It is not necessary to believe that Peter was meeting Jesus for the first time when he was called to follow him in to-day's Gospel. He could well have heard him speaking on other occasions. Did Jesus say something which particularly caught Peter's attention and impressed him on this occasion? He very respectfully and very readily agreed to cast his nets once more after a night's unsuccessful fishing. Something he had heard and the surprising catch of fish would leave us almost expecting to hear him call Jesus "Master" and fall on his knees in wonder and awe.

But why "Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord"? Peter was a successful and reasonably well to do fisherman cum business man. He was something of a leader. We wouldn't normally expect a man like that to be thinking in such terms.

Peter did get a couple of well deserved rebukes from Jesus later on in their working relationship. Peter hit the bottom when through fear he denied even knowing Jesus. In the end, however, he did become a significant person in salvation history and even in the history of the world. It was he who acclaimed Jesus as his soverign Lord.