The Calling of Peter - 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 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.

Commentary

Today's lesson is usually considered to be about calling the disciples. I think it can also be looked at as a miracle story. In time series, Jesus has been baptized by John in the Jordan, been led by the Spirit to the wilderness, been tempted by the devil for 40 days, and then returned to Galilee to preach as a single teacher. He runs afoul of the crowds in Nazareth, who see him simply as the son of Joseph with an attitude, but in general, he is well received and is busy healing and casting out demons. He is already attracting sufficient crowds to lead us to today's story. So here is Jesus, arrived at the lake of Gennesaret. A crowd immediately shows up wanting to hear him, and there is no where to go but into the lake. Simon Peter and his friends James and John the sons of Zebedee just happen to be there on the shore with their boats beached while they work on their nets. Now it would be possible to explain this encounter by calling on the omniscience of Jesus and claim that he already knew the men in his heart and had orchestrated the whole event in advance. I think it is far more probable and more instructional for us if we just assume that Jesus has never met these men. And they know him by reputation only. I think that what happens next deserves a replay in slow motion. First, Jesus gets into Simon's boat. Simon is on the beach remember, cleaning his nets. The boat is empty and Jesus just gets in. He then asks Simon to push the boat out into the lake a little so he can better address the crowd. And Simon does so. No objection that he has work to do. No question about “Who do you think you are?” Simon just does it. I think this is an example of the first prerequisite to miracle watching. You have to be interruptable. Simon has been working all night. Unfruitfully as it turns out. He just wants to go home and get some sleep, but first he has to clean his nets and get them restowed for tonights run. By all reason he should be a little bit resentful of this stranger who shows up making demands. Instead, he effectively says, “How can I help”. Simon will see the miracle as it unfolds because he has first made himself available. Now the next thing that happens is that Simon sits in his boat listening to Jesus right along with the rest of the crowd. Simon is curious and open minded. And when Jesus has finished with his teaching, Simon is willing to launch out into the deep and let down his net. I am not exactly sure how to interpret this since to my recollection, Simon's net is still on the shore drying. For the sake of the story, we will assume there is always a second set in the boat ready for use. In any case, Simon is not only interruptible, he is willing to give something a try. And we all know what happens next. The net is filled with so many fish that it breaks and the other boat has to come out to help haul in the catch. But watch carefully at what happens next. Simon doesn't say, “Wow, there must be a shark out there that chased all the fish into the net”. Simon does not assume that there must be some “rational' explanation of what has happened. No. Simon immediately assumes not only that he has seen a miracle, but that the man in front of him who suggested he let down his net, was the direct cause of that miracle. Simon falls to his knees before Jesus and says “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Simon is not only interruptible, and willing to give something a try, he is also willing to believe in miracles. This is key for you can never see something you do not believe can happen. Seeing miracles requires believing in them. And then we have the final happy ending in which “when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” This requires one final comment. Recently, I made the statement that miracles are to get our attention. It is still up to us to discern what to do about it. Here, God has offered to take a risk on some simple fishermen, and offers to make them fishers of men. On the face of it, it is kind of a preposterous proposal. But God is famous for preposterous proposals. And He is not above using miracles to get our attention. In this case, Simon, James and John have been able to discern the offer behind the miracle, and they have the faith to take it up. Given the opportunity, may we follow their lead. Amen