelance basis. If yous accept valued this post, would you lot considerdonating £1.twenty a month to support the production of this web log?
If y'all enjoyed this, do share it on social media (Facebook or Twitter) using the buttons on the left. Follow me on Twitter @psephizo. Similar my page on Facebook.
Much of my work is done on a freelance basis. If you have valued this mail, you can brand a single or echo donation through PayPal:
Comments policy: Adept comments that engage with the content of the post, and share in respectful debate, tin add real value. Seek offset to understand, so to be understood. Brand the most charitable construal of the views of others and seek to acquire from their perspectives. Don't view debate equally a conflict to win; address the argument rather than tackling the person.
Source: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/the-miraculous-catch-of-fish-luke-5/
0 Response to "The miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5)"
Post a Comment