Luke 5
A great catch of fish and the first disciples
And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And 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. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And 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. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And 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. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And 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. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Jesus teaches the crowds from Simon's boat on the Lake of Gennesaret, then tells him to let down his nets. After a night of catching nothing, they haul in so many fish that two boats begin to sink. Simon falls at Jesus' knees, saying he is a sinful man; Jesus tells him not to be afraid, for from now on he will catch people. Simon, James and John leave everything and follow him.
What does this mean?
The Greek behind "catch men" (KJV) means to take alive, which the WEB's "catching people alive" reflects.
Historical context
The Lake of Gennesaret is the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake about 21 km long; Luke, unlike Mark and Matthew, never calls it a sea. Fishermen worked at night with nets. A first-century fishing boat recovered from the lakeshore mud in 1986 was about 8 metres long.
Why does it matter?
Luke's account of the first call follows a miracle, unlike Mark's brief version (Mark 1:16–20). John's Gospel tells of a similar catch after the resurrection (John 21:1–14). Simon's awe and sense of unworthiness resemble Isaiah's response to his vision of God (Isaiah 6:5).
Editorial notes, not scripture.