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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 4, 2007 Cast Your Nets |
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Frontline Devotion for Sunday, February 4, 2007 by Don Kress
Text for the Day: Luke 5: 1-11 “Now so it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fisherman had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. Now when He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.’ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So 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. 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 which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’ So when they had brought the boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” (New King James)
In today’s lesson we see Jesus well into His public ministry, with a great crowd of people pressing in to hear Him – so many that He decides to use Simon’s boat as a pulpit. This is not the first time Jesus and Simon have met. That meeting is recorded in John 1: 35-42. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was a disciple of John the Baptist and heard John say of Jesus, following His baptism, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Andrew then followed Jesus and spent the day with Him. Then he ran to his brother and said, “We have found the Messiah,” and subsequently introduced Simon Peter to Jesus. But Simon wasn’t ready to follow Jesus at that time and returned to his trade of being a fisherman. So now Jesus and Simon meet again at the Sea of Galilee.
After Jesus is finished teaching the crowd on the shore, he turns to Simon and says something like, “That’s enough fishing for men and women today; let’s go fish for fish!” Now Simon was a professional fisherman and though he knew all about fishing in the Sea of Galilee – and he probably did! Simon makes it pretty clear that it would be a futile cause to try to catch any fish after having fished all night without catching a thing. He probably put up a bit more of an argument than is stated in the text, but it’s clear that Jesus prevailed, and the result is evident.
There’s a lesson to be learned here. When Jesus Christ gives a command, we don’t need to argue with Him, saying “We’ve tried that before and it can’t be done.” The story is told that Wellington once gave a command to one of his generals, who answered that it was impossible to execute the command. Wellington told him, “You go ahead and do it, because I don’t give impossible commands.” The Lord doesn’t give impossible commands, either! When Simon Peter followed His command, the result was astonishing. The lesson is clear: if we are going to win men and women for Him, all we have to do is fish according to His instructions!
There’s another lesson here, too. Peter, knowing that he didn’t follow Christ after their first meeting, recognizes his failure, confesses his sin, and tells Jesus that He should go find someone upon whom He can depend. But Jesus had other plans for Simon Peter. He wasn’t going to put him out of the fishing business, but rather He was going to improve his fishing abilities. And we know that Simon Peter did catch bigger fish! In Acts we read that on the Day of Pentecost, three-thousand souls came to Jesus after Peter’s first sermon! He was fishing according to Jesus’ instructions! Jesus has other plans for each of us, too. All we have to do is recognize that we are not very good fishermen – recognize our failures and faithlessness. When we are willing to depend on Him, He won’t throw us overboard, nor will He put us out of the fishing business!
Today, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the chancel choir will sing an anthem by Kathy Powell: “To be Fishers of Women and Men.” As the closing prayer of this devotion, I offer the words of this anthem:
“Cast your nets to the water’s depths and lower them once again. For Christ has called us beyond the shore to be fishers of women and men. Though we labor throughout the night, and nothing is caught as yet, trusting, still, in His gentle call, now we will lower the net. Far away from the safer shore, below as the netting floats, there a harvest of souls awaits, waits to be brought to the boats. Take your boats to the water’s edge, no matter what fears have been. Christ has called us beyond the shore: fishers of women and men. Christ is seated within our boats, forgiving our sins, but then, we, forgiven, must heed His call: fishers of women and men. Cast your nets to the water’s depths and lower them once again. For Christ has called us beyond the shore to be fishers of women and men. Cast your nets to the water’s depths and lower them once again.” Amen.
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