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Caught by Jesus, Catching People
Luke 5: 1 – 11 |
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Summary
Caught by Jesus, Catching PeopleNew Testament scholar Tom Wright has this to say about fishing in the lake of Gennesaret — or the Sea of Galilee, as it is more commonly known: The last time I tried to fish in that part of the world it was broad daylight and we caught nothing at all, though the previous night the fishermen had taken plenty. The fish are more likely to be caught after dark. On this occasion [that is, in this morning’s reading], the men had worked all night for nothing; the last thing they would normally do would be to start again by daylight ... Picture it: You are at work, doing the work you have labored at, day in, day out, for lo these how many years? And along comes this itinerant preacher, and he tells you to do something that patently makes no sense in light of your years of experience. What might your reaction be? Well, that is not the reaction of Peter and the other fishermen. “We’ve fished all night and caught nothing, and years of experience fishing have told us that nighttime’s the best time for catching fish. Years of fishing these waters have told us that you generally catch nothing during the day — but if you say so, Lord, we’ll pull on out into the deep water and let down our nets ....” And they did just that. And ... But you know the rest of the story. They bagged a catch of fish that was well nigh miraculous. Had to call some other boats over to keep the nets from breaking. Who is this man, anyway? “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” says an overwhelmed Peter. And Jesus says, “Oh yes, I’m going to depart, all right! But you’re coming with me! And from now on, you are going to be catching people!” And Jesus is just as right about that as he was about the fish. He doesn’t, in this case, even have to say “Follow me.” Peter and the other fisherman bring their boats to the shore. And then they leave everything — everything — and they do it. They drop everything and follow Jesus. The fishermen have been caught by Jesus. The crowd around JesusWhere are we in this story? Where am I, where are you, the individual who happens to be warming that pew on this particular morning? Where are we as a church, as a denomination, as “The church”? Have you, have we, been caught by Jesus? What kind of a man is this Jesus, anyway? He is walking by the shore, and this crowd that has been following him around is pressing in on him, wanting to hear the word of God from him. The crowd likely included many of the people who had pressed in around Jesus in the previous chapter, following him everywhere because they have heard his prophetic words and seen his mighty works. They have seen him cure raging, howling lunatics with just a few powerful words. They have seen him cure Simon’s mother-in-law of a high fever with just a word. They have heard him in the synagogues, quoting Isaiah and saying, “The Spirit of the Lord ... has anointed me to bring good news to the poor ... to proclaim release to the captives ... to let the oppressed go free ....” They have been hearing these words of power from Jesus and they want to hear more. And so Jesus steps into a boat, bids the fishermen pull out a little way, and then he speaks. And when he is done, he tells the luckless fishermen to give it another try, and they do. And they are as successful as ever they have been. And they are caught by Jesus: They completely rearrange their priorities, turn their lives upside down, leave everything behind them and follow him. They can’t help themselves. Where are you in this story? Are you perhaps part of that crowd? You have heard about this Jesus, and you are curious. You’ve been hanging around on the edges of the crowds that clamor after him. You’ve seen some powerful things done by him, done in his name by his followers. But you’re not yet ready to jump in. Are you perhaps one of the fishermen? You’ve been slogging away, day in and day out, at unproductive work, and now here comes this itinerant preacher that you’ve been hearing about. Maybe it’s time to stop for a moment and give him a listen. Perhaps you are Peter. You have seen the healing power first-hand, when he cured your mother-in-law of fever. You have heard the words that he spoke from the decks of your boat. And now, he turns his gaze on you. Now, he’s looking right at you. “Put out into the deep water,” he says, “and let down your nets for a catch” — not “try your luck this time, and see what happens,” or something non-committal like that; no: “Put down your nets! You will catch something! Where are you in this story? Are you part of the crowd? If so — where are you in the crowd? Are you hanging way back? Or are you right up front where Jesus might notice you? Are you one of the fishermen? Are you Peter? Where are you? Who are you? What are you going to do if Jesus looks at you and says “Put the boat out a little way so I can talk to these people”? What are you going to do if he looks right at you and tells you to do something that on the face of it makes no sense at all — Go fish! And who are we, as a church? Are we, collectively, part of the crowd? If so, where in the crowd are we? Are we one of the fishermen? Are we Peter? During a time of day when the fish are all lying way down there in the cool water, out of the hot sun, where the nets can’t get at them — what will we do, when he tells us to let down our nets? Will we — do we — trust him enough to just do it? Where am I in relation to Jesus? And where are we as a church? Where are we as a church, and where is “The church” in this great country of ours? What is Jesus telling us to do? Is he telling us to pull out into the deep water during a time of day when we’ve got no business whatsoever in the deep water? Is he telling us to let down our nets for a catch when any fisherman in his right mind is going to be washing his nets and stowing them until next time? Who are you in this story? Who are we? Part of the crowd? Where in the crowd? Are you, are we, one of the fishermen? Peter? No one can answer that question for you but you — and your answer is between you and God, you and Jesus. And you don’t have to explain yourself to anybody. If you are part of the crowd — keep on following him! If you are Peter — believe me, we will all know about it soon enough, without you having to tell us! Catching peopleWhere are we in this story? Who are we? Are we part of the crowd? Are we one of the fishermen? Are we, perhaps, Peter? Who are we as a church? What is our mission statement? What should our mission statement be? That is what we have decided that we are; that is who we have decided we will be. Where are we going to take that mission statement? Are we Peter, are we going to take this mission statement where Peter would take it? If you are Peter, if we are Peter, Jesus has told us, “From now on you will be catching people.” How shall we go about fishing for people, and catching them? It won’t work for us to stand on the shore. We need to get on the boat. Go to where the people are. Meet them in their workplaces. Be present with them in their day-to-day lives. Get as deeply involved in their lives as they will allow us to get. Are we part of the crowd? Are we one of the fishermen? Are we Peter? Let us see this house of worship, not as an end in itself, but as a home base — a place from which to move out. May we go forth from here, however many of us feel led to do it at this point, and catch people! We need to go to them! Listen to their stories. Hear and respond to their needs. May those of us who have been caught by Jesus go out and catch people for the kingdom. 6, 33 ,85 |
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