Yet Was Not the Net Broken

Towards the beginning of His ministry, the Savior was teaching the people on the Sea of Galilee when He gave this instruction to Peter: “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.”  Peter responded, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”  The result was miraculous: “And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake” (Luke 5:4-6).  They had to get another ship to come and help them bring in all of the fish because their boat was sinking from the weight.  This story shows us symbolically the great blessings that the Lord has for us if we will obey His word.  Peter learned that when He did things the Lord’s way, miracles would take place.  He had enough faith to follow the Lord’s instruction even when it must have seemed pointless—he had been trying all night—and because He believed enough to be obedient, God gave him a miracle.

               What is fascinating about this story is that it happened again three years later after the Savior was resurrected.  The apostles were again at the Sea of Galilee fishing, and it appears that they had once again toiled all night without bringing in any fish: “They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.”  Then “when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore.”  He directed them in these words, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.”  Peter again followed the instructions, and “they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”  In total they “drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three” (John 21:3-11).  The Savior had already performed this same miracle for this same group, and so if He repeated it then the lesson He was trying to get across must have been one He viewed as very important.  In addition to showing them the need to do things the Lord’s way instead of trusting in men’s ability, the Savior was teaching them about their imperative duty to perform missionary work.  After this object lesson the Savior told Peter, “Feed my lambs….  Feed my sheep…. Feed my sheep.”  The catching of the fish was a reminder that there were indeed many fish ready to “catch” to bring into the gospel, but it had to be done in the Lord’s way.  If we try it on our own, the harvest will be meager.  But if we can follow the directions of the Lord of the vineyard, miracles will happen. 

               One of the interesting differences between the two stories is that in the first “their net brake,” whereas in the account in John, “and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken” (Luke 5:6, John 21:11).  I don’t know what we are to learn from this, but I do know that John rarely gave details that didn’t mean anything.  Perhaps the message to Peter was that he was ready to carry on the work without the Savior physically there with him.  He had matured greatly in those three years, and he was going to be able to now lead out the work.  Though the work was great and the burden on Peter to care for the thousands who would come into the Church soon would be enormous, the net was, symbolically speaking, not going to break.  He could successfully carry on the work then, and so we too can find success in missionary labors if we will cast our nets as the Savior directs.