Luke 5:1-11 (Sermon for the week of February 4th)

Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV)

1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 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. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 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.”

6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 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. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 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.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

SERMON:

Luke's Gospel is unique in several ways from the other Gospels. Luke's account of the calling of the four fisherman is the longest from the other accounts found in the Gospel of Mark, Matthew, and John. Luke opens Jesus' ministry with Jesus' sermon at the Nazareth synagogue. Luke then follows Jesus' ministry by reporting on certain events (that highlight a theme) such as the driving out an "unclean spirit" (4:31-37), the healing of Simon's mother-in-law (4:38-41), and the sermon from the synagogue in Judea (4:42-44). These events do not follow the chronological order of the other three Gospels and it is for a reason. Luke emphasizes points and highlights a theme running throughout Jesus' ministry that the other Gospels do not explain. Luke is highlighting the theme of salvation for Gentiles, and events in Jesus' ministry that were not emphasized enough in the other three Gospels. We can see the importance of the order that Luke places events of Jesus' ministry by beginning with the sermon in the synagogue which then leads up to the crowds hearing of Jesus' works and sermons and flocking to Jesus to "hear the Word of God" in this weeks reading. Luke gives us another insight into that day when the crowds flocked to hear Jesus and the four Apostles were chosen: Peter (Simon), John, James, and Andrew.

As a side note, it is interesting that Andrew is not mentioned once in this Gospel. Also notice that Peter is the highlight here and not James or John. Remember that Luke had the fortunate experience to meet Peter when Luke was with Paul. Luke never grew to know and understand James and John like he did Peter. It is one reason why Peter is highlighted in this Gospel account when the four apostles were chosen. Now we will closely look at the reading...

"1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 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."


Lake Gennesaret is a region at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. It is not an actual lake but appears from the shore to be a large cove. Luke calls it a lake but it is still the Sea of Galilee. Notice that the crowds are pressing Jesus to hear the Word of God. This is because of the miracles, works, and sermons that Jesus has done that has spread the word of Him to the locals. Luke uses the phrase "the word of God" and Jesus uses "the kingdom of God". This is a phrase Luke uses in Acts and Luke uses it to refer to the message of the church. The path to the kingdom of God in a sense can be found by hearing the word of God!

It is interesting that there were two boats there...both needed to be involved in the gathering of the fish. Could the boats symbolize the Jews and the Gentiles who will soon be blessed with salvation and eternal life? I think so. Remember that everything surrounding Jesus and His words have a layered meaning. It is a fact that both the Jews and the Gentiles will convert to Christianity when the Good News reaches them that the Messiah has come, conquered the grave, and has provided salvation to those who seek Him by His sacrifice on the cross.

When we read that the fisherman had been out all night and had fished unsuccessfully...we need to understand their physical and mental condition and then relate it to our own experience. Fishing can be an exhausting and frustrating task. Imagine working hard all night in a physically exhausting job only to produce nothing! These fisherman wanted to go home, eat, and get some sleep. They are exhausted, probably irritable, and in no mindset to help someone let alone listen to anyone. To top it off, they just cleaned their nets and boats and are practically minutes away from leaving! Then a "man" comes and wants to get into one of their boats and asks to be pushed out into the water! What does Peter do? He does what Jesus asks without question. We know that Jesus is not just any man or prophet...there was something glorious about Jesus and Peter recognizes it!

Jesus then sits down in the boat. Among the Jews, when you sit you sit to teach. It is comforting to see Jesus coming out of the synagogue and goes directly to the common people. He goes to the Sea of Galilee to teach the common people from all walks of life. The Sea of Galilee becomes the synagogue...a synagogue available to anyone who is interested in seeing this special "prophet" that people are murmuring about.

Keep this thought in the back of your mind as we read on...these fisherman were exhausted but spring to life when the Son of God who is Jesus asked them to do something. They forget how tired and weary they were and come to life to fulfill the works Jesus wanted them to do. Any energy that is needed to complete a work of God will be granted to you no matter how exhausted or stressed out you become. At least most of us aren't called to do His Works after an exhaustive and unproductive night of trawling around the sea in a little boat with a heavy net to drag around!!

