Jesus' knowledge of fishing is obvious in the four Gospels. He used fishing in his stories to teach people (Matthew 7:10; 13:47–51). When Jesus called his first followers, he told them, "I will make you fishers of men," meaning they would help bring people to God (Matthew 4:19). In John 21, after Jesus rose from the dead, he even used fishing to show himself to his followers.
In ancient Galilee, people who fished for a living only used nets. They used three types of nets:
The drag net was one of the oldest types of nets. It was like a wall, with weights at the bottom and cork floats at the top. People first pulled it along the coast. Then, a boat dragged the lead rope across the sea and pulled it back to shore.
The drag net caught many fish, including some that Jewish law did not allow for eating. People sorted the fish. They kept the good ones and removed the bad ones. Jesus used the drag net as a symbol for the day of judgment (Matthew 13:47–51).
The cast net was circular and measured fifteen to twenty feet across. They attached lead weights to its edges. A lone fisherman tossed it into the sea. It landed, sank, and caught unsuspecting fish. The fisherman then dove into the water and either pulled the fish out one by one or gathered the net and lifted it into the boat. Simon and Andrew used cast nets when Jesus called them (Matthew 4:18–20; Mark 1:16–18).
The trammel net is the only type still used today. It is made of three layers. The two outer nets are the same and have wide openings. The inner net is finely meshed and loose, moving easily in and out of the outer nets. Fishermen spread the net in the water in a long line, usually at night, and hold it while others scare fish toward it.
Fish enter the first outer net easily, push against the fine mesh inner net, and then carry the fine net into the second outer net, becoming hopelessly entangled. The fishermen then haul the net ashore. They untangle the net and sort the fish, and repair the many breaks in the net. When Jesus called James and John to follow him, they were repairing their trammel nets (Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:19–20).
When Jesus told Simon to lower his net again after fishing all night, Simon caught a miraculous number of fish (Luke 5:1–11). A similar thing happened in John 21:1–11 when Simon Peter came back from an unsuccessful night of fishing. Jesus instructed him to throw out his net again. Peter probably used a cast net, which then filled with so many fish that it was hard to pull in.
Passages for Further Study
Matthew 4:19–22; 7:10; 13:47–48; Mark 1:19–20; 6:41; Luke 5:1–7; John 21:1–14