THE PLACE which Jesus chose for his home, after being driven away from
Nazareth, was Capernaum. This was a large city on the northwestern shore
of the Sea of Galilee. Only one city beside the lake was
larger--Tiberias. That was a new city, built by Herod, the ruler of
Galilee, and named after the Emperor Tiberius at Rome. But Tiberias was
not a Jewish city. It contained temples to idols, its people were
foreigners, and very few Jews were willing to live within its walls.
Then, too, Herod Antipas lived there in a palace which he had built, and
Jesus did not wish to be near Herod.
But Capernaum was a Jewish city, and Jesus felt that his work was to be
among the Jews. At least four of the early followers of Jesus lived in
Capernaum; two pair of brothers, Simon and Andrew, the sons of Jonas;
and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. These four men were partners
with Zebedee in the fishing trade. They owned a number of fishing boats
and had men working for them. The lake was full of fish, and many people
all around it lived by fishing. The fish in the Sea of Galilee were good
food, and were sent to all the nearby cities. It is said that one
emperor at Rome, not long after this time, had sent to him every week a
barrel full of fish from the Sea of Galilee, for his table in the
palace.
The people of Capernaum had heard of Jesus, for all those who went up to
the feasts in Jerusalem brought home reports of this wonderful teacher
and healer of the sick. Wherever Jesus went, crowds gathered around him
to listen to his words, and especially eager to see if he would do any
of his wonderful works.
[Illustration: LOWER GALILEE]
One morning while Jesus was walking on the beach, he met some of his
followers. Having now come to their own home, these men had gone back to
their old work, as fishermen, and their boats were lying upon the
shore. The men had been fishing in the night before, and they were now
washing their nets upon the beach. Jesus spoke to one of his followers,
Simon Peter, to push his boat a little way out into the water. He did
so, and then Jesus sat down in the boat, while a great crowd stood on
the shore, but within reach of his voice. Then from the boat as a pulpit
he talked to the people on the shore. What he said at that time was not
written down; but it was very much like his teachings as given in the
Sermon on the Mount, which may be read in the fifth, sixth, and seventh
chapters of the gospel by Matthew. There is no doubt that in his talks
in many places to different crowds, Jesus often gave the same teachings
over and over again.
After Jesus had ended his speaking to the people, he said to Simon, who
with the other fishermen was standing beside him:
"Push out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch of
fish."
"Master," answered Simon, "we worked all last night and caught not a
single fish. However, if you tell us to try again, I will let down the
nets."
They did so, and now their nets took in a great shoal of fish, so large
a number that the nets began to break. Then they beckoned to their
partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came, and helped
to pull up the nets and to empty the fish into the boats. So many were
the fish that they filled both the boats so full that they began to
sink. When Simon Peter saw all this, he was struck with wonder and with
fear, for he felt that this had been done by the power of God. He fell
upon his knees in the boat to Jesus, saying:
"O Lord, I am full of sin, and am not worthy of all this! Leave me, O
Lord!"
But Jesus said to him and to the other three men with him:
"Do not be afraid; come after me; and from this time you shall be
fishers of men."
He meant that they were now to leave their nets and their boats, to stay
with him; and after learning from him, they were to go out and show men
the way out of sin into the Kingdom of God.
As soon, therefore, as they had brought their nets and their fishes to
the land, they left them with Zebedee, the father of James and John, and
with the hired men.
From that day these four men stayed with Jesus and went with him on all
his journeys, listening to his words, until from hearing them often,
they learned them and could repeat them to others.
[Illustration: Pool of Hezekiah at Jerusalem]
[Illustration: The disciples let down their nets and took in a great
shoal of fish, so large a number that the nets began to break.]
Jesus in the Church, in the House, and in the Street