Jesus and the Miraculous catch of fish

The First Miraculous Catch of Fish

The first miraculous catch of fish recorded in the bible was during the early ministries of Jesus Christ when he was gathering His disciples – which results in Peter, James and John (the sons of Zebedee) joining Jesus vocationally as disciples. The first miraculous catch of fish is recorded in Luke 5:1-11.

(v1) One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. (v2) He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. (v3) He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

(v4) When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

(v5) Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

(v6) When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. (v7) So they signaled 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.

(v8) When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (v9) For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, (v10) and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” (v11) So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

The Second Miraculous Catch of Fish (also known as the miraculous catch of 153 fish)

The 2nd miraculous catch of fish is recorded in the gospel of John (chapter 21: 1-14) that occurred after the resurrection of Jesus when seven of the disciples—Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, the sons of Zebedee (James and John), and two others – decided to go fishing but caught nothing that night. Early the next morning, Jesus (whom they had not recognized) called out to them from the shore.

(v1) Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: (v2) Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. (v3) “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

(v4) Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

(v5) He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

(v6) He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

(v7) Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. (v8) The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. (v9) When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

(v10) Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” (v11) So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. (v12) Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. (v13) Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. (v14) This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Teaching the Miraculous Catch of Fish

As to teaching them together or teaching them separately, now depends upon your students and their age. Nursery children may have a challenging time understanding the difference of these two occurrences so we can just highlight what’s important in the stories for them and emphasize Christ’s attribute and power in teaching them the story. For our older students, say preteens and primary, we can begin comparing and contrasting the two stories with them and show them the difference of both stories in a very simple way. Here are some lesson plans we can use in teaching the story to the children.

• Bible Lesson for Preschoolers from Ministry-To-Children

Bible Story: The Miraculous Catch of Fish (2nd miraculous catch of Fish)
Scripture: John 21:1-14
Target Age Group: Ages 2 – 4
Song Suggestion: My God is so Big
Memory Verse: Luke 1:37 “For nothing is impossible with God.”
Bible Story Emphasis: God’s miraculous power over nature

Miraculous catch of fish resources from Memory Cross