Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 5:10

"and so were also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." — Luke 5:10 (ASV)

Luke now moves quickly to three focal points in his narrative. (1) He describes the gathering of the fish. The details of the breaking nets and loaded boats help give the narrative the ring of truth. (2) The miracle moves Peter, overcome by awe, to abase himself before Jesus. He is gripped not merely by a sense of his inferiority to the “Lord,” but by his own sinfulness (in spite of his being a law-abiding Jew) (cf. Isaiah 6:5). Luke’s reason for including this incident may be not only to portray the confrontation of human sinfulness with Jesus but also to show that to receive the saving grace of Christ a “sinful” person must repent. (3) Peter obeys Jesus in letting down the net, and Jesus follows this up by declaring that he will “catch men” from then on (v.10b). In view of Luke’s emphasis on the kindness of God reaching out to embrace all humankind, this phrase signifies a beneficent ingathering of human fish. It presages the widening horizons of both Luke and Acts, culminating, in a sense, in Peter’s vision symbolizing the reception of Gentiles into the church and his subsequent witness to the Gentile Cornelius (Acts 10:9–48, esp. vv.34–35).

The disciples then leave everything and follow Jesus, underscoring the condition of discipleship Jesus taught later on (14:33; cf. 18:22).