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The Miraculous Draught of Fishes and the Call of the First Disciples. Luk_5:1-11
Preaching on the shore of the sea:
v. 1. And it came to pass that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
v. 2. and saw two ships standing by the lake; but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
v. 3. And He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
Jesus had left the city of Capernaum on a certain day, with the intention of walking along the shore of the lake, Mat_4:18; Mar_1:16. But it was impossible for Him to avoid the crowds that gathered whenever His presence was announced by someone that saw Him. Here a multitude pressed upon Him, whose eagerness for the Word of God is mentioned. They wanted to hear this man speak that preached with such authority. If they had but been as eager for the salvation which He offered in His preaching! Jesus was standing on the shore of the lake, but the growing crowds were hemming Him in on all sides, making it impossible for Him to address the people in an effective manner. As He then looked around for some way of meeting the situation, He saw two fishing-boats standing along the shore. They may just have come in and had barely been fastened by the fishermen who, after having disembarked, were washing their nets. Jesus, having known the men before, did not hesitate to enter into one of the two boats, the one belonging to Simon. He then asked the owner to put out to some distance, a matter of a rod or so, from the shore. And then, having sat down, Jesus taught the people from the boat. From this elevated position He had command of the audience and could speak to all of them without difficulty. Jesus was ever ready and eager to preach the Gospel of the salvation of mankind. Not only in the schools, but out under the open sky, wherever He stood or walked and had opportunity of any kind. He preached the Word of God. God's Word fits in all places and at all times. Nothing is more necessary for men, nothing more urgent than, the preaching of the Word.