5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So 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.
8When
Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me,
Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For
he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,
10and
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." 11So
they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke
5:1-11
The Sea of Galilee is an ovalshaped body of fresh water about eight
miles wide and thirteen miles long, and nearly 700 feet below sea level, surrounded
on three sides by beautiful hills, at the meeting point today, of three countries,
Jordan, Syria and Israel. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that in the
first century some 240 boats regularly fished the waters from 30 different villages
of which Capernaum was the largest. Perhaps that is why Jesus made it His lakeside
base. That is what Simon Peter and Andrew his brother were doing when they met
Jesus, casting a nets into the sea. That particular day however, they were going
to learn about a whole new kind of fishing, and maybe, today, we will too. 'Gone
fishing' means different things to different people. So lets spend a
little while trying to figure out what Jesus is saying and to whom.
1. Fishermen
with Amnesia
Ask them what a fisherman
is and they'll scratch their heads. Ask them why they go fishing and they'll
probably says its because their parents did it, or their grandparents. It runs
in the blood. They feel they ought to go fishing but they don't know why. The
fishermen with amnesia. Very sad.
2. Agnostic Fishermen
You meet them on Sundays down in places like Portsmouth, Brighton
or Hastings when the sun is shining. They dress like fisherman, with their rubber
boots, waxed jacket and fancy fly hooks in their straw hats. In good weather
you may even see them close to the water. They've got all the right gear and
they feel better for wearing it and acting like fishermen. When pressed they
would say with the greatest of respect that you don't have to believe in fish
to be a fisherman. That's the agnostic fisherman.
3. Socialite Fishermen
To the socialite fishing is a hobby, its about being a member of
a fishing club. Its all about getting up early, filling the flask, making the
sandwiches, meeting up with friends and exploring a new stretch of river or
another pond. At the end of the day they'll be down the club telling tall stories
about the one that got away. To the socialite fisherman fishing is a means to
an end. Unlike the agnostic, socialite fishermen do believe in fish. Its just
they wouldn't know what to do if they ever caught one. Fishing to the socialite
is all about believing in fishing, joining a club and having a good time.
4. Competitive Fisherman
The competitive fisherman must have all the latest gear and belonging
to the right club. They love to tell you the latest book on fishing, the make
of their rod, the breaking strain of their line and how far they can cast. To
them fishing is all about competing, about comparing themselves with other fishermen.
Its not really about catching fish. What matters is how big they are, how much
they weigh and catching more than anyone else. All that matters is winning.
Fishing is all about the photos and the trophies on the sideboard. Four kinds
of fisherman. The amnesia, the agnostic, the socialite and the competitive.
Recognise yourself in any of these portraits? There is a fifth kind, and I'd
like to suggest its the kind Jesus was talking to that day by the lakeside of
Galilee.
5. The Professional Fisherman
The professional fisherman does it because it is his living. He respects
the weather and the elements but he knows if he doesn't catch anything his family
will not eat. He may enjoy fishing. He may enjoying fishing with his friends.
But he is a fisherman first and foremost because its his trade, because he has
learnt to be good at catching fish. He has studied their habits. Their favourite
food. Where they feed, where they hide. He knows where and when they will be
found. He doesn't sit and wait for the fish to come to him. He goes out in search
for them, even at personal risk and hardship. To the professional, fishing is
neither a club, a game or a sport. It is his life.
I would suggest to you that it was to professional fishermen, that Jesus spoke.
It was professional fisherman Jesus called to be his disciples. And it was the
trade of the professional fishermen that Jesus uses as an illustration for Christian
ministry. Jesus has called us to be fishermen, not name a club after him or
sponsor a trophy in his name.
He has not allowed us the luxury of redefining what he meant. He calls men and
women to follow him and serve him by fishing. The primary role of the church
is to enlarge his church in the same way that professional fishermen catch fish.
It is as simple and as profound and as final as that. Take it or leave it. If
this is not what we are here for today then with respect I would suggest we
are here for one of the four other phoney reasons people go fishing. It should
come as no surprise this week that the BBC has appointed a self confessed agnostic
to be the new head of religious broadcasting. The Church of England along with
other main denominations have raised no objections for the simple reason that
they have been doing the same for decades. Are you surprised that an agnostic
fisherman never catches any fish? Then do not be surprised that an agnostic
church or one with amnesia cannot feed itself financially or enlarge itself
with new members. It has either forgotten how to fish or has redefined its role
in social work or education. For too long it has lived off the proceeds of the
fishing done in previous generations. That is why we are committed to being
self financing. Why we are planning for growth. Please read the three options
for growth the PCC has presented, and prayerfully reflect on which option will
enable us to continue to grow. To fish without letting the buildings restrict
us or get in the way. How do we learn how to fish? Let me tease out an answer
by asking 3 simple questions of the passage.
