I recently read John 21, one of my favorite chapters, about which I’ve written before in a blog entitled Last Lessons. It’s worth reading the blog if only to see the beautiful way an artist captured the main points. This time I saw remarkable parallels between the fishing story in John 21 and the one recorded in Luke 5.

Here’s how they start:

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, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 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. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5.1 – 5, ESV)

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (John 21.1 – 3, ESV)

You can read both stories in their entirety in Luke 5.1 – 11 and John 21.1 – 22. Here’s what I saw:

• Same lake (Gennesaret is on the west side of the Sea of Tiberias (or Sea of Galilee)
• Some of the same men, including Peter, James, and John
• Fished all night and caught nothing
• At Jesus’ word, they almost had more fish than they could bring in
• Peter sees himself as “a sinful man” in Luke 5 and is guilt-ridden (by inference) over his denial of Jesus in John 21
• Peter is called: to fish for people in Luke 5 and to “feed my sheep” in John 21
• Both stories end with “follow me” (comparing Luke 5 with Matthew 4.19, 20).

Two separate events, one at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the other at the end. Peter is twice called to leave an unsuccessful fishing adventure turned monumentally successful. “Do you see this miracle? Follow me.” Repetition. Confirmation. My job is to hear and respond to Jesus’ call no matter how many times he has to repeat it and no matter what his will is for someone else.

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21.20 – 22, ESV)