Grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Luke 5:1-11
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around 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 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. 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.
Dear friends in Christ,
It all started as a way to introduce young people to the sport of fishing. This past summer, several veteran fishermen from our congregation volunteered their time, experience, boats and equipment to take youth group members fishing on Lake Winnebago.
When I heard about it, I thought that would be a great idea. And seeing as how I’ve been fishing only a handful of times in my life, I asked if I could go along. I don’t remember if they readily or reluctantly agreed, but I was allowed to go.
The day before the outing I went and got my fishing license from Econo Foods. I was ready to go.
We all met at church that Saturday morning and caravanned over to the boat landing in Stockbridge. It was impressive watching these veteran fishermen roll into action, backing up their boats and putting them into the water effortlessly. Within a matter of minutes, we ready to go. Assignments were then made. There would be one youth group member assigned to a veteran fisherman. Rob Jensen got stuck with me.
It was a beautiful morning; the water was calm and the sun was shining. We spent the next couple of hours trolling up and down the lake catching fish literally every few minutes.
I remember being impressed by all the equipment used for fishing – six poles being used at once, special lures, boards with flags on them, setting the depths at different levels, and of course, the electronic fish finder. And I should share how comforted I was by all the phone calls Rob received from the other fishermen just checking in to see if I had fallen into the lake yet.
Eventually we reached the agreed upon time to finish. Everyone met back at the landing, loaded up and we were off to the Conservation Club here in town where the fish were expertly cleaned, packaged and divided so that all us beginners got plenty to take home.
In the end, I don’t know who smiled more that day: the beginners or the veterans. It was just a nice day.
I bring this up because I don’t have too many other fishing stories to tell. But I have to admit, my story pales in comparison to the one Peter had. I’m sure he’d have us on the edge of our seats as he could share the fishing trip where he saw firsthand:
The Power and Success of the Gospel
We’ll hear how: 1. It caught fish
And then how: 2. It catches souls too!
We begin with Jesus standing along the shore of Lake Gennesaret, which is another name for the Sea of Galilee. This is very early in Jesus' public ministry, but he was already making a name for himself.
A large crowd of people had gathered to listen to Jesus speak. Due to the press of the crowd, however, it was difficult to see and hear him. Jesus solved the problem. He noticed two fishing boats pulled up on shore, their owners, standing nearby washing their nets. Jesus got into the one belonging to Simon Peter and asked him to put out a little from shore. Now everyone on shore could see and hear him. This was much better. Jesus then began to teach the people the wonders of God's word.
When Jesus had finished speaking to the crowd, he told Peter to go out into deeper water and let down his nets in order to catch some fish. Right away something appeared to be wrong. Peter was an experienced fisherman. He made his living from the sea. Jesus' strategy went against everything he knew. Ideal fishing was at night, not during the middle of the day, in the shallow water, not the deep. Was he hearing Jesus right?
So what did Peter do? He listened. He put his trust in Jesus. Although it made no sense to him, he followed the commands anyway. He said, "We've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets" (Luke 5:5).
Peter's response was exactly what Jesus was hoping to hear. Dismissing everything that reason, common sense, wisdom, science, or experience told him, he was guided solely and completely by the word of his Lord. Peter listened, trusted and obeyed. And his trust was not misplaced. When they let down their nets, we’re told, “They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 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.” (v.6,7).
If you had been in one of those boats, what would you have thought? The fishing strategy Jesus proposed was different but who could knock the results? There was no modern technology to help him, special lures or electronic equipment. Jesus simply said and there was. The man to whom heaven and earth bow down caught fish with the power of his word.
Peter trusted in Jesus' word even though his experience said otherwise. His was a beautiful display of faith. Lord willing, Peter’s unwavering trust in Jesus also inspires us. Or does it expose us?
Jesus asks us to believe that he is in control of a world that at times, appears spinning out of control. He asks us to believe that he is making everything work out for his glory and our good. Do we always buy into that? No we don’t. Proof? Look at what we so often do. We worry. We worry about what we don't have and worry about keeping what we do have. And so when Jesus comesto you and says, “Trust me” (John 14:1), do you? Do you follow in Peter’s footsteps? Do you say, “Because you say so, Lord, I will do it,” or do you question God? Do you blame God? Do you allow yourself to believe that at least in certain situations you know better than he?
