John Chrysostom, On Lake Gennesaret and on Saint Peter the Apostle

who has said: He that despises a thing, shall be despised by it. What then does the evangelist Luke say? It came to pass, when the crowd was pressing upon Jesus, that he stood by the lake of Gennesaret. O the skillful teaching of the Lord; the river stood by the lake; or rather, the fisher of men came to the lake, to hunt the hunters of fish. For nothing is idle with the Lord Christ, not a place, not a word, not a riddle, not a step. For since Peter and Andrew, James and John were pursuing the fisherman's art upon the lake of Gennesaret, having their hope in uncertainties, letting down worn-out nets, striving with the immeasurable deep, not seeing from where they must be fed, stealing rather than toiling, luring rather than persuading; for without deceit a fish is not caught. The Lord, having observed these men with his divine and unerring gaze, being suitable for the catching of fish, came to the lake to catch them in turn with a net, not using a dipped net, but an instructive word. And because the aforesaid apostles, trusting in their lake-running boats, did not know the Lord of the lake and of all things; for this reason the Lord came to the lake, in order to teach the crowds, and to hook the fishermen. What then says the evangelist? And Jesus, getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, asked him to put out a little from the land.

Do you see how he who has no need of a boat gets into a boat, that he might gain the master of the boat? And why does the Lord ask Simon? Why? Listen with understanding. Simon, as you just heard, having toiled all night and accomplished nothing, remained unsuccessful. And he was very disheartened, washing the nets with empty hands, and adding toil to toil, and seeing no profit. For this reason the Lord, seeing Peter downcast, asks him; for he is the comforter of the afflicted. For the Lord only saw Simon afflicted, and answering him with an encouraging word said: Lend me your little boat for a while, sailor, so that entering it I may teach and instruct the crowd that you see following me; let your little boat be a church for me, sailor; hear the word of God. Do not think me burdensome; for I came to improve you. Leave behind the vain bodily hope, and look to the spiritual portion; lend me your little boat for a while, sailor. But Simon, still immersed in the grief of his failure, answered and said to the Lord: Where have you come from, you strange-faced man? why are you troubling me? Look for some other skiff, if you want to hang around the lake. You see me grieving, as one who cannot afford bread, and you promise to supply the word of God? Shall I not look about for whence I may borrow money, to feed my mother-in-law and my wife, but instead lay out my little boat for you, so that I may labor in vain by day as I did by night? If you bring a fare, get on the boat; but if you carry none, go away, I beg you; for a payment, not a word, feeds me. But the Lord said to Simon: Do not be displeased, Simon; truly you speak as a sailor; the word of God is more nourishing than bread; I will feed you abundantly; for I am the bread of life. Do not consider my presence a loss; take as much as you wish; for I am the well-provided child of a rich father. Hearing these things, Simon, his face brightening a little, receives the Lord into the boat, and pulling at the oars, he said to him: Sit in the middle, strange man. He was disposed to carry him as a passenger, not perceiving that he was carrying the one who carries all things. And Jesus, getting into the boat, which was Simon's, asked him to put out a little from the land. And when Simon had put out in the hope of receiving payment, Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

And what did he teach? Unfeigned love, unwavering faith, peace without guile, unsevered brotherly love, piety uncorrupted for gain, knowledge of God

εἰρηκότα· Ὁ καταφρονῶν πράγματος, καταφρονηθήσεται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Τί οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Λουκᾶς φησιν; Ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ τὸν ὄχλον ἐπικεῖσθαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἑστὼς παρὰ τὴν λίμνην Γενησαρέτ. Ὢ τῆς εὐτέχνου τοῦ Κυρίου διδασκαλίας· ὁ ποταμὸς παρὰ τὴν λίμνην εἱστήκει· μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁλιεὺς ἦλθε παρὰ τὴν λίμνην, ἵνα τοὺς θηρευτὰς τῶν ἰχθύων θηρεύσῃ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀργὸν παρὰ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Χριστῷ, οὐ τόπος, οὐ λόγος, οὐκ αἴνιγμα, οὐ βῆμα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Πέτρος καὶ Ἀνδρέας, Ἰάκωβοςκαὶ Ἰωάννης ἐπὶ τὴν λίμνην Γενησαρὲτ ἀνίχνευον ἁλιευτικὴν τέχνην μετιόντες, ἐν ἀδήλοις τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχοντες, διεφθαρμένα δίκτυα χαλῶντες, ἀμετρήτῳ βυθῷ συνερίζοντες, μὴ ἰδόντες πόθεν δεῖ τραφῆναι, κλέπτοντες μᾶλλον ἢ κάμνοντες, δελεάζοντες ἢ πείθοντες· ἄνευ γὰρ ἀπάτης ἰχθὺς οὐ θηρεύεται· τούτους ὁ Κύριος κατανοήσας τῷ θεϊκῷ καὶ ἀπλανεῖ βλέμματι, ἐπιτηδείους πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἰχθύων ἄγραν ὄντας, παρεγένετο ἐπὶ τὴν λίμνην ἀντισαγηνεῦσαι τούτους, οὐ δικτύῳ βεβαμμένῳ χρώμενος, ἀλλὰ καθηγητικῷ λόγῳ. Καὶ ὅτιπερ οἱ προλεχθέντες ἀπόστολοι ἐπὶ τοῖς λιμνοδρόμοις πλοίοις θαῤῥοῦντες, οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον τὸν τῆς λίμνης καὶ πάντων ∆εσπότην· τούτου χάριν παρεγίνετο ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τὴν λίμνην, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν ὄχλους διδάξῃ, τοὺς δὲ ἁλιεῖς ἀγκιστρεύσῃ. Τί οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής; Ἐμβὰς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς ἓν τῶν πλοίων, ὃ ἦν τοῦ Σίμωνος, ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐπαναγαγεῖν ὀλίγον.

Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐμβαίνει πλοίῳ ὁ μὴ χρῄζων πλοίου, ἵνα τὸν τοῦ πλοίου δεσπότην κερδάνῃ. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καὶ παρακαλεῖ τὸν Σίμωνα ὁ Κύριος; ∆ιὰ τί; ἄκουε συνετῶς. Ὁ Σίμων, καθὼς ἀρτίως ἤκουες, διὰ πάσης τῆς νυκτὸς κοπιάσας, καὶ μηδὲν ἀνύσας, ἄπρακτος ἔμεινεν. Ἐδυσφόρει δὲ σφόδρα κεναῖς χερσὶν ἀποπλύνων τὰ δίκτυα, καὶ κόπον κόπῳ συνάπτων, καὶ κέρδος μὴ βλέπων. Τούτου χάριν ὁ Κύριος θεωρήσας τὸν Πέτρον καταστυγνάσαντα, παρακαλεῖ αὐτόν· παρακλήτωρ γὰρ τῶν τεθλιμμένων ἐστί. Μόνον γὰρ εἶδεν ὁ Κύριος τὸν Σίμωνα τεθλιμμένον, καὶ προτρεπτικῷ λόγῳ ἀποκρι 64.49 θεὶς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔλεγεν· μικρόν μοι δάνεισον τὸ πλοιάριόν σου, ναῦτα, ὅπως εἰσελθὼν διδάξω καὶ κατηχήσω ὅπερ βλέπεις κατακολουθοῦν μοι πλῆθος· ἐκκλησία γένοιτό μοι τὸ πλοιάριόν σου, ναῦτα· ἄκουσον λόγον Θεοῦ. Μὴ φορτικόν με νομίσῃς· ἦλθον γὰρ βελτιῶσαί σε. Κατάλιπε τὴν σωματικὴν ματαίαν ἐλπίδα, καὶ περίβλεψαι τὴν πνευματικὴν μερίδα· μικρόν μοι δάνεισον τὸ πλοιάριόν σου, ναῦτα. Ὁ δὲ Σίμων ἔτι βεβαπτισμένος τῇ λύπῃ τῆς ἀποτυχίας, ἀποκριθεὶς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἔφη· Πόθεν παραγέγονας, ξενοπρόσωπε ἄνθρωπε; τί μοι δι' ὄχλου γίνῃ; ἄλλην περίβλεψαί τινα σκάφην, εἴ γε βούλει τὴν λίμνην περιαυλίζεσθαι. Ὁρᾷς με πενθοῦντα, ὡς ἄρτον μὴ εὐποροῦντα, καὶ λόγον Θεοῦ χορηγεῖν ἐπαγγέλλεις; Οὐ περιβλέψομαι πόθεν ἀργύρια δανείσωμαι, ἵνα τὴν πενθεράν μου καὶ τὴν γυναῖκά μου θρέψω, ἀλλά σοι τὸ πλοιάριον ὑποστρώσω, ἵνα καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ὡς τὴν νύκτα ματαιοπονήσω; Εἰ ἐπιφέρεις ναῦλον, ἐπίβηθι τὸ πλοῖον· εἰ δὲ μὴ βαστάζεις, ἄπελθε, παρακαλῶ· ἐμὲ γὰρ δόσις, οὐ λόγος τρέφει. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν Σίμωνα Μὴ δυσχέραινε, Σίμων· ὄντως ὡς ναύτης λαλεῖς· Θεοῦ λόγος θρεπτικώτερος ἄρτου· θρέψω σε δαψιλῶς· ἄρτος γάρ εἰμι ζωῆς. Μή μου ζημίαν τὴν παρουσίαν ἡγήσῃ· ὅσον ἂν βούλῃ κομίζου· πλουσίου γὰρ πατρὸς εὔπορον τέκνον εἰμί. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ Σίμων, καὶ μικρὸν ἱλαρυνθεὶς τῷ προσώπῳ, ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ τὸν Κύριον ὑποδέχεται, κώπαις ἐλαύνων, ἔφη τε πρὸς αὐτόν· Μέσον καθέζου, ἄνθρωπε ξένε. Ὡς ἐπιβάτην φέρων διέκειτο, μὴ συνορῶν ὅτι φέρει τὸν τὰ πάντα φέροντα. Ἐμβὰς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, ὃ ἦν τοῦ Σίμωνος, ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐπαναγαγεῖν ὀλίγον. Τοῦ δὲ Σίμωνος ἐπαναγαγόντος τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς μισθαποληψίας, καθίσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐδίδασκεν ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου τοὺς ὄχλους.

Τί δὲ ἐδίδασκεν; Ἀγάπην ἀνυπόκριτον, πίστιν ἀνενδοίαστον, εἰρήνην ἀπανούργευτον, φιλαδελφίαν ἄτμητον, εὐσέβειαν ἀκαπήλευτον, θεογνωσίαν