1. How does Jesus define the Christian in this passage?
2. How does Jesus deploy the Christian in this passage?
3. How does Jesus empower the Christian in this passage?
1. How does Jesus define a Christian? "Come,
follow me..."
When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, James and John they were tough, crusty
outdoor fishermen. They had little education, even less spiritual perception,
and probably no religious training at all. As their new Master began to teach
them, even when He spoke in simple stories, they misunderstood him frequently.
They were often insensitive and inhospitable. When the multitude who had walked
a long way around the Sea of Galilee to be with Jesus became hungry, the disciples
thought only of sending them away. When some little children were brought to
Jesus for blessing, the disciples rebuked their parents (Matthew 19:13). Peter
thought he would be extremely generous to forgive someone "up to seven times"
(Matthew 18:21). The disciples showed little potential even for dependability,
much less for leadership. Yet Jesus chose them. They were willing to learn -
that is all that mattered, and so must we. The command, "Follow me" literally
means "come here....your place is following after me!" In this passage
Jesus demonstrates his authority. He told them to fish in the day when most
fish are caught at dawn or dusk. He told them to go out into the deep water
when most fish are caught in the shallows. They knew better but they obeyed
Jesus and witnessed his supernatural power. The disciples' obedience was immediate:
they left the nets, and followed Him. "Followed" conveys the
idea of following as a learner who is committed to imitating the one he follows.
Let me ask you, have you heard the call to follow Jesus? Have you felt His touch
on your shoulder, His knock at your door? In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says....."Behold
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I
will come in and eat with Him and He with me." Remember that promise
was spoken to a church. Jesus has indeed called you just as He called those
fishermen by the Sea of Galilee. The question is not whether He has called you
but whether you have heard and are following Him. Our primary sphere of ministry
may be the home or workplace, it may be the Sunday School or Alcoholics Anonymous.
What matters most of all is that He has called you to follow Him, learn from
Him and serve Him as a fisherman. How does Jesus define a Christian? - Someone
who is following Jesus.
2. How does Jesus Deploy the Christian? "...fishers
of men."
When Jesus called those first disciples, He gathered together the first fishcatching
crew of His church. They were Jesus' first partners. From the beginning His
plan was to use disciples to win disciples. He would command His disciples to
do other things, but His first call to them was, "Follow Me, and I will make
you fishers of men." Variations of the word evangelise are used over fifty times
in the New Testament. Evangelisation is the primary thrust of the Great Commission:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19). To
make disciples is to bring people to the Saviour, to come under the lordship
of Jesus Christ, and show them how to do the same, to reproduce and multiply
ourselves. So when Jesus called His disciples to Himself, It was so that they
would call others. My father was a fisherman. He would often go out all night
fishing off the beach at Lowestoft, in all weathers with his rods, his flask
and tilley lamp. We didn't have a freezer in those days, so, if it was a good
night we would eat fish for days, as would our neighbours..... In the same way
the good news of Jesus is for sharing. Evangelism, is the purest, truest, most
essential role we have as a Church. Everything else is secondary, everything
else is optional. Christ mandates us be fishermen. How does Jesus define a Christian?
A follower of Jesus Christ. How does Jesus deploy a Christian? A fisherman for
Jesus Christ.
3. How Does Jesus Equip a Christian? "I will
make you..."
Jesus called these Disciples to the work alongside Himself. God
always chooses His partners. He chose Noah and Abraham, Moses and David. He
chose the prophets. He chose Israel herself to be a whole nation of partners,
"a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). Jesus told His disciples,
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should
go and bear fruit" (John 15:16; cf. 6:70; 13:18). When Jesus called the
disciples, He also committed Himself to train them and empower them. "I
will make you" Indeed only He could. They could never be effective disciplersor
effective disciples in any waywithout His power. In another analogy he
used the vine to explain their relationship. "I am the vine, you are the
branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart
from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). That is why He commanded them to
wait until they had received the Holy Spirit that first Pentecost. Why was the
Holy Spirit given? "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes
on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) The disciples developed compassion,
humility, understanding, patience, and love as they learned from and obeyed
Jesus. As they watched the Master at work. Obedience is the spark that lights
the fire of passion. The way to develop a love for people is to share the love
of Jesus with them. As we do that, God will kindle that spark of obedience into
a great flame of passion. May the Lord bless your fishing for him this week.
Let us pray.