When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus. In today's Gospel Reading, we are presented with the Lukan account of the calling of the first four disciples - Peter, Andrew, James, and John. This was a development that might have been necessitated by the sheer amount of work that Jesus found himself facing. Ever since the cure of the demoniac inside the synagogue (cf. Luke 4:33-37), the news about Jesus’ healing ability spread throughout the surrounding villages and cities prompting scores of those who were in need of wholeness to seek him. It was becoming pretty clear that Jesus’ mission could not have come at a better time and that the good news which was the content of his preaching had been awaited with much longing. The afflicted were hungry for the good news of their being restored to wholeness while the captives had been awaiting the news of their being set free. As Jesus would later on say, the harvest was indeed abundant. Those who needed Jesus’ attention were overwhelming. It was too much for him to go at it alone. He needed helpers. He needed companions. He needed partners who would ensure that he is not crushed by the large number of those who needed his help. His first attempt in this endeavor took place at Lake Gennesaret where he netted his first bunch of helpers, one of whom (Simon Peter) appears to have been no stranger to Jesus. 
Jesus and his soon-to-be companion, Simon Peter, were not meeting for the first time when Jesus appeared at the shore where the latter and his companions were washing their nets. Sometime before this encounter, Jesus had spent an entire evening at the house of Simon Peter (vv. 38-42a). And whereas it is not clear how long the two had known each other, it appears that Jesus had come to develop some fondness for Peter. For even after leaving Simon’s house the following morning in order to go preach in the other towns, he somehow ended up where Peter and his companions were doing their fishing. The seeds of the desire to have Simon Peter as a companion seem to have been planted earlier on. Jesus was simply waiting for the right moment to make his move. This particular day happened to have been that moment (the crowd pressing in on him might have played some role). After teaching the crowd, Jesus decided to make his move on Peter. And even though Jesus had just helped them to make a catch unlike any other they had seen before, at Jesus’ command, Simon and his companions left everything behind and followed him. It was a magical moment whose consequence they might have only come to understand later on. Simon and his companions were undoubtedly hard-working people, and all they must have ever wanted, as we all do, was to have a means of earning their daily bread and to be secure for tomorrow. Jesus had just helped them make a large catch that would have earned them some good returns. Instead of savoring the moment and deferring any consideration on Jesus’ proposal to another day, they left behind the great catch they had just made and strolled into a seemingly uncertain and unsecure future. It was a sight that definitely left speechless those who witnessed it.  
Simon Peter and his companions were not their usual selves when they decided to accept Jesus’ proposal without any hesitation. Some transformation had definitely taken place inside of them after witnessing the “miracle” of the catch (as professional fishermen, they knew that a successful catch only happens at night, not in broad daylight). It was a transformation that made Peter to be aware of both his sinfulness and unworthiness to be in the presence of Jesus. But instead of leaving them, Jesus allowed what was taking place inside of them to come to fruition. That sign that Jesus did (the great catch) made Simon and his companions to recognize that there is a human longing that cannot be met with food. The great catch must have awakened in them an awareness that there is a search (seeking) in life that reaches beyond the physiological sphere. They came to recognize that it was in Jesus and what he was doing that lie the fulfillment of this seeking. They came to recognize Jesus as the well-spring of life (the source of the fullness of life). Perhaps this was why Simon went down on his knees. It was in recognition of who Jesus is. And this, too, must have been the reason, without any shred of doubt, why they readily left their catch of a lifetime in order to accompany him and be partners with him in his ministry of proclaiming the Good News. In Jesus, they came to find something greater than fish: the salvation of their souls.