Yak Pak Weekend of January 30th/31st

The Miraculous Catch

Our hope is for our kids to know that: When Jesus called the Disciples with power, they could not resist  

¹⁷ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
Mark 1:17 (NIV)

Read:
(Open the bible and read to your child Luke 5:1-11) Large crowds would gather to listen to Jesus teach. It was during one of these teachings that Jesus went into a boat and pushed away from shore a little bit. This was so the crowds could see and hear him. Peter was nearby cleaning his nets after having an unsuccessful time trying to catch fish. When Jesus finished teaching he asked Peter to let down his nets into the water. Peter explains that he had fished all night with no success. Also it made little sense to fish in the middle of the day, since night time and early mornings are the best time to catch fish. However, Peter followed the instructions and lowered his nets. When he pulled them up the nets were full, so much so that they began to break. After this miracle Jesus told Peter that he would become fishers of men. At that point Peter followed Jesus and his ministry. Peter had seen enough to know that this was the messiah, he couldn’t resist following Him.

The Jesus Connection:
How does today’s Bible story fit into God’s greater plan of redemption? Luke 19:10 says that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. In our story today, Jesus seeks out a man named Peter and a few of his fishing companions and calls them to join him in his mission to reach the world. Though they were accustomed to netting fish, Jesus told them they were called to catch men (Luke 5:10). Like Peter, whom the Lord did not condemn for his sin, they would join Jesus in calling others. The picture of the nets, bursting with fish, depicts the kingdom of God. Through his death on the cross, Jesus would call men from every tribe, language, and nation. This catching of men would only be possible through the grace of God available through Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection.
Jesus called other men as well and they responded and followed him. For instance, when Jesus told Nathanael where he had been earlier in the day–before they met–and went on to describe the setting, Nathanael was amazed. He instantly believed and praised Jesus, saying, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49).