The First Disciples

5 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word,^(A) he was standing by Lake Gennesaret.^{[a](B) 2} He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats,^(C) which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”^(D)

⁵ “Master,”^(E) Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.”^[b]

⁶ When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets^[c] began to tear. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” ^{(F) 9} For he and all those with him were amazed^(G) at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.

“Don’t be afraid,”^(H) Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.”^{(I) 11} Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him.^(J)

The First Disciples

¹⁸ As^(A) he was walking along the Sea of Galilee,^(B) he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for^[a] people.” ²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. ²² Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Walking on the Water

²² Immediately^(A) he^[a] made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone.^{(B) 24} Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance^[b] from land,^[c] battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. ²⁵ Jesus came toward them walking on the sea^(C) very early in the morning.^{[d] 26} When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear.

²⁷ Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”^(D)

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ He said, “Come.”

And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strength of the wind,^[e] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”^(E)

³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Peter’s Confession of the Messiah

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,^[a](A) he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”^[b]

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”^(B)

¹⁵ “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”^(C)

¹⁷ Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,^[c](D) because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.^{(E) 18} And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,^(F) and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,^(G) and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound^[d] in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed^[e] in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was^[f] the Messiah.^(H)

Peter Denies His Lord

⁵⁴ They seized him, led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile Peter^(A) was following at a distance. ⁵⁵ They^(B) lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard^(C) and sat down together, and Peter sat among them. ⁵⁶ When a servant saw him sitting in the light, and looked closely at him, she said, “This man was with him too.”

⁵⁷ But he denied it: “Woman, I don’t know him.”

⁵⁸ After a little while, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter said.

⁵⁹ About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.”

⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter.^(D) So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”^{(E) 62} And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Jesus’s Threefold Restoration of Peter

¹⁵ When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,^[a] do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Feed my lambs,” he told him. ¹⁶ A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love^(A) me?”^(B)

“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”

“Shepherd^(C) my sheep,”^(D) he told him.

¹⁷ He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love^(E) me?”

Peter was grieved^(F) that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything;^(G) you know that I love you.”

“Feed^(H) my sheep,” Jesus said. ¹⁸ “Truly I tell you,^(I) when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” ¹⁹ He said this to indicate by what kind of death^(J) Peter would glorify God.^(K) After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”^(L)