Luke 5:1-11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
I love this story.
I love the idea of Jesus, desperate for a little space from which to speak to the crowds pressing upon him, just commandeering Peter’s boat.
And I love that Peter just lets him. I mean, he’d been fishing all night, as we find out in a couple of verses, and probably wanted to finish cleaning up and get home to bed. But he takes Jesus out anyway. We don’t know why. Maybe it’s that he knew Jesus and was used to this kind of thing. (Keep in mind in the last chapter we heard that Jesus stayed at Simon’s house.) Or maybe he’s so grateful that Jesus healed his mother-in-law that there’s not much he wouldn’t do for Jesus. Or maybe he was just that kind of a guy, the kind of guy who would push out from shore even though he was dead tired just because you asked. We don’t know. He just does it. And I love that.
And I love that when he’s all done teaching, Jesus isn’t actually all done. And that Peter again does something that doesn’t make sense, letting down his nets after he’d been fishing all night and caught nothing.
And I love to imagine the expression on the fishermen’s faces as they struggle to haul in this catch, call their friends to help, and barely get their nets to shore.
And I have to say I even love the idea that however much Simon thinks he knows Jesus, he only now realizes that he really doesn’t know him, that he’s only just beginning to realize who and what Jesus is, and that it scares him a little.
And I love what Jesus says to him: “Do not be afraid.” It’s the hallmark of Luke’s gospel; maybe the hallmark of the gospel. Jesus comes so that we don’t have to be afraid anymore. I love that. And then Jesus gives Peter something to do, something bigger and larger than anything he’d ever imagined. And I love that, too.
Of course, the story’s not quite done. Because after these words, the fishermen give everything up – their professions, their livelihood, their family and friends, everything – in order to follow Jesus. And, quite frankly, I can’t say I love that. I’m not sure, to be honest, how I feel about that. What would I give up everything for? Would I do it for this? Would I do it for Jesus?
Hard questions.
Prayer: Dear God, come into our lives again and again to cast out our fear, invite us to lives of meaning and purpose, and call us to follow you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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