Listen to the audio of today’s reflection:
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Luke 5:1-11
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 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.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 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.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled 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.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 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 fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Today’s reading is Luke’s account of the calling of the first disciples. It’s a story that the participants in our discussion groups on the TV series The Chosen recently saw portrayed on video. The story is also told in other gospels, but Luke’s version of the story has a couple of details that don’t appear in the other accounts.
We’re told that Jesus was teaching on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, which is another name for the Sea of Galilee. Simon and his partners (probably his brother Andrew as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee) are fishermen on that body of water, and they’re on shore washing out their nets when Jesus gets there. He climbs into Simon’s boat and asks for the boat to be put out from shore a little, so he can speak to the people who were following him without having them press in on him.
When he finishes his lesson, Jesus suggests that Simon go out into deeper water and let down his nets. Simon is skeptical – the group has fished all night and haven’t caught anything – but he agrees to give it a try. When they put down the nets, the fishermen find them so full of fish that their nets start to break and their boats start to sink.
Overwhelmed by the sense that Jesus comes with divine power, Simon throws himself at his feet and confesses his sinfulness. Jesus then issues the famous call for Simon to come and “fish for people.”
It seems to me that this miraculous catch of fish is what the Bible scholars call an “enacted parable” – an action Jesus takes as a way of making a spiritual point. The point might be that sometimes when human efforts fail, God provides for success. This great haul of fish came when the fishermen did what Jesus told them to do, rather than relying on their own knowledge and skills.
My sense is that we’re supposed to notice that the results we can get when we’re operating under God’s direction will go ‘way beyond what we can accomplish on our own. You could even make the case that Simon is being shown a “sign” here of the incredible ‘catch of people’ that will result from the movement he was being called to join. And of course, later Simon would be called Peter and chosen to lead the movement, which has lasted for 2,000 years and “caught” 2.8 billion people.
I can’t help thinking this is also supposed to be a lesson for those of us who follow Jesus in our own times. Maybe a word of encouragement for times of frustration. We naturally assume it’s all up to us to make the church succeed – up to our own ideas, our own experience, our own wisdom. But when we really obey the teachings of Jesus – even when those teachings seem impractical or futile, as they did to Simon in this story – then God can bless our work with surprising results.
It also seems to me that we’re meant to notice that the miraculous catch of fish served as a revelation to Simon Peter. It revealed to him that he was in the presence of someone who was from God. I say that because Peter responded in exactly the same way the prophet Isaiah did when he found himself in the presence of God. Each was immediately struck by the realization of his own sinfulness – or, as Isaiah said, “I am a man of unclean lips.”
I suspect that’s why we instinctively shy away from a real encounter with God; it leads to a self-realization we’d rather avoid. In the presence of a holy God, we can’t help realizing how un-holy we really are.
You could probably also make the case that a real calling from God is a frightening thing, and that Simon Peter’s reaction here is meant to demonstrate that. Being called by God usually means being called to give up something of the lives we lead. It might mean sacrificing comfort and convenience. For some people, it means giving up the hope of being a “somebody” on the world’s terms. And in some parts of the world, even today, following Jesus can mean risking your life.
So maybe it’s natural and even reasonable that Simon found this encounter scary. But the first words out of Jesus’ mouth are, “Don’t be afraid.” The presence of God may awaken us to our own sinfulness, but an important aspect of the mission of Jesus in the world is to set us free from the need to live in fear of judgment. Following Jesus – joining him in the task of “fishing for people” – is meant to be an escape from guilt and fear. It’s an invitation to trade in our guilt and fear and disappointment with ourselves for joy and thanksgiving at the new life we’re given as followers of the Savior and Lord of the world.
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you for the invitation to join in the work of your kingdom, the work of fishing for people to join in following our Master. And we thank you for the promise that even when our efforts may seem inadequate and unsuccessful, overwhelming success may be just around the corner for those who follow his direction. Amen.
Blessings,
Henry
(The other reading for today are Psalms 47 and 147:12-20; Daniel 5:13-30; and I John 5:13-21. Our readings come from the NIV Bible, as posted on Biblica.com, the website of the International Bible Society.)
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