The Miracle a Fisherman Couldn't Explain Away
Month 3: Come, Follow Me · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 5:4-9 & John 21:6
4 When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” 9 For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, — Luke 5:4-9
6 He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish. — John 21:6
Memory Verse
“And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.”— Luke 5:11 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Samuel 13-15
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 77 of 365 — Saul disobeys, and "to obey is better than sacrifice.")The Heart of It
Here's what makes this miracle so convincing. It happened in front of the worst possible audience for a fake. Peter was a professional fisherman. He had just spent the whole night proving the lake was empty. He knew the water, the season, the depth, the timing. And he knew there were no fish to be had. So when Jesus fills the nets to the breaking point, Peter can't shrug it off as luck or wishful thinking. Luke even tells us that "he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken" (). The expert was stunned by his own catch. You can fool a crowd of beginners. You can't fool the man who fishes that lake for a living.
And it happened twice. tells us that after the resurrection, Jesus stood on the shore and again told these same men where to drop the net. And again it came up bursting with fish. Two miraculous catches, three years apart, one near the start of Jesus' ministry and one near the end. Both were witnessed by hard-nosed men of the sea. The disciples didn't follow Jesus because they were gullible dreamers. They followed because they kept running headfirst into things that no one who actually knew fishing could explain away. Real faith isn't believing without evidence. It's trusting the One who keeps proving Himself trustworthy, right in the area where you know the most.
Around the Table
Peter knew ALL about fishing. And even HE was amazed! Only God could fill those nets.
Let's do it: Make a surprised face like Peter. Then say, "Wow! Only Jesus could do that!"
A miracle is easier to believe when it happens in front of an expert. Peter was the fishing expert. And he was amazed.
Let's talk: Why is it stronger proof when the person who knows the most is the one who's surprised?
This same miracle happened twice. It came near the start of Jesus' ministry, and again near the end. Both times, the very same doubting fishermen were watching.
Let's go deeper: Some people say miracles are just made-up stories. How does evidence like this answer them? It was repeated, it was checked by experts, and it was seen with their own eyes.
💬 Conversation Starter
What's something you're an "expert" at in our family? And what would amaze even YOU if it happened?— That's how amazed Peter was at his own nets.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Sometimes someone says, "Miracles can't happen. They break the laws of nature. So the Gospel stories must be made up." You can answer kindly and confidently. The "laws of nature" just describe what normally happens when nature is left to itself. They are not a fence that locks God out of His own world. If God exists and made nature, then He is free to act within it. It's like reaching into a game you built and moving a piece, without breaking the game. So the real question isn't whether miracles are possible. It's whether the evidence is good. And in , the evidence is unusually strong. The witness was an expert who doubted. The result was something he knew was impossible in his own trade. And it happened again years later (). C.S. Lewis put it this way. If a man rejects miracles before he looks at any evidence, he isn't being scientific. He's just deciding the answer before he starts. We're called to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and respect" (). So we answer gently, but with real reasons.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Your kids will eventually hear, often at school or online, that "smart people don't believe in miracles." It helps them enormously to learn early that the disciples were not naive villagers who would believe anything. Peter was a skilled tradesman. Matthew handled money. Luke was a doctor, trained to observe and report. The faith they handed down was forged by people whose own expertise told them that what they'd seen couldn't be faked. Christianity has never asked for a blind leap into the dark. It asks for a reasoned step toward the light, built on the testimony of credible witnesses. So as you disciple, don't just tell your children what to believe. Show them why it's reasonable. Then their faith is rooted in truth, and not merely in family habit. A faith they can defend is a faith they're far more likely to keep.
Draws on: C.S. Lewis, Miracles; Craig Keener, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that what we believe is true. We can trust You with our minds and with our hearts. Help us love You with both. And make us ready to tell others, kindly, why we believe. In Jesus' name, amen."
Faith isn't believing without reasons. It's trusting the One who keeps proving Himself, even to the experts.