From Fisherman to Follower – a Luke 5 Story

Simon and his fellow fishermen had been out on the lake for hours, but they hadn’t caught anything. They were tired, hungry, and frustrated. As they were cleaning their nets, a man walked up to Simon and asked to borrow his boat. The man was Jesus, and he stepped onto the boat and asked Simon to push it out into the water.

Jesus began to teach the people who had gathered on the shore, and Simon listened intently. When Jesus finished teaching, he turned to Simon and said, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

Simon was skeptical. They had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything. But he decided to obey Jesus anyway, and he and his friends let down the nets. Suddenly, the nets were full of fish, so many that they began to break.

Simon was amazed and fell to his knees before Jesus, saying, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" But Jesus replied, "Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."

Simon and his friends left everything and followed Jesus. They became his disciples, learning from him and spreading his message to others. They saw him perform miracles and heal the sick, and they were filled with awe and wonder at his power.

One day, the religious leaders came to Jesus and asked why he was eating with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus replied, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Simon and his friends were amazed at Jesus’ words. They had left everything to follow him, but Jesus had come for the sinners and outcasts of society. They realized that Jesus’ message was for everyone, not just the religious elite.

As they continued to follow Jesus, they saw him perform even more amazing things. He healed a man who was paralyzed, forgave the sins of a woman, and raised a young girl from the dead. They saw his compassion for the people, his love for the Father, and his unwavering commitment to his mission.

In the end, Simon and his friends were forever changed by their encounter with Jesus. They went from being fishermen to being fishers of men, sharing the good news with everyone they met. They saw that Jesus’ message was one of love, hope, and redemption, and they devoted their lives to spreading it to the world.

"But Jesus replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’" – Luke 5:31-32