"4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 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.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 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. "

This part of the reading is also interesting. Jesus' command has a layered meaning. Notice that Jesus commanded Peter to cast his net into the "deep" water. Peter is a professional fisherman. He knows how to catch fish, where to catch fish, and when to catch fish. What does an exhausted, weary, and disappointed Peter do? He does as he is commanded and without question. What is the meaning behind casting the net into the deep water? For a fisherman, hugging the shoreline and fishing in shallow water is secure and safe. The shallow water is a safety zone. It is familiar, known, and does not offer the prospect of injury because the shore is near...if something happens to the boat, they could always swim to shore. The deep water is away from the comfort zone, dark, and more dangerous. This is where Jesus commands Peter to go...into the unknown, away from the safety zone to fish.

So it is with us. The Lord places us away from our comfort zone to cast our "net" in order to save those who are really lost...those who are living in the deep water. It is less secure and an unknown place we venture to but as we see in this weeks reading, our catch will surpass all expectations. You catch the "fish" and the Lord will clean them!

The rewards are abundant and almost overwhelming with the Lord. However, this does not mean that fulfilling His will in order to find a pot of gold is the reward you shall receive or should expect to receive. Worldly possessions stay with this world and rot with this world. What we think is valuable is vastly different from what God thinks is valuable. If we are weary, tired, beaten down, close to defeat, or attacked in a spiritual or physical way, know that just like Peter if we act in faith by doing what we are told and fulfilling the Will of the Lord, the catch will be miraculous. Peter just wanted to go home after a demoralizing night of fruitless fishing, but he awakened to the call of Jesus, and in turn had the best day of fishing he would ever have in his life!

As we go and do the Lord's fishing, we may have to signal to our partners to help us haul in the catch. The abundance of the Lord's blessing can seem to be almost overwhelming....it could sink two boats...ALMOST sink two boats! When we focus our faith on small works we get small results. When we focus our faith on large works we get large results...actually extra-extra large results! The abundance of the fish in this weeks reading is the same abundance the Lord provided in the Old Testament as the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16), the widow's meal and oil (1 Kings 17:8-16), and Elisha's feeding a hundred men with 20 loaves of bread (2 Kings 4:42-44). The Lord provided this abundance in the Old Testament and Jesus will provide many miracles of abundance in the New Testament. The Lord still works these miracles today...the miracles of abundance fulfill the needs that we have as humans and demonstrate the awesome power of God. They are there waiting for us to experience them personally right now!!

"When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 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.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him."

Peter serves as a role model for us...his faith was unquestioning, quick, and subordinate. However, even a man of faith has a little doubt at times. Peter followed Jesus' instructions but he really didn't know if Jesus was the real deal until he saw the physical evidence before his eyes of the abundant catch of fish. One thought that came to my mind while writing this...it would be fitting if all the atheists were there on that day at the Sea of Galilee. They would have to believe or go home if they were granted the chance to witness the physical proof in this account in Luke, and I know that after the atheists are presented with all types of physical proof from Our Lord...they would still not believe!!

Peter is a man of faith...and a man of faith is humble about his unholiness in the presence of God. Just like Moses and Isaiah, Peter is faced with the fact about how unworthy he is in front of the Lord! So are we...and we should be reminded of that fact again.

Do not be afraid. For the Good News of Salvation has come! Jesus tells us not to be afraid for the Father wants us to be with Him in the Kingdom. We have the awesome power of the Lord to watch our backs. Just as we read Peter humbly falling to his knees before the Lord...we will see Peter preach a sermon where 3,000 people will be baptized in one day. A large catch of fish this day and a large catch of men one day! This experience is available for us to carry on right now.

The world is a unforgiving and uncomfortable place for Christians...in fact this world on the whole despises Christians. It was not a comfortable world for Peter 2000 years ago; Peter experienced opposition, arrest, and crucifixion. As Jesus says in Luke 12:17 "Do not be afraid for you are of more value than many sparrows".

Finally, the disciples left everything and followed Jesus. We can leave everything and do His Works too...but that does not always mean that this "sacrifice" will bring us more faith! What are our true intentions and how well do we really know Jesus? Becoming a disciple is to discover the Truth that the meaning of our life is not based in worldly goals and possessions, but instead the basis of life is living in God alone. If we reach that point, we have indeed left everything in this world to fulfill His Will.

God Bless you and your families this week!!


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