Section 44
Second call of the four
By the Sea of Galilee
| Luke 5:1-11 |
|---|
| 1On one occasion, Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to listen to the word of God. 2He saw two boats moored beside the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one that was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered him, “Master, we have worked hard throughout the entire night and have caught nothing, but at your word I will let down the net.” 6When he and the men with him did so, they enclosed such a large number of fish that their net began to break. 7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and assist them, and they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 9For he and all who were with him were gripped with astonishment at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid0x3B from now on you will be catching people.” 11So they brought their boats to shore, left everything, and followed Jesus. |
Notes
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful blue freshwater lake. Because it is shaped like a harp, it is called Yam Kinneret (Numbers 34:11) in Hebrew, from the word kinnor, which means “harp.” It was also known as the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1) after the large city, built by Herod Antipas, which is located on its shores. It was also called Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1)
The Sea of Galilee is fed by the Jordan River, which brings water from the melting snows of Mount Hermon to the north. Additional water comes from the numerous springs around the lake, many of which are hot springs. The hot water from these springs allows even tropical fish to thrive. The very high rate of evaporation from the lake raises the humidity to an average of 65% in the area over and around the lake; such an environment also enables tropical plants and fruit to grow.
The lake is now 12.5 miles long and 7 miles wide, with a circumference of 32 miles. It may have been slightly longer in Jesus’ time, since the lake may have receded somewhat in the north near Bethsaida. The surface of the lake is about 700 feet below sea level.