Peter’s amazing demonstration of faith exposes just how weak and wavering our faith can be. Even though he could think of all kinds of reasons not to do what Jesus asked him to do, Peter put his trust in Jesus’ word. And he was not disappointed.
There could only be one explanation for a catch of this magnitude. It was a miracle. These seasoned veterans were not easily impressed, but what Jesus had done that day was truly amazing. This miracle proved that Jesus really was who he claimed to be - the Son of God and the Savior of the world. It also proved that his word which was powerful enough to catch fish could also catch souls too.
I don’t know about you, but I picture this scene as a happy one. I see people working frantically with smiles on their faces. I hear shouts of joy and excitement with people coming from every direction to see this record catch. But according to Luke this miracle affected one man in a very different way. When Peter saw the huge catch of fish, he became afraid. And as soon as he got to shore he fell at Jesus’ feet and cried out, "Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8). Peter immediately recognized who was in the boat with him -- the Savior of the world. How could he, a sinful human being dare to stand in his presence?
Brash and bold Peter was known to say many things but this one was a keeper. His confession of faith showed his humbleness when he recognized his own unworthiness, his thankfulness for what Jesus had done, and his willingness to serve his Lord. It was the power of the gospel that caught his soul and made him a child of God.
In performing this miracle Jesus gave Peter, James and John a visible demonstration of the power and success of his word. They would not only see it right then and there, but also throughout their ministries, whenever they cast out the net of the gospel to catch souls of men for Christ.
The gospel did prove to be powerful and successful. It didn’t happen all at once, but Jesus transformed this simple fisherman into a fisher of men. Peter became one of Jesus’ disciples. He often served as their chief spokesman. He was regarded as a pillar of the early Christian church. He performed miracles in the name of the risen Christ. And when he and John stood before the Sanhedrin and were told not to preach in the name of Jesus, he declared, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). He preached a Pentecost sermon that led to the baptism of 3,000 souls. And who knows how many others have Peter to thank as the messenger through whom they heard and believed the good news about Jesus?
By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit hasalso worked the miracle of salvation in you and me. By the grace of God, the power of the gospel has caught us. We've heard of Jesus' love. We know of his sacrificial death. We believe that he is the only way to salvation. That message has been taught to us by our parents and pastors, our Sunday School and Lutheran Elementary school teachers.
We've got the gospel message. We've seen its power and know of its success. We've seen the faces and heard the voices of our children and grandchildren telling us what they learned in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or our Elementary school.
We've seen the power of the gospel in our own families, haven't we? Who hasn't, for whatever reason - found the comfort only the gospel can give? When confronted with difficulties, when dealing with loss, when challenged with obstacles, we find ourselves drawn closer to our Lord.
The gospel is powerful and successful. It caught fish and it now catches souls. But the gospel doesn't reach its fullest potential unless it is shared. How does a person do that? How does a person go about fishing for souls? It's really very easy. We've each been given the proper tools. Our job is to let down the net of the gospel and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. Simply tell your friends, your neighbors what you know to be true. Tell them by your words and your actions. Just tell them.
So, when do we start? Let's take our cue from Peter, James and John. We're told, "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him" (Luke 5:11). There were no doubts. Their response was immediate. May we do the same. Oh, I'm not talking about selling everything you have and becoming a world missionary. But you can let down the net of the gospel whenever and wherever opportunities present themselves.
So whether you realize it or not you too are fishermen. You too have the power of the gospel which is able to catch souls! And don’t worry if you think of yourself as inexperienced. The only thing that separates the beginner from the veteran is practice.
This is a fascinating time. Who knows where the gospel message will take us next? Who knows when the next opportunity will arise to share what you know to be true?
What we do know is that the power and success of the gospel is incredible. It caught you didn't it? May the Holy Spirit now use us to catch others.
Amen.
And now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.