Simon and his companions were fishermen who came from a fishing community. It was something they had done all their lives, and they never anticipated any change in their lifestyle. They probably loved their work, but no doubt they had had many days like this one, with nothing to show for their efforts. At times like this, maybe it didn’t seem such an attractive occupation. After such a night, perhaps they were particularly receptive to hearing Jesus talk about new life.
When Jesus singles out Simon and his companions, they are at first reluctant — understandably so after their fruitless labors of the previous night. But when they do respond to his words, their nets bulge and Jesus displays the fullness and abundance he brings.
For Simon, it is almost too much. Experienced fisherman that he is, he has never seen anything like it. He is awestruck and humbled. He falls down in penitence, conscious of his own weakness and sin in the face of God’s holiness at work in Jesus. Overwhelmed by what they have seen, Simon and his friends are open to hearing Jesus’ call to come and share in his mission.
This encounter by the lake illustrates an eternal truth. The initiative to service always comes from God. So often the call comes to us as individuals in the places where we live and work. It is there that we must respond, and it is there that we must be open to the power of the gospel to transform us. Like the fishermen at the Galilee lakeside, it is often in the midst of our everyday lives and activities that we find God or, perhaps more usually, that he finds us.