Opening Prayer:
Father God, we come to you this evening with a desire to draw closer to you and closer to one another. We pray that you would bless this time together. We pray that this time would be honoring for you, and good for us as we seek to grow as your followers. Bless this time we pray. Amen.
Introduction:
The other day I was listening to a podcast while driving around town, and the host of the podcast mentioned that they were looking to hire people to fill three new roles in their organization. Normally this would not have stood out to me, but this organization had an interesting approach to hiring people. They went out of their way to say they were not asking for resumes, references, or even an interview with the job applicant. They only wanted applicants to take an anonymous online test on their organization’s website. They believed that this test would show if the applicant was willing and able to do the job, which they claim is the only factor they wanted to consider. They were proud to say that, unlike other organizations, they don’t hire based on education, past experience, or any other factor that might make the playing field uneven. They claim that the staff they hire ends up being an interesting bunch of people as a result, but they say that was their goal in choosing to hire this way.
My first instinct was to be skeptical that something like this could work, but as I was working on this message it occurred to me that Jesus’ method for calling disciples must have seemed just as strange to the people of his day. It was common practice for Rabbis to call young disciples to join them on their travels and to study under their teaching, but this was seen as a great honor that only the best and brightest could hope to obtain. You basically had to have a good theological education and an excellent reputation to be considered at all. Jesus, however, used a different selection process. In fact, the selection process for becoming a Christ follower (if you could call it that) was really just one question hidden within a command “Follow me.” In Luke 5 we read about these first disciples and the unusual circumstances surrounding their calling.
A Great Catch:
1 “On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”
Luke 5:1-11, ESV
One of the first things I notice in this passage is that Jesus had already gained some popularity among the people before he called his first disciples.
“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret…
Luke 5:1, ESV
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that if you want to reach people, you have to be around people. In the gospels we see Jesus spending time alone with his Heavenly Father, but most of the time we see Jesus he is around people. He talked to them, he knew their needs, he met their needs, and he pointed them to God. This wasn’t that strange in and of itself, except that Jesus showed this love for everyone. He crossed racial lines by ministering to both Jews and Samaritans. He chose to associate with poor fishermen, despised tax–collectors, and people like women and children who were expected to be seen but not heard. He didn’t see these people as a waste of his time, but as people who needed the Word of God. Let’s keep reading.
… and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
Luke 5:2-3, ESV
Jesus was apparently having trouble addressing the crowd and so he asked a fisherman nearby for the use of his boat. That fisherman just so happened to belong to Simon, later known as Peter. The fact that the men were washing their nets indicated that they had just finished their work, so Jesus was asking a favor of a man who was probably tired and ready to be done with what we will soon learn was a frustratingly unsuccessful fishing trip. We aren’t told what Simon’s thoughts were, but he did what Jesus asked him to do. He took Jesus out a little ways on the water so that he could finish his teaching.
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
Luke 5:4-5, ESV
When Jesus finished speaking, Simon probably expected to row back to shore and part ways with this Rabbi. He would finish washing his nets and Jesus would go on his way teaching the people about God, but that’s not what happened. Jesus asked a second favor of the fisherman. “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus didn’t ask to go back to the shore, but to go out deeper and to cast the net again. Remember that Simon was tired, he had tried this before without success. Look again at Simon’s reply “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” I love this reply. He essentially says, I don’t understand but I will obey.
I also feel like this answer must have been exactly what Jesus wanted to hear from Simon, because it is the heart of a disciple. It is a willingness to obey in faith even when it is inconvenient, even when it doesn’t make sense, and even when “we’ve tried this before and it didn’t work.” God can work with people who are exhausted, disappointed, or even skeptical so long as they have the faith to follow the Master.
Pastor Eugene Peterson tells a story of one summer in Montana when he had a visiting Kingfisher at a lake near his house, and every morning and evening the Kingfisher would sit in the same tree and wait for a fish. When he saw one he would dive out of the tree and skim the water hoping to catch the fish in his beak, but most of the time the bird returned to the tree empty handed. Eventually Pastor Peterson started counting how many times the Kingfisher dove and he got up to thirty seven dives before he came up with a fish. Pastor Peterson noted that so often when we seek to be fishers-of-men like Christ commanded us to be, we get frustrated at a lack of results. Whenever Pastor Peterson got discouraged and was tempted to give up because it wasn’t working, he remembered that Kingfisher and asked himself “Have I tried 37 times?” Like Simon we are tempted to say “we have toiled and caught nothing” to which Jesus would tell us, try again. We need the spirit that will obey God, no matter what the obstacles or how hopeless a situation may seem.
And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
Luke 5:6-7, ESV
Simon’s obedience produced results, and those results were miraculous. Simon took in so much more than anyone could have expected. It was undeniable that Jesus was behind the miracle. If Simon was tired before imagine his exhaustion now with all these fish to pull in (though I doubt Simon was complaining). What happened next might seem strange to us, but in Simon’s mind it was the only right response to the miracle he had witnessed.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,
Luke 5:8-9, ESV
Simon knew exactly what had happened. He fell to his knees in humility, confessing Jesus to be the Lord and himself to be a sinful man unworthy to be in his presence. This miracle had so overwhelmed Peter that he thought he and Christ could never truly fit together. What he didn’t realize is that the gospel is the exact opposite of what Peter thought. Jesus came not just to reveal God’s glory and expose our sin, but also to reconcile holy God and sinful man.
… and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Luke 5:10-11, ESV
Jesus tells Simon to not to fear. Jesus’ mission was not yet to judge sinners. His mission was a mission of mercy. The call to Peter was to “catch men.” And just an interesting side note, the word catch (zogreo) used by Jesus in this passage means “to catch alive” or “to catch for life”. The idea is that Peter was no longer to catch fish (which would be killed and sold), but he would catch men for life. And that is precisely what we see. The men responded immediately, but they committed themselves for the long haul. Ironically, the fishermen left behind their homes and the biggest catch of their life because following Jesus was worth the cost.
Closing:
God give us a heart that is ready to follow you even when we are tempted to give in to weariness. Help us to be obedient even when we are skeptical. Help us to trust you by being obedient fishers of men. Teach us patience and help us to remain faithful to the task ahead, knowing that the harvest is yours. Bless us as we depart from this place. Amen.
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