The present text (Luke 5:1-11) is preceded by the beginning of the Galilean Ministry of Jesus. This includes
the beginning of his preaching, e.g. the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah
in him, and confrontation with the demoniac curing the sick in Capernaum,
etc. The calling of the first disciples is followed by series of curing the
sick such as lepers and paralytics. The chapter culminates with the calling of
another disciple, Levi, and Jesus’ presence in the reception prepared by Levi,
celebrated with other tax collectors and sinners.
The verse, being
situated between Jesus’ teaching ministry and miraculous healing of the sick
and exorcism of the demons, presents a justified consequence. The surrounding
materials mentioned above, particularly those that preceded the calling of the
first disciples, justify the seemingly unhesitating answer and act of
discipleship made by Simon and his companions to Jesus’ call. The exemplary and
eloquent preaching of Jesus in Nazareth, on the fulfillment of the prophecy of
the prophet Isaiah, and the miracles he had performed, set well a background
for a prompt response from those he would call to be his disciples.
Through a
detailed analysis of various translations of the pertinent gospel text, there
are no significant difference in the translations used, save that of difference
in some wordings and grammatical syntax, which posit no significant meaning in
the interpretation of the who text.
Following the
forms enumerated by Dibellius, this verse
can be considered as a paradigm.[1]
The manner through which the first disciples were called can be a great example
for others who think that Jesus calls them too in a life of discipleship. The experience
on how Simon came about his answer to Jesus call can be an encouraging event
that can fully convince those who may have doubt regarding Jesus’ call for
them. His teaching and miracles further assure the person being called to a
life in the Lord, just like how Simon and his companions were later assured by
Jesus in the succeeding accounts.
In the text, Jesus
takes the center stage in the beginning of this verse in Luke, commanding and
teaching, thus being the subject of the verbs utilized by the author. However,
in the second half of the verse, Simon takes his turn. He became the performer
of the actions mentioned, reasoning out to Jesus for His seeming illogical
command, lowering the nets, nevertheless, signaled his companions for help, and
eventual kneeling on the feet of Jesus. In the latter part of the account,
Jesus comes back as the main focus in the verse, uttering the punch line: "Do
not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." It can be said that
throughout the verse, there is a movement of the focus from Jesus to Simon and
to Jesus again.
The central
event in this gospel passage is the calling of Simon and his companions as the
first disciples of Jesus. It presents to us an example of how Jesus calls or
invites a person to be His disciple.
Set in the shore
of the lake Gennesaret (Luke, being a good historian,
is concerned to locate events in history.
And in this case, he made mentioned of Gennesaret as the location of
this account. ) [2]
there is the atmosphere of openness and willingness, to listen and to obey. Set
in between the preaching and miracle work of Jesus, the calling of the first
disciples is presented as sort of pose to prove the effects of the truths Jesus
preached and manifested.
Furthermore, it
is set during the part of the day when fishermen went back from fishing. In
this case, when Simon and his companions went back from fishing disappointed.
This may convey a kind of symbolism; disappointed persons being consoled by the
Lord, the Lord being there for those who are in need offering something to
them, something better than those that which disappoints them.
In detail, the
main characters involved in this gospel text were Jesus, Simon, the crowd, and
Simon’s companions. Between Jesus and the crowd, there was a great anxiety in
the former to listen to the latter, so much so Jesus felt it was necessary for
him to take a boat to preach off shore, and preach from a distance to avoid any
untoward incident that might happen. Jesus and Simon seemed not to be new
persons to one another, for in the preceding account, Jesus healed Simon’s
mother-in-law (Lk 4:38-39).
Luke tries to
communicate the story through a combination of narrative and dialogical method
of presentation. He narrated and showed well the shifting of the attitude of
the Simon towards Jesus, though remained to be unchanged, ever firm in his
words and command from the beginning of the account. Luke allowed the
characters to utter the words they supposed to say and the emotions they
supposed to feel.
The story is
situated between the preaching and miracle works of Jesus. As mentioned above,
this is so to justify the eventual answer of Simon and his companions to the
invitation of Jesus to be his disciples. By this and through the ascending
events that followed it, the outcome of the story is not surprising at all.
Simon’s being a
fisherman can be discuss further, as it posits interest and relevance in
understanding deeper the present gospel text. In the beginning of the account,
the hesitance in Simon’s heart can be felt between the lines, as Jesus asked him
to cast the net again.[3]
After all, Simon is a person who had been in fishing prior to his discipleship.
One can imagine the skepticism in Simon as he said “But Master, we have worked
hard all night and have caught nothing," As if he is saying “I am the
fisherman here, you are a carpenter.” But nonetheless Simon obeyed “but at your
command I will lower the nets.” The fish he missed to catch in the night, lo
and behold, he was able to catch. It was a large catch, indeed, too large that
both boats were in their breaking point. The unexpected catch caused an
unexpected change in the heart of Simon, from a skeptic to a believer,
eventually, to a disciple. That is the process undergone by Simon’s yes to
Jesus. Simon needed to have a big catch of fish in order for Jesus to catch
him, a big fish.
In summary, Jesus
calls us to follow Him, to obey His will. Should we do so, we will never be
disappointed, but rather experience His holy presence. Like Simon, we too will
be able to have the courage to serve Him, with a whole heart, mind and soul. Thus,
obedience in Jesus’ will cast away the doubts in our hearts, and let in the
rays of certainty and courage to commit one’s self to Him.
[1]David Wenham and Steve Walton, Exploring
the New Testament (Great Britain: Society for promoting Christian
Knowledge, 2001) p. 71.
[2] Etienne Charpentier, How to
read the New Testament (Quezon City: Clarentian publications, 1997) p. 83.
[3] Thomas E. Boomershine, PhD, A
Storytelling Commentary on Luke 5:1-11, accessed from http://gotell.org/pdf/commentary/Luke/Lk05_01-11_commentary.pdf
on July 20, 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment