Daily Bible Reading 14th May 2026 // Luke 5:1-11
1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
A comparison of the various passages in the gospels which deal with our Lord's summons to the disciples seems to indicate that it was during Jesus' Judaean ministry (recorded in John, chapters 1-4) that Andrew and Peter, in all probability John, and possibly James also, were called to discipleship. This, it would appear, was a call to personal allegiance - their 'conversion' experience, so to speak, which involved association with Jesus, and fellowship with Him, but not in any way that interrupted their daily duty and calling. Then at a later stage, came the call, recorded in Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20 (which may or may not be identified with the incident recorded in this passage in Luke), by which they forsook their nets and followed Jesus - in other words, not so much a call to discipleship as a call to service. Some think that this was also more or less intermittent, and that here, in Luke 5, there was a further 'call', which severed them completely from their secular employment. Then, in Mark 3:13ff, we are told of their appointment as apostles, and in Matthew 10:1ff, their commissioning and sending forth in the gospel and the work of the kingdom. Finally, there was the anointing at Pentecost, and their use of the keys of the kingdom. Thus, in the making of the disciples there were several stages, and their development in that calling was gradual, as they were led on stage by stage, until they 'qualified' in the fullness of the time. They were pupils in the school of Christ. More of this in tomorrow's Note.