Peter And The Great Catch

 
Miraculous Draught of Fish: Alexandre~Gabriel Decamps


In the scene of today's Gospel (Luke 5:1~11) I am drawn to Peter and his reaction to Jesus' advice to cast out into the deep. His knowledge and experience of his trade tell him that there is no point in going back out there to try yet again, but yet he does it anyway. I often wonder if in those brief moments along the shore of Lake Genesareth, Jesus looked at Peter and said to Himself, "He's the one who will lead my Church." This rough and tumble, impetuous man.
Once they had returned to shore with their abundance of fish, Peter realized his sinfulness and his lack of faith. So much so he told our Lord that He should depart from him! I am sure as time went on, Peter was very glad Jesus didn't listen to him.
Jesus tells Peter and all those who left everything to follow Him that they would be catchers of men, and indeed they were.
I often find myself in Peter's position, wondering how or why our Lord wants anything to do with the likes of me. I know that He sees what I can't and He is willing to work with that if I let Him.
One of my favorite scenes depicting this Gospel passage is in the movie Jesus of Nazareth. Robert Powell was the actor who portrayed Jesus in that movie. I love the expression on his       face as he watches Peter coming in from a night of non~productive fishing yelling and screaming all the way.The actor as Jesus seems to have a look of amusement on his face and I wonder if the real Jesus had that same expression upon first encountering Peter. It is a very earthy, human scene.

For today's meditation, I thought I would leave you with that scene. YouTube is not allowing embedding for this one so follow the Jesus of Nazareth link above to get to the clip. The entire clip is seven plus minutes but the fishing scene ends after about six minutes. This is a very good visual for today's Gospel passage.
Enjoy and have a Blessed Sunday!

Note: Insert photo: Sunset on Lake Genesareth

Comments

Unknown said…
I loved this clip! It was so beautiful. Its been ages since I've watched that movie... its long, and our VHS rec. doesn't work so well anymore. This was very refreshing. Thank you!

*goes off wondering if Jesus ever looks at me with that amused smile..*
Anne said…
I love that scene as well! I imagine Jesus has that same amused look on His face many times as He watches us scramble about trying to make sense of our lives, and He silently waits for us to turn to Him.
Unknown said…
Thanks for stopping by ladies. Glad you enjoyed the clip. And Sadie, I know that Our Lord has had that look on His face watching some of my crazy antics as well :)
Anonymous said…
Peter is such a study in contrasts isn't he? He's faithful beyond the norm and then stereotypically human and at times too. I've always found myself drawn to him and "doubting" Thomas the most for just these reasons.
Michael said…
It is so comforting to see how much patience Jesus has with Peter.

And I knew exactly what scene you were talking about as I read your post. I really enjoy that movie and I often wonder if some of the facial expressions, etc are accurate.

God Bless.
Unknown said…
Rachel and Michael- Thanks for your comments. I think Peter's contrasts might have been part of what caught Jesus' attention. I also take some comfort in Jesus' patience with Peter because I know then He will also have patience with me!
Judy Dudich said…
One of my favorite scenes, for the very same reason!
My other favorite seen in that movie is another "earthy" one as you put it:) It's where Our Lord is enjoying Himself snacking on a Pomegranate while He teaches the multitudes!!!
My kids and I LOVE Pomegranates for that reason...they're very expensive here...but when in season...we treat ourselves to a couple every year just to imagine this scene in real life!
Unknown said…
Judy,
I know the scene you are talking about. I think it is sometimes easy for us to forget that Jesus while on earth had to do all the earthly things we do like eat and sleep. What a great way to bring a bit of His earthly life into your own.