PIETRO, Expert fisherman son of fishermen, CAST THE NETS ON THE WORD OF A CARPENTER'S SON

Jesus, who was a carpenter, He was not a fishing expert, Yet Simone the fisherman trust this Rabbi, that does not give him answers but calls him to rely. His reaction to the miraculous catch is that of amazement and trepidation: "Man, depart from me, I am a sinner"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Peter was a believing and observant Jew, confident in the active presence of God in the history of his people, and saddened by not seeing his powerful action in the events he was involved in, to the present, witness. At this juncture his first encounter with Jesus takes place.

The Synoptic Gospels inform us that Peter he is among the first four disciples of the Nazarene (LC 5,1-11), to which a fifth is added, according to the custom of each Rabbi to have five disciples (LC 5,27: Levi's call). When Jesus goes from five to twelve disciples (LC 9,1-6), finally the novelty of his mission will be clear. He is not one of many rabbis, but he came to gather eschatological Israel, symbolized by the number twelve, how many were the tribes of Israel. The Gospels allow us to follow Peter's spiritual journey step by step. The starting point is the call from Jesus. It happens on any given day, while Pietro is busy with his work as a fisherman. Jesus is at the lake of Gennesaret and the crowd crowds around him to listen to him. The number of listeners creates a certain discomfort. The Master sees two boats moored to the shore; the fishermen have come down and are washing their nets. He then asks to get on the boat, that of Simone, and begs him to move away from the ground. Sitting on that improvised desk, he begins to teach the crowds from the boat. And so Peter's boat becomes Jesus' chair. When he finished speaking, dice a Simone:

«”Take to the sea and lower the fishing nets! Simone replies: “Maestro, we toiled all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the nets”».

Jesus, who was a carpenter, He was not a fishing expert, Yet Simone the fisherman trust this Rabbi, that does not give him answers but calls him to rely. His reaction to the miraculous catch is that of amazement and trepidation: "Man, depart from me, I am a sinner" (LC 5,8). Jesus responds by inviting him to trust and to open up to a project that goes beyond all his prospects: "Do not fear; from now on you will be a fisher of men". Let's reread this exciting story:

"During that time, while the crowd crowded around him to hear the word of God, Jesus, standing near the lake of Gennèsaret, he saw two boats pulled up to the shore. The fishermen had gone down and were washing their nets. He got into a boat, which was Simone's, and asked him to move away from the ground a little. He sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he finished speaking, said Simone: «Put out into the deep and cast your nets for a catch». Simone replied: «Maestro, we toiled all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will cast the nets ". They did so and caught a huge quantity of fish and their nets almost broke. Then they signaled to their companions on the other boat, to come and help them. They came and filled both boats until they almost sank. Upon seeing this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus' knees, saying: "Man, get away from me, because I am a sinner". In fact, amazement had invaded him and all those who were with him, for the fishing they had done; so also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simone's partners. Jesus said to Simon: "Do not fear; from now on you will be a fisher of men". E, pull the boats ashore, they left everything and followed him" (LC 5,1-11).

Luke's story follows the outline of MC 1,16-20 to which it refers, but with its own insertions and the addition of a scene that closely resembles that of GV 21, where there is a now resurrected Jesus who dialogues with Peter for a definitive call to follow him. While two Sundays ago we left Jesus in Nazareth not understood and even rejected; here instead people are looking for Him and Peter, in particular, leaves everything to follow the Master. From this initial moment we grasp the particular attention and esteem that the evangelist Luke directs towards this disciple; something he had evidently learned and inherited from the primitive community. We note in fact that, while in Matthew and Mark the formula of vocation is in the plural, «Come after me, I will make you fishers of men " (MC 1, 17; Mt 4,19), in the Lucanian story it is in the second person, that of Peter. And in the background, in unsuccessful fishing, we can already metaphorically glimpse the apostolic labors of the first Christian communities.

The narrative of the miraculous catch, indeed, presents the features of a catechesis on faith through which the Lord overturns closed and hopeless human situations. Peter becomes its paradigm. In his words, "We struggled all night and didn't catch anything", there is not only bitterness and disappointment for the inane peach, but there is also a stronger meaning that designates exhaustion and physical tiredness (cf.. the verb I'm working hard (kopiao). An experience that we frequently find in the Bible, especially in the Psalms: «I am exhausted by my complaints» (Shall 6, 7; cf.. also Shall 69, 4; Shall 127, 1); and that ancient Israel had experienced several times during its events. There is therefore a space of disappointment and limitation in which God acts. For that relationship between the present text and the chapter 21 of the Gospel of John, mentioned above, we understand that without the presence of the Lord the disciples tire themselves out in vain to the point of exhaustion. But He is present, which invites us to cast our nets again, everything changes. The first transformation occurs in the trust of the disciple and here it is Peter who explains it: «on your word I will lower the nets" (LC 5,4).

But faced with the miraculous catch it seems the amazement recorded is not enough (v. 9) from Luca, since Peter feels he must say: «get away from me, because I am a sinner". For some, once again the parallel passage from John where the dialogue between the Risen One and Peter should help us, centered on love, it serves the apostle to heal the wound of denial on the night of passion. But maybe, simply, given that here the Apostle appears as the protagonist for the first time in the Gospel, the request for forgiveness is to be understood as the recognition of one's own fragility in the face of the manifestation of God's greatness and the fulfillment of "his word". But what is even more striking is Jesus' attitude towards the disciple from whom he heard the confession of guilt.. He doesn't underline it, he doesn't insist on it, since it does not say everything about Peter's life, who will have to go through multiple confessions. Jesus, rather than underlining the sinfulness of the future apostle, he prefers to invite him to trust and follow: "Do not fear; from now on you will be a fisher of men". Here it is worth underlining the verb used by Luke to designate this fishing of men and not of fish, since in Greek «zogreo» contains within itself both the word ζῷον (zoos vivo) that the verb ἀγορεύω (agreuo, take hunting or fishing). It is therefore a matter of taking alive, of a capture leaving alive (cf.. vocabulary Rocks). In this way the pastoral work of Peter and his associates (v.10), metaphorically expressed through fishing which was their original profession - and here the abundant fishing of GV 21, 11: 153 big fish hauled into the boat, without the network dividing – it will be a service to life. Those who, through their ministry, they will be reached by the Gospel, they will be drawn to Christ, the living bringer of life: "I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance" (GV 10, 10).

 

From the Hermitage, 8 February 2025

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