He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Jesus tells them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, which must have been the opposite side from which they had just cast. Plummer notes that “There is no need to seek symbolical meanings for the right and the left side. The difference is not between right and left, but between working with and without Divine guidance.”
They may have thought that the person on the shore had a better observation point than they. H. V. Morton tells of watching two men fishing with a hand net. The one on the shore could see the school of fish better because of the glare from the sea so he would shout instructions to the man in the water flinging the net. Whether this would be true for someone a hundred yards from the boat is uncertain, but the disciples may have thought it a possibility. For whatever reason, the disciples obey the yet unknown man on the shore and cast their nets off the right side of the boat and get such a large catch that they cannot haul in the net. Obedience to Christ always produces a rich reward.
Notice that Jesus manifested Himself to His people by doing for them what nobody else could do. Note also that what He did for them was totally unexpected by them. They didn’t even know it was Jesus until after, and a result of, the miracle.
This miracle was quite like one Jesus had done much earlier to pay Peter for the use of his boat (Luke 5:1-11). The previous miracle was the clincher for getting Peter and the thunder brothers (James and John. See Mark 3:17) to leave everything and follow Him. Much had happened since then and now everything was totally changed. This miracle could not help but catch the attention of Peter, James, and John. Jesus met them exactly where they were. Henry says that “Latter favours are designed to bring to mind former favours, that eaten bread may not be forgotten.” By doing this particular miracle, Jesus had to be reminding the disciples what their real purpose in life was from now on. In their ministry of fishing for men, the disciples, up to this point, had been casting their nets on the left side of the boat, but the time was soon approaching when they would be instructed to cast their net on the right side of the boat with amazing results (Acts 2:36-41).
Luke 5:1-11 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding round him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Mark 3:17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder);
Acts 2:36-41 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.