Swan boat

Part 13 of 35 Fishers of people

One day, crowds pressed around Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He got into a boat belonging to a fisherman named Simon, later called Peter, and taught the people from the water. Then he said: "Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered: "Master, we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets" (Luke 5:4–5).

They caught so many fish that their nets began to tear and two boats began to sink. "Do not be afraid," Jesus told Simon. "From now on you will catch men." So Simon, James and John "left everything and followed Him" (Luke 5:10–11).

Later, on the same lake, a storm almost swamped their boat while Jesus slept. He got up and told the wind and the waves, "Be still!", and it was perfectly calm. "Who is this," they asked, "that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:39–41).

Imagined The boat

The swan boat glides just above the streets and gardens, and over the pools, carrying people wherever they want to go.

Real world A boat from Jesus's time

In 1986, during a drought, two brothers spotted the outline of an old wooden boat in the mud of the Sea of Galilee. Archaeologists dated it to around the time of Jesus. About 8 meters long, it could have carried a crew of fishermen, and it is now shown in a museum on the lake's shore.

Real world Swan families

Many swans stay with the same partner for years, often for life, and both parents look after their young, called cygnets. Young cygnets sometimes ride on a parent's back, tucked between its wings.

Think about it

1. Why do you think the fishermen left everything to follow Jesus?
2. What do you think "you will catch men" means?
3. What did the storm show the disciples about Jesus?

Key words

Fisherman

Someone who catches fish for a living.

Net

A mesh of knotted string for catching fish.

Cygnet

A young swan.