“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”

  Miracle #5-   “PETER’S FIRST CATCH OF FISH” (Luke 5:1-4,5-8,9-11)

“…we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5)

Israel’s history is knee deep in fish … Exodus 7:18; Numbers 11:5;
2 Chronicles 33:14; Nehemiah 13:16; Isaiah 50:2; Jonah 1:17 … and so on. Men get eaten by fish, and fish get eaten by men.  

Jonah gets eaten by a great fish, called a whale. Some King James Bible hating Biologist, Carl Linnaeus in the 1800’s, re-classified animals, and birds, and said the whale is not a fish … thereby hoping to discredit the Bible.  

Jesus, having shown his power over creation with water into wine at Cana, Christ now extends his power to the things that live in the water.

So much so, he has the power for a particular fish to find a coin under the water, swallow it, then have it swim by to be caught by one of the disciples, in order that a tax may be paid (Matthew 17:27). Now that’s some God.

Dear Reader, Christ created the water, and all things in it, and so it is no big deal for Christ to command the fish to fill Peter’s nets and so on. Here is Christ re-enacting God’s fish miracles of the Old Testament. Surely this would have had Israel put two and two together … Christ was God in the flesh.

We notice the order in this miracle:
1. Christ first preaches and teaches first before fishing takes place.

“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.” (Luke 5:3-4)

In the spiritual, there is the foolishness of preaching first so that souls can then be saved.

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1Corinthians 1:18, 21; Romans 1:16)

2. Peter answers with hesitation, unbelief and lack of obedience.

… Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. (Luke 5:5)

Peter shows a reluctance and is hesitant with an explanation … as if the Lord didn’t know they had been failures with catching any fish. Lagging obedience needs repentance.

3. Confession of unbelief
“When Simon Peter saw it, (the draught of fish caught) he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8)

The man of God can waste his time in fishing for souls should he do this under his own strength. First repentance is needed followed by instant obedience.

Harley Hitchcock
April 2023

www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com


JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
  Miracle #6-   CHRIST HEALS THE LEPER
(Matthew 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-43,44-45; Luke 5:12-14)

 The most feared disease in the Old Testament was leprosy, starting with Miriam (Numbers 12:10). It was incurable except for a visit to the priest where animal blood was shed (Leviticus 13:1-59)

 POINTS TO CONSIDER